Colin Gray was found guilty of murder and manslaughter charges after his son, Colt Gray, allegedly killed four people in Georgia with an AR-15-style rifle that was kept inside their family’s home.
The Georgia jury deliberated for less than two hours before Colin, 55, was convicted on all 27 charges during a hearing on Tuesday, March 3. Colin has been found guilty of two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of involuntary manslaughter, 18 counts of cruelty to children and five counts of reckless conduct.
Colin did not visibly react when his verdict was revealed, according to Georgia Public Broadcasting.
He is facing between 10 to 30 years in prison on each murder charge, as well as one to 10 years behind bars on each manslaughter charge. Colin’s sentence will be revealed at a later hearing.
During the trial, prosecutors accused Colin of buying his son Colt an AR-15-style rifle as a Christmas present. Prosecutors claimed that Colin allowed his son to access the weapon and ammunition despite concerns that his son was dangerous.
Colt, who was 14 years old at the time of the shooting, used the rifle to carry out a mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on September 4, 2024. Two teachers and two students were killed, while nine others were injured during the incident.
“That man and his son are both responsible for the immense suffering that occurred on September 4,” prosecutor Patricia Brooks said in closing arguments, per the outlet. “The blood is on their hands.”
However, Colin’s defense argued that he did not know about his son’s violent plans. His attorneys also said that he had taken steps to get help for his son amid his mental health issues.
When Colin was first charged for the crime, the indictment stated that his actions constituted “criminal negligence” by “consciously disregarding a substantial and unjustifiable risk.”
Authorities said that Colt, now 16, has admitted to being behind the shooting, per CNN. He has since pleaded not guilty to 55 felony counts, including four counts of malice murder.
A trial date in connection to Colt’s changes has not yet been scheduled.
During Colin’s trial, his estranged wife, Marcee Gray, testified that their son struggled with anxiety, was easily agitated and had panic attacks. She also said it was “very obvious” that Colt needed professional help, though she claimed that Colin “just didn’t want to deal with it.”
Jurors were also shown pictures of Colt’s bedroom, which included pictures of school shooter Nikolas Cruz hung on the wall in tribute, per NBC News. Cruz infamously killed 14 students and three staff members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February 2018.
Colin also recounted incidents of his son being bullied at school and said he occasionally showed signs of rage. However, he insisted that he never considered Colt a violent threat.
“I never thought that he would even have a thought process of bringing a gun to school or doing any kind of harm to anybody else. Well, on anybody at school,” Colin told the jurors, per NBC News.
