A Georgia father has been found guilty on all 29 counts after his son allegedly murdered four people in a high school shooting.
Colin Gray, 54, showed no emotion as his fate was sealed in court on Tuesday after jurors took less than two hours to determine he was responsible for the deadly rampage at Apalachee High School.
Colt, who is awaiting trial, allegedly opened fire inside the school, killing two students: Mason Schermerhorn, 14, and Christian Angulo, 14, and two teachers: Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53. Nine others were injured.
Colin, who broke down during his trial after seeing his son stalking the school hallways before the shooting, was convicted of two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of involuntary manslaughter.
He was also found guilty on 20 counts of cruelty to children and five counts of reckless conduct.
Colin was seen slouched in his chair while the verdict was read. Deputies then handcuffed him behind his back as he stood at the defense table, talking with his lawyer before being escorted out.
Colin, who will be sentenced at a later date, could spend a maximum of 180 years in prison. He is the latest parent to be prosecuted after their children were accused of deadly shootings.
Colin Gray, 54, has been found guilty on all 29 counts, including second-degree murder, after his son, Colin Gray, allegedly killed four people inside Apalachee High School in Georgia in September 2024
His son, Colt Gray, 14, is accused of carrying out the massacre with an AR-15 style rifle that was given to him as a Christmas gift by his father
Colin was seen slouched in his chair while the verdict was read. Deputies then handcuffed him behind his back as he stood at the defense table, talking with his lawyer before being escorted out
On Thursday, Gray covered his eyes and cried as he watched surveillance footage of his son walking the halls of the school while concealing the large gun behind a white poster board and backpack.
The clip showed the teenager entering the school with the gun as students and staff walked right beside him.
He was seen making his way down the hallway before entering a classroom, fidgeting around in his seat, and looking down at his cellphone.
Colt then walked into a bathroom with his backpack, where he texted his mother, Marcee Gray, ‘I’m sorry mom.’ Gray then called the school about her son.
Resource officers went into the restroom and escorted another student out who had the same name as Colt, leaving the teen free to allegedly carry out the shooting, according to Sheriff Jud Smith.
Afterward, Colt, wearing a white T-shirt, khaki pants, and yellow gloves, appeared to limp as he continued to carry the bag with the gun inside.
Another camera angle showed Colt looking through the door window of a classroom, holding the rifle.
Colt will be tried as an adult and is facing 55 charges, including four counts of felony murder.
Two students: Mason Schermerhorn (top left), 14, and Christian Angulo (top right), 14, and two teachers: Richard Aspinwall (bottom right), 39, and Cristina Irimie (bottom left), 53, died that day
Colin was seen crying as a video played in court showing his son stalking the school hallways before gunfire rang out
Gray took the stand on Friday after prosecutors rested their case on Thursday afternoon.
He told the court he gifted Colt the rifle for Christmas in 2023, hoping that it would bring them closer together through hunting and trips to the gun range.
Prosecutors said that the father’s decision came despite warning signs about Colt’s behavior and mental health.
‘I could have done better,’ he confessed on the stand.
When questioned by his attorney, Brian Hobbs, if he noticed any ‘red flags’ from his son that made him believe he would be capable of the violent act, Gray took a moment before stating: ‘No. I struggle with it every day.’
‘He’s a good kid. He wasn’t perfect, and nor was I. But to do something that heinous, I don’t know of anybody that can ever see that kind of evil,’ he added.
‘Like the Colt I knew and the relationship I had, there’s this whole other side of Colt I didn’t know existed.’
More than a year before the deadly shooting, police had interviewed Colt and Gray about a threat to carry out a school shooting that had been made on a Discord account created with an email associated with the teenager.
Colt’s trial date has not yet been set, but he will be tried as an adult and is facing 55 charges, including four counts of felony murder. He is seen in court on December 9, 2025
The father told investigators that his son had access to firearms in the home, as he was teaching Colt about gun safety and how to hunt, but his access to them was not ‘unfettered.’
He said that if his son did make the threat, he would be ‘mad as hell’ and that ‘all the guns will go away.’
Ultimately, investigators closed the case after being unable to substantiate that Colt was connected to the Discord account, and they did not find grounds to seek the needed court order to confiscate the family’s guns, according to police reports.
Suzanne Harris, a computer science teacher at the high school, testified that she had noticed the concealed weapon sticking out of Colt’s backpack.
She said that she assumed it was a school project, but thought it was odd as he had only been attending for a few days, so she asked him about it.
‘I asked him what his project was about, and he didn’t really have much to say about the project, but he did tell me that he would show it to me later if I wanted to see it,’ the teacher said in court.
Harris also said that she noticed Colt was struggling to carry the backpack and that he seemed nervous when she asked if he needed help.
His trial date has not yet been scheduled, but he is due to appear in court for a hearing on March 18.
