WINDER, Georgia: A Georgia man who gave his teenage son the gun allegedly used to kill two students and two teachers at a high school was found guilty on March 3 of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter.
In less than two hours, jurors found Colin Gray guilty of all charges in the September 2024 shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, northeast of Atlanta.
Colin Gray was found guilty of second-degree murder in the deaths of two 14-year-old students, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo. Under Georgia law, second-degree murder means causing the death of a child while committing cruelty to children. He was also found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the deaths of two teachers, Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53.
Another teacher and eight students were injured in the shooting. Gray was also convicted on several counts of reckless conduct and cruelty to children.
He showed little emotion as the verdict was read and as each juror confirmed the decision in court. Deputies then handcuffed him while he spoke with his lawyer. He will be sentenced later. Second-degree murder carries a prison term of 10 to 30 years, while involuntary manslaughter can lead to one to 10 years in prison.
Some victims' family members cried as the verdicts were announced, but they did not speak to reporters afterward. Gray's lawyers also left without commenting.
The teen's mother, Marcee Gray, was not charged. She told the court that she had asked her estranged husband to lock up any guns in his truck so their son could not access them. She and Colin Gray had separated in the months before the shooting, and their son, Colt Gray, mostly lived with his father since then.
Prosecutors said Colin Gray gave his son the gun as a Christmas present and allowed him access to it and ammunition, even though the boy's mental health was worsening. They said he had clear warning signs that his son could harm others.
Colt Gray, who was 14 at the time of the September 4, 2024, shooting, has pleaded not guilty to 55 charges, including murder. A judge has scheduled a hearing for mid-March.
Investigators said he carefully planned the attack at the school, which has about 1,900 students. They said he brought the semiautomatic rifle on the school bus in his backpack, with the barrel wrapped in poster board. He left his second-period class, went into a bathroom, came out with the gun, and shot people in a classroom and in the hallways.
Prosecutors also said Colin Gray knew his son was obsessed with school shooters and had even set up a shrine in his bedroom to Nikolas Cruz, who was involved in the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida.
