Colin Gray, the father of the teenager accused of killing two people at Apalachee High School in 2024, was convicted March 3 in a closely watched case that a legal expert said could set a precedent for how Georgia holds parents criminally responsible for their children’s actions.
A Barrow County jury found Gray guilty of two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of involuntary manslaughter, and multiple counts of reckless conduct and cruelty to children. Jurors deliberated for less than two hours after more than two weeks of testimony, according to a report from Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB).
Prosecutors argued that Gray’s actions and failures helped enable the Sept. 4, 2024, shooting at the Winder-area school, which left two people dead and several injured.
According to GPB, Gray’s estranged wife, Marcee Gray, told jurors she was aware of their son’s fascination with previous school shootings and had urged Colin Gray to secure his firearms. Prosecutors said Colin Gray searched online for gun safes but never purchased one.
The defense maintained that Colin Gray had no knowledge that his son was planning a shooting and argued that Marcee Gray had greater awareness of their son’s mental health struggles. Colin Gray was the only witness called by the defense and testified that he could not have foreseen the attack, describing the difficulty of raising three children largely on his own.
Prosecutors also introduced evidence that Marcee Gray made online searches about the parents of a Michigan school shooter who were convicted of manslaughter, as well as about Georgia’s safe gun storage laws, arguing the searches showed the family was aware of the legal risks surrounding unsecured firearms.
Defense attorneys are expected to appeal the verdict, according to the report.
Further questions about parental liability
Former U.S. Attorney Michael Moore told GPB that the verdict could mark a turning point in how Georgia approaches parental responsibility in criminal cases involving minors.
“I think that may have broader ramifications than people hearing this case were thinking about,” Moore said.
Moore said the ruling raises questions about how far criminal liability can extend when a parent is not accused of directly participating in a crime but is alleged to have acted negligently.
“This is sort of where the slope of the law is headed, when you basically say that somebody can be responsible for a third party’s conduct when they’re not part of some type of criminal scheme or conspiracy,” Moore said.
He said the case leaves uncertainty about the limits of such liability in the absence of clearer legislative guidance, comparing it to a hypothetical scenario in which a parent provides a vehicle to a reckless teenager.
“Will that parent now be responsible, criminally, for essentially putting a vehicle weapon into the hands of their child, should that child then kill somebody in a car?” Moore said. “Is the parent also to be responsible for vehicular homicide?”
Moore said he would not be surprised if the case ultimately reaches the Georgia Supreme Court.