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Colin Gray, the father of the teenager accused of carrying out the deadly 2024 Apalachee High School shooting in Winder, Georgia, was convicted Tuesday (March 3) of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter — along with all other charges against him.
Jurors took less than two hours to reach the verdict. Gray showed little emotion as the verdict was read and as each juror was polled by the judge. Deputies then handcuffed him at the defense table as he consulted with his lawyer. He will be sentenced at a later date.
The charges stem from the September 4, 2024, shooting at Apalachee High School, where Gray's son, Colt Gray, is accused of killing two students and two teachers. The school had roughly 1,900 students enrolled at the time.
Colin Gray was found guilty of second-degree murder in the deaths of two 14-year-old students, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo. Under Georgia law, second-degree murder is defined as causing the death of a child by committing the crime of cruelty to children. He was also convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the killings of teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53, as well as multiple counts of reckless conduct and cruelty to children. Another teacher and eight students were wounded in the attack.
Prosecutors said Colin Gray gave his son access to a gun and ammunition "after receiving sufficient warning that Colt Gray would harm and endanger the bodily safety of another." He had gifted his son the semiautomatic, assault-style rifle the Christmas before the shooting, despite knowing his son's mental health had deteriorated.
Prosecutors also presented evidence that Colin Gray was aware his son was obsessed with school shooters and had a shrine in his bedroom dedicated to Nikolas Cruz, the gunman responsible for the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
Colt Gray's mother, Marcee Gray, testified during the trial that she had urged Colin Gray to lock the guns in his truck so their son could not access them. She declined to comment after Tuesday's verdict.
Investigators say Colt Gray carefully planned the attack. He boarded the school bus with the rifle hidden in his book bag — the barrel sticking out and wrapped in poster board. He then left his second-period class, emerged from a bathroom with the weapon, and opened fire in a classroom and in the hallways.
Colin Gray is among a growing number of parents across the country who have faced criminal charges after their children were accused in fatal shootings.
Colt Gray, who was 14 at the time of the attack, has been indicted on 55 counts, including murder. He has pleaded not guilty. A status hearing in his case is set for mid-March.