Father of Apalachee High School Shooter Convicted of Murder and Manslaughter

A jury at the Barrow County Courthouse in Winder, Georgia, convicted Colin Gray, reported as 55 in some accounts and listed in other records as born Aug. 10, 1970 and then 54, on all 29 counts charging him with second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter and related offenses for supplying the AR-15-style rifle used in the Sept. 4, 2024, attack at Apalachee High School that killed two teachers and two 14-year-old students.

Victims named in courtroom reporting include teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53, and students Mason Schermerhorn, 14, and Christian Angulo, 14. Prosecutors told jurors the rifle was the weapon that allowed the shooter to kill and wound multiple people during the mass shooting; sources reporting from the trial list seven or eight others wounded by gunfire, with counts varying among outlets.

Prosecutors built their case around evidence they said showed Colin Gray supplied the firearm and knew of his son’s violent interests and threats. During the two-week trial, prosecutors introduced testimony and exhibits saying Gray bought the AR-15-style rifle as a Christmas present and was warned by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office about his son’s threats. Prosecutors also presented material they said showed Colt Gray kept a shrine in his bedroom to the Parkland shooter and that Marcee Gray had searched for “school shooter parents charged with manslaughter” and watched a documentary about the Crumbleys before the shooting.

Colin Gray took the stand Feb. 27, 2026, and “broke down” under questioning about red flags surrounding his son, defense and news reports say. Veteran defense lawyer Trocino, who noted his 35 years of experience, urged nuance in assessing parental responsibility and framed the case as one of cumulative facts: “In general terms, is a parent responsible for the actions of their child? The answer is no,” Trocino said. “But when you get into the facts, you know the egregious facts ... then it starts looking worse and worse and worse.”

Legal observers and trial correspondents framed the verdict as unusually serious. CNN trial correspondent Jean Casarez called it, “It is by far the most serious conviction we’ve ever had in this country of a parent being charged with the actions their child did.” CNN legal analyst Joey Jackson said the prosecution’s success sends a practical message: “On a practical level, the prosecution’s success in these cases is a signal to gun‑owning parents to get a gun safe or lock.”

The Gray conviction follows other parental prosecutions, most notably the Crumbley manslaughter convictions in Michigan, but differs in scope: prosecutors here won murder as well as manslaughter counts. After jury deliberations in Winder, photographs show Colin Gray handcuffed and escorted from the courtroom. Sentencing has not been reported.

Colt Gray, the alleged shooter, was 14 at the time of the Sept. 4, 2024 attack and is now 16; he has been indicted on 55 counts, has pleaded not guilty and remains scheduled for separate proceedings before Judge Primm. Defense lawyers for Colt have until April 1 to file pretrial motions as the cases move forward and as prosecutors and defense lawyers prepare for whatever impact the Barrow County verdict may have on future parental-liability prosecutions.