Colin Gray, the father of the teenager who carried out a fatal shooting at Appalachee High School, is scheduled for sentencing Thursday after a jury found him guilty of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. The conviction stems from his role in providing the semi-automatic rifle used by his 16-year-old son, Colt Gray, to kill two students and two teachers on September 4, 2024.
Colt Gray was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison without parole after pleading guilty to murder and other charges. The shooting also wounded another teacher and eight students.
A jury convicted Colin Gray of second-degree murder, which Georgia law defines as causing the death of a child through cruelty to children, in the deaths of 14-year-old students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo. He was also found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the killings of teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53. The father was additionally convicted on multiple counts of reckless conduct and cruelty to children.
Prosecutors stated that Colin Gray gifted his son the rifle, ammunition, and other shooting accessories as a Christmas present. Investigators testified that Colt Gray brought the rifle to school, concealing it in poster board, before leaving a classroom and opening fire in a hallway and another classroom.
During his sentencing hearing, testimony indicated that Colt Gray had shown signs of deteriorating mental health in the weeks leading up to the shooting. Investigators also noted the presence of more than a dozen photos of Nikolas Cruz, the perpetrator of the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre, in the teenager's bedroom.
Colt Gray’s mother, Marcee Gray, who was separated from Colin Gray, reported arguing with her estranged husband weeks before the shooting and urging him to secure his firearms and limit their son's access. Investigations contradicted Colt Gray's initial statements to investigators on the day of the shooting, revealing that the rifle was stored in his bedroom, not hidden by his father as he initially claimed.
Colin Gray's case follows a trend in which some parents have faced criminal charges when their culpability in a child's alleged involvement in a shooting can be proven. A notable precedent was set with Jennifer and James Crumbley, the first U.S. parents charged in such a case. Their son, Ethan, killed four students at Oxford High School in Michigan in 2021. The Crumbleys, who were unaware of their son's plans but had gifted him a gun, are serving 10-year sentences for involuntary manslaughter.
Barrow County District Attorney Brad Smith indicated that Colin Gray was the only parent appropriately chargeable in the Georgia shooting, citing Marcee Gray's limited contact with her son prior to the incident. While Smith described Marcee Gray's actions and comments as "disgusting" and "contemptible," he did not find sufficient grounds to pursue charges against her. Recordings of phone calls played during Colt Gray’s sentencing hearing revealed conversations between his mother and him while he was in custody, where she discussed his online notoriety and offered to bring him printouts of "fan art" she described as "extremely cute" and "awesome."