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Deja Coleman Granted Furlough to Grieve Her Son Daniel Coleman Jr. Following Hot Car Death

Deja Coleman was granted a temporary furlough from Gwinnett County Jail to visit the mortuary of her son, Daniel Coleman Jr., who died after being left in a hot car. The 29-year-old mother, who was charged with second-degree murder and second-degree cruelty to children, was allowed to attend a 45-minute visit early Saturday morning. Defense attorney Tom Ford noted that Coleman was in prison garb and shackled during the visit. While she was expected to be present for the afternoon funeral service, she was returned to jail before the ceremony began. Advocates for child safety argue that the second-degree murder charge is unusually aggressive for a tragic accident caused by sleep deprivation and stress. Amber Rollins, executive director of Kids and Car Safety, described the incident as a failure of human memory rather than a lack of parental responsibility. Coleman faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison if convicted of the murder charge.

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