The Father Who Gave His Son the Rifle Faces Up to 180 Years in Prison

On March 3, 2026, a Barrow County, Georgia jury deliberated for less than two hours before returning a verdict on all 27 counts against Colin Gray, 55: guilty. The charges included two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of involuntary manslaughter, five counts of reckless conduct, and 18 counts of cruelty to children - all connected to the September 4, 2024, mass shooting at Apalachee High School, carried out by his son, Colt Gray, who was 14 at the time.

On April 17, 2026, a Barrow County judge set the sentencing hearing for July 28 and 29. Colin Gray faces a maximum sentence of 180 years in prison. He is currently incarcerated and will remain so until sentencing.

What Colt Gray Did That Morning

On the morning of September 4, 2024, Colt Gray arrived at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, carrying an AR-15-style rifle his father had given him as a gift. He left his second-period classroom, emerged from a bathroom with the weapon, and opened fire in hallways and a classroom.

Four people were killed: students Mason Schermerhorn, 14, and Christian Angulo, 14, and teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53. Nine others were wounded. The attack prompted a massive law enforcement response across Barrow County and surrounding areas.

Colt Gray, now 16, has been charged with 55 counts, including murder. He has pleaded not guilty. A status hearing for his case is set for May 28.

What the Prosecution Argued Against Colin

Prosecutors argued that Colin Gray had clear and documented warning signs about his son’s state of mind before the shooting - and that, rather than removing the teen’s access to firearms, he maintained and even expanded it. He had given Colt the AR-15-style rifle used in the attack as a Christmas present, despite the family’s knowledge that the teen had been struggling.

According to testimony and court records, over a year before the shooting, local law enforcement had interviewed the father and son in connection with online threats about a school shooting. No arrest was made because investigators could not tie Colt to the account. Colin Gray told police at the time that he taught his son about “firearms and safety” - and that if his son ever made threats, “all the guns will go away.” They did not.

Defense attorneys argued that Colin Gray could not have foreseen what his son would do, and that holding a parent criminally responsible for a child’s independent actions set a dangerous precedent. Jurors rejected that argument entirely.

A First-of-Its-Kind Conviction in Georgia

CNN legal analyst Joey Jackson called the verdict “by far the most serious conviction we’ve ever had in this country of a parent being charged with the actions their child did.” The prior benchmark was the 2024 Michigan conviction of Jennifer and James Crumbley - Ethan Crumbley’s parents - on involuntary manslaughter charges. Colin Gray’s murder convictions represent a significant escalation in the legal standard being applied to gun-owning parents.

Aspinwall and Irimie were added to the National Memorial to Fallen Educators in 2025. Their families have followed the Colin Gray case closely.

What Summer Will Bring

The July sentencing will close the chapter on Colin Gray’s trial, but not on the broader case. His son still faces 55 charges, and a status hearing in late May will determine the next steps in those proceedings.

For the families of the four people killed at Apalachee High School, the July dates on the calendar represent something closer to reckoning than resolution. The verdict came. The sentencing will follow. And for the community of Winder, Georgia, neither one will bring back what was lost on a September morning in 2024.

References: Colin Gray, father of Apalachee High School shooter, set to be sentenced in July | Sentencing date set for father of accused Apalachee High School shooter