WINDER, Ga. — A Barrow County jury on Tuesday found Colin Gray guilty on all 27 counts related to the deadly September 2024 shooting at Apalachee High School, marking a historic moment in U.S. judicial history regarding parental criminal liability. Gray, 55, was convicted of two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of involuntary manslaughter, 18 counts of cruelty to children, and five counts of reckless conduct.
The verdict follows an intense trial focused on whether Gray’s decision to provide his son, Colt Gray, with an AR-15-style rifle—despite repeated warnings of the teenager’s deteriorating mental state—constituted criminal negligence. The jury reached its decision in less than two hours.
Prosecution: “He Gave Him the Detonator”
The core of the prosecution’s case rested on the argument that Colin Gray was acutely aware of his son’s obsession with school shooters and his declining mental health. Evidence presented during the trial included photos of the teenager’s bedroom, which featured images of the 2018 Parkland school shooter.
Assistant District Attorney Patricia Brooks delivered a searing closing argument, describing the younger Gray as a “bomb just waiting to go off.”
“After seeing sign after sign of his son’s deteriorating mental state, his violence, his school shooter obsession… instead of disarming him, [the defendant] gave him the detonator,” Brooks told the jury.
The prosecution also called upon the defendant’s daughter, who testified that her father had instructed her to “cover for him” regarding his knowledge of the son’s fixation on mass shooters.
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Defense Claims Misplaced Responsibility
The defense maintained that the responsibility for the September 4, 2024, massacre belonged solely to the shooter, not the parent. Defense attorney Jimmy Berry argued that the teenage son, now 16, acted of his own volition and is the only individual who should face punishment for the deaths of:
- Mason Schermerhorn, 14
- Christian Angulo, 14
- Richard Aspinwall, 39
- Cristina Irimie, 53
“This is the person who went into the high school and shot and killed four people he didn’t even know,” Berry said during closing arguments. “This is the person who needs to be punished.”
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Legal Precedent and Sentencing
This conviction marks only the second time in United States history that a parent has been held criminally responsible for a mass shooting committed by their child. It follows the 2024 convictions of James and Jennifer Crumbley in Michigan, who were sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison following a 2021 shooting carried out by their son.
Gray remained stoic as the verdict was read before being led from the courtroom in handcuffs. He faces a significant prison term:
- Second-Degree Murder: 10 to 30 years per count.
- Involuntary Manslaughter: 1 to 10 years per count.
A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled by the Barrow County Superior Court.
Looking Ahead
The focus now shifts to the trial of Colt Gray. The teenager, who was 14 at the time of the attack, faces 55 felony counts, including four counts of malice murder. Although he is being tried as an adult, a trial date has not been set. He has entered a plea of not guilty.
The Colin Gray verdict is expected to further ignite national debates over safe firearm storage laws and the legal boundaries of parental responsibility in preventing youth violence.
