Mother charged in son’s hot car death granted bond by Gwinnett judge

A mother charged after her 1-year-old son died in a hot car parked outside her Gwinnett County workplace was granted bond Wednesday.

Deja Coleman, whose last name also appears as Simpson on certain documents, has been in jail since July 29 and faces charges of second-degree murder and second-degree cruelty to children. She has left the jail at least once, aside from court hearings, to visit the funeral home on the morning of her son’s service.

Judge Tamela Adkins granted Coleman a $5,000 bond. Once released from jail she will be on house arrest, must wear an ankle monitor and can only leave for medical appointments and meetings with her defense attorneys.

The judge said she would not place restrictions on whether Coleman sees her older two children, but said Coleman is not allowed to drive her children.

During the Wednesday morning hearing, one of Coleman’s attorneys, Trinity Hundredmark, described Daniel Coleman’s death as “an isolated, unfortunate incident.” The defense argued for a reasonable bond, saying Coleman, 29, has not being working and is the main provider for her two children.

The baby died July 29 after Coleman forgot to drop him off at daycare and left him in the back seat of her car for about nine hours while she worked at a Gwinnett County hospital, officials allege.

Matthew Acuff and Hundredmark are representing Coleman after the pair filed a notice earlier this month that they would be replacing her former attorney, Tom Ford. Ford told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution via phone a day after the notice was filed that he was aware of the change but declined to comment.

Since Coleman’s arrest, Ford had been arguing for the mother’s release from jail. A motion for bond was filed in mid-August.

Between Coleman’s preliminary hearing Aug. 11 and Wednesday’s hearing, the state filed an emergency furlough motion to allow Coleman to attend Daniel’s funeral Aug. 15. A Superior Court judge later granted that request. The funeral was held at Hollifield Mortuary in Atlanta.

Ford and police have said Coleman had a routine before work. She would first drop off her 6-year-old and 4-year-old at daycare; the oldest needs extra attention because of an autism diagnosis, they have said. Then she would return to her car to bring the baby into the daycare, Ford previously told the AJC.

Daniel was left in Coleman’s vehicle outside Northside Hospital Gwinnett from around 6:55 a.m. to 3:55 p.m., when police got into the car and found him dead in his car seat, according to investigators. The mother worked as a certified nursing assistant at the hospital, according to court documents filed by Ford.

The temperature inside the car was 117 degrees an hour after a vehicle window had been broken and the child was removed, Lawrenceville police previously said.