Georgia dad, convicted after giving his son the gun used in school shooting, seeks new trial
Colin Gray, father of the Apalachee High School shooter Colt Gray, enters the courtroom during his sentencing hearing at Barrow County Superior Court on Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Winder, Ga. Credit: AP/Hyosub Shin
ATLANTA — A man sentenced to 15 years in prison after giving his son the gun he used in a deadly high school shooting in Georgia has requested a new trial.
Colin Gray was convicted earlier this year of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. In a court filing Wednesday, his attorneys argued the jury's guilty verdict is not supported by the evidence and is “contrary to law and the principles of justice and equity.”
Two students and two teachers were killed in the Sept. 4, 2024 shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia. His son, Colt Gray, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Colin Gray is one of a handful of American parents who have been criminally charged after their children were accused in shootings.
Prosecutors said Colin Gray gave his son the semiautomatic rifle as a Christmas gift along with ammunition, and other shooting accessories.
A jury in March found Colin Gray guilty of second-degree murder in the deaths of two 14-year-old students, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo. Georgia law defines second-degree murder as causing the death of a child by committing the crime of cruelty to children. Gray was also found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the killings of teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53.
The high school is 45 miles (70 kilometers) northeast of Atlanta.
Judge Nicholas Primm speaks during the sentencing hearing of Colin Gray, father of Apalachee High School shooter Colt Gray, at Barrow County Superior Court on Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Winder, Ga. Credit: AP/Hyosub Shin
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