Kenneth Glad
The sentencing followed a closely watched case involving firearm access and parental responsibility. The court heard competing arguments about warning signs, intent and preventable harm.
Colin Gray, 55, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison on charges arising from the rifle his teenage son used in the 2024 Apalachee High School shooting in Georgia.
Prosecutors had requested an 80-year term, while defence attorney Brian Hobbs asked for 10 years in custody followed by 10 years of probation.
A jury convicted Gray of second-degree murder in the deaths of students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, and involuntary manslaughter in the killings of teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53.
His son, Colt Gray, was, according to The Guardian, sentenced to life without parole after pleading guilty to 55 counts. Another teacher and eight students were injured in the September 4, 2024, attack.
Warning signs shaped the case
Prosecutors said the father gave his son the semiautomatic rifle as a Christmas present, together with ammunition, a sight and other accessories.
According to Courthouse News, investigators had previously advised Colin Gray to keep firearms away from the teenager after school shooting threats were linked to a computer associated with his son.
The outlet reported that Gray owned gun locks and had searched for gun safes but did not secure the weapons. Georgia Public Broadcasting said prosecutors also displayed a recreation of a bedroom collage focused on Parkland gunman Nikolas Cruz.
“This was the risk that he was ignoring, that there would be a mass shooting of children at a school, and he gave his son the exact tool he would need to accomplish this,” District Attorney Brad Smith said.
Judge weighs negligence
Hobbs argued that Colt Gray concealed his online activity and violent interests. He said Georgia law distinguishes between intentionally causing harm and negligently failing to prevent it.
Judge Nicholas Primm acknowledged that Colin Gray did not fire the weapon and was not shown to have known that his son planned the attack. He nevertheless concluded that the father had failed to respond adequately as warning signs increased.
“The law requires that I set aside emotion. I don’t get to sentence with passion,” Primm said.
Relatives of those killed urged the court to recognise the lasting consequences. Mason Schermerhorn’s mother, Breanna Schermerhorn, said: “This wasn’t unavoidable. This was preventable.”
Unlike Jennifer and James Crumbley in Michigan, who were convicted of involuntary manslaughter, Gray was also convicted of second-degree murder. According to Courthouse News, he is the first parent of a United States school shooter to receive such a conviction.
Sources: The Guardian, Georgia Public Broadcasting, Courthouse News
