Apalachee High School shooter’s father seeks new trial in his novel case
Colin Gray, the father of the Apalachee High School teenage shooter, is seeking a new trial after being found guilty of second-degree murder and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
The father is the first parent in the United States to be found guilty of a murder charge in a school mass shooting committed by their child. He’s the first parent in Georgia and the third nationwide to be prosecuted in such a case.
Gray, 55, was sentenced last week to 15 years in prison on more than two dozen charges, including second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter and cruelty to children. His 16-year-old son, Colt Gray, was sentenced by the same judge two days earlier to life in prison without parole after he pleaded guilty to 55 felony charges, including malice murder.
This week, the father’s lawyers filed a two-page motion for a new trial, saying the verdict finding him guilty in early March is “decidedly and strongly against the weight of the evidence.”
Colin Gray’s verdict is also “without evidence to support it” and “contrary to law and the principles of justice and equity,” according to the motion.
The father’s lawyers and Barrow County District Attorney Brad Smith did not respond Friday to separate inquiries about the latest development.
Colin Gray maintained his innocence throughout the case, pleading not guilty to each charge he faced. His lawyers indicated at last week’s sentencing hearing they would appeal his conviction.
Because Colt Gray pleaded guilty to all 55 charges he faced, he has limited appeal rights. As of Friday, the teen had not filed an appeal in his case, court records show.
Two 14-year-old students, Christian Angulo and Mason Schermerhorn, and teachers Ana Cristina Irimie and Richard Aspinwall were killed in the shooting at the Barrow County high school on Sept. 4, 2024. Several others, including three students, were seriously wounded by gunfire.
It is Georgia’s deadliest school shooting.
Colin Gray was accused of ignoring his teenage son’s obsession with school shooters, and buying him the gun and associated gear used in the shooting. The father’s lawyers sought a 10-year prison sentence, while prosecutors asked that he stay behind bars for 80 years.
Barrow County Superior Court Judge Nicholas Primm said last week he had a hard time sentencing Colin Gray because the father, who has no criminal history, did not intend to commit a crime.
The judge said it’s a divisive case in which Colin Gray ignored foreseeable harm and failed to intervene.
The maximum sentence Colin Gray faced was 243 years in prison, prosecutors said. The minimum sentence was 10 years on probation.
Defense attorney Brian Hobbs previously said Colin Gray did not know his son was planning the shooting. He said the teen accelerated the attack because his father was trying to get him mental health treatment.
Prosecutors said the father bought his son a high-powered rifle in 2023, months after being warned by law enforcement he needed to restrict the teen’s access to guns.