MILWAUKEE (Court TV) — A Wisconsin courtroom was filled with yelling and screaming as a judge sentenced a mother whose 6-year-old son shot himself with her gun to prison instead of probation.
Daquela Collins appears at sentencing on July 16, 2026. (Court TV)
Daquela Collins, 27, pleaded guilty to charges of neglecting a child with a consequence of bodily harm as a party to a crime and straw purchasing of a firearm on the day her jury trial was scheduled to begin.
Daquela Collins was charged in connection with the death of her son, Da’quel Collins, who was killed on April 1, 2025 — just three days shy of his 7th birthday. Da’quel was killed when he shot himself while playing with a gun that had been left within arm’s reach at his home.
Daquela Collins and her son shared a home with her brother, Quintell Collins, who was a convicted felon under supervision after his release for fleeing from police. Prosecutors said that although Quintell Collins was not legally allowed to possess a firearm after his conviction, his sister had helped facilitate a gun purchase for him. Texts between the two revealed that they frequently talked about using guns and that Daquela Collins asked her brother to provide her with ammunition.
On April 1, Quintell Collins sent his sister a video showing him playing with a gun at 11:28 a.m. She was working at a group home for elderly people at the time, and was unable to leave but responded to the video, instructing her brother to put the gun away and out of reach of her son. “Haunting in that video are the feet and the legs of Da’quel that can be seen lying on the back of the couch,” prosecutor Matthew Torbenson said at Thursday’s sentencing hearing. “Also haunting are the text messages that Ms. Collins sends to her brother in the weeks before, because she talks about how her son looks up to Quintell, how her son sees Quintell with this firearm.”
Hours later, Da’quel shot himself; his grandmother found him and immediately called 911, but first responders were unable to save his life.
“An argument can be made that Ms. Collins suffered the greatest penalty one possibly could for her actions already,” Torbenson said. “Because by providing her brother a firearm, by allowing her brother to access her own firearm, she has lost the life of her son.”
People stand in the gallery at Daquela Collins’ sentencing on July 16, 2026. (Court TV)
Daquela Collins was too emotional to speak for herself at her sentencing, but her attorney, Abigail Ruckdashel, reiterated the prosecution’s words as she asked for the judge to consider a sentence of probation. “Anytime a child, specifically a small child, leaves this world, it’s a horrible and terrible offense. And I’m not trying to minimize that loss to this family and to this community, but Ms. Collins’ part in that is small,” she said. “I think losing her son is punishment enough.”
“I acknowledge Ms. Collins’ loss of her son, and I acknowledge that it must be an unbearable loss,” Judge Michelle Havas said. “I simply do not believe, in light of what was such a blatant disregard of the law … I don’t believe probation is appropriate.”
Havas ordered Daquela Collins to serve three years in prison followed by three years of supervision. The sentence was met by shouts and cries in the courtroom.
“Knock it off!” Havas yelled. “Knock it off and put your phones away, or they’re going to be taken and the deputies will take action.”
Several people could be heard calling out “I love you” to the defendant as she was led away in handcuffs.
Quintell Collins was previously sentenced to 17 years in prison followed by 14 years of extended supervision after he pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including neglect of a child, possession of a firearm and reckless endangerment.
