Georgia father becomes first parent sentenced for murder in son’s school shooting 

Colin Gray, the father of a teenage Georgia school shooter, is the first parent to be charged with murder in connection with his child’s crime and has been sentenced to 15 years in prison. His son will spend the rest of his life in prison.

Colt Gray, then 14 years old, carried an AR-15 rifle into Apalachee High School to carry out a school shooting Sept. 4, 2024, after being enrolled at the school for less than a month. The teen shot and killed two 14-year-old students and two teachers with the rifle his father had given him. Nine others were injured.

Colt Gray’s childhood was marked by uncertainty and instability, and his father was arrested one day after the shooting on neglect-related charges. Colin Gray taught his son how to hunt two years before the shooting and had given him the rifle as a birthday gift.

“It is clear you failed as a parent,” Piedmont Judicial Circuit Court Chief Judge Nicholas Primm told Colin Gray at sentencing.

Colin Gray’s trial revealed his son suffered several manic episodes and often lashed out in anger leading up to the shooting. He wasn’t enrolled in school during his eighth-grade year and became infatuated with other school shooters.

Despite his violent tendencies, the firearm remained in the home, accessible and unlocked.

Colin Gray was found guilty in March on 27 counts, including second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, reckless conduct and cruelty to children.

Family members who lost loved ones in the attack gave emotional testimony at Colin Gray’s sentencing and asked for the maximum sentence, emphasizing the pain they live with every day.

The father faced up to 180 years in prison and was the second parent ever charged in connection with his child’s school shooting and the first charged with murder. He was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in prison.

“I recognize that no parent believes that their child is capable of committing a heinous crime,” Primm said. “No parent thinks that their child is going to be the next school shooter, but it became more and more obvious that something bad was going to happen.”

At the very least, he added, it should have been obvious to Colin Gray that his son was at risk of dying by suicide, which should have prompted him to lock up the gun.

While many people are calling for Colt Gray’s mother to be charged as well, she did not do anything illegal under Georgia law, and it is unlikely she will be charged in connection with her son’s crimes, Barrow County District Attorney Brad Smith said.

Colin and his wife, Marcee Gray, were still legally married but physically separated at the time of the shooting. Marcee Gray had multiple run-ins with the law, including issues related to drug addiction, which led to her losing custody of their three children.

“Make no mistake, Marcee’s disgusting and her actions are contemptible,” Smith said.

Marcee Gray could be arrested on abuse charges because the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services found 12 counts of abuse and neglect against her. However, any prosecution would include Colt Gray as the victim.

“I don’t know that I have the stomach for a trial where Colt Gray is the victim,” Smith said.

Marcee Gray has been barred from contacting her son after recordings of their calls were played in court, revealing lighthearted conversations about Colt Gray’s popularity on social media.

Colt Gray withdrew his not guilty plea July 24 and pleaded guilty to 55 criminal counts. He faced a minimum sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole but was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

“Planning, fantasizing about, visualizing, exercising and executing a school shooting don’t put you in a problematic place, it puts you in an unredeemable moral wasteland,” Primm said.

Primm cited Colt Gray’s desire for popularity from the shooting and his failure to show remorse as justification for the sentence despite his young age.

(Photo credit: Colt Gray/Colin Gray/Screenshots/YouTube/Court TV)