Colin Gray, 55, was sentenced to 15 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter, among other charges. The charges stemmed from his role in providing the rifle his then-14-year-old son, Colt Gray, used in a deadly shooting at Appalachee High School in Georgia on September 4, 2024. The shooting resulted in the deaths of two 14-year-old students, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, and two teachers, Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53. Another teacher and eight students were injured in the attack.
Prosecutors stated that Colin Gray gave his son the semiautomatic, assault-style rifle as a Christmas gift, along with ammunition, a gun sight, and other accessories. During the trial, evidence showed that the gun was kept in Colt's bedroom, despite his initial claims to investigators that his father had tried to hide it. Colin Gray was also convicted of multiple counts of reckless conduct and cruelty to children, with the second-degree murder charges defined under Georgia law as causing the death of a child by committing cruelty to children.
The sentencing of Colin Gray followed shortly after his now-16-year-old son, Colt Gray, pleaded guilty to murder and other charges and was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Testimony during Colt Gray's sentencing revealed deteriorating mental health in the weeks leading up to the shooting, and investigators found more than a dozen photos of Nikolas Cruz, the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter, in his bedroom. Colin Gray's estranged wife, Marcee Gray, had reportedly urged him to secure his guns and restrict Colt's access, and prosecutors presented evidence that Colin Gray ignored warning signs about his son's behavior, including a 'shrine' to school shooters.
Colin Gray's case is one of a few instances nationwide where parents have faced criminal charges following school shootings committed by their children. For comparison, Jennifer and James Crumbley, parents of a high school shooter in Michigan, were sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison for involuntary manslaughter. Second-degree murder in Georgia carries a penalty of 10 to 30 years, while involuntary manslaughter carries a penalty of one to 10 years, making Colin Gray's 15-year sentence fall within these established ranges.
