Second-Degree Murder for Gifting AR-Style Rifle to Son Accused in Deadly School Shooting

 In a landmark verdict that could reshape accountability for parents in school shootings, Colin Gray was convicted Tuesday of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter for giving his teenage son the assault-style rifle used in the 2024 Apalachee High School massacre that killed four people.

A Barrow County jury deliberated for less than two hours before finding Gray, 55, guilty on all 29 counts against him, including two counts of second-degree murder, multiple counts of involuntary manslaughter, and child cruelty charges. The decision marks one of the first times in U.S. history a parent has been held criminally responsible for murder in connection with a mass school shooting carried out by their child.

Gray faces 10 to 30 years in prison on the murder charges alone when he is sentenced at a later date.

Prosecutors argued that Gray knowingly gave his then-14-year-old son, Colt Gray, access to the AR-15-style rifle as a Christmas gift in 2023 — despite clear warning signs that the boy was a danger to himself and others. The teen’s mental health had deteriorated sharply, and he had been questioned by police just months earlier about online threats to commit a school shooting.

“Colin Gray gave his son the gun and ammunition after receiving sufficient warning that Colt Gray would harm and endanger the bodily safety of another,” prosecutors told the jury during the trial.

Colt Gray, now awaiting his own trial as an adult, has pleaded not guilty to charges including four counts of murder in the Sept. 4, 2024, attack at Apalachee High School in Winder, about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta. Authorities say he walked out of class, retrieved the rifle from a bathroom, and opened fire, killing fellow students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, and teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53. Several others were wounded.

Colin Gray took the stand in his own defense last week, testifying that he bought the rifle hoping to bond with his son through hunting and trips to the gun range. He insisted he had no idea the boy would use it for violence.

His estranged wife, Marcee Gray, testified for the prosecution, saying she had repeatedly urged her husband to lock the guns in his truck to keep them away from their son. She declined to comment after the verdict.

The swift conviction stunned some legal observers but was hailed by gun-safety advocates as a long-overdue step toward holding adults responsible when children gain access to firearms.

“This verdict sends a clear message: Parents who ignore the warning signs and put deadly weapons into the hands of troubled children will be held accountable,” said Barrow County District Attorney Brad Smith.

The case drew national attention as part of a growing trend of prosecutors charging parents after school shootings. It followed the 2024 convictions of both parents in the Oxford High School shooting in Michigan on involuntary manslaughter charges — but Gray’s second-degree murder conviction goes further, marking the first time a parent has faced murder-level liability in such a case.

Defense attorneys had argued that Gray could not have foreseen the tragedy and that his son’s actions were his own. But prosecutors presented evidence of ignored red flags, including the boy’s disturbing online activity and behavioral issues at home and school.

Gray remained stoic as the verdict was read. He is being held without bond.

The Apalachee High School community, still reeling from the trauma of the shooting, reacted with a mix of relief and sorrow.

“Today’s verdict won’t bring back our loved ones, but it holds someone responsible for arming a child who should never have had that gun,” said one parent who lost a child in the attack, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Colt Gray’s trial is expected later this year. He faces life in prison if convicted.

The verdict comes amid renewed national debate over gun access, parental responsibility, and school safety. Firearms remain the leading cause of death for American children and teens, and cases like this are testing the limits of how far the law can — and should — go in punishing adults who fail to secure weapons at home.

For now, in the quiet town of Winder, the conviction of Colin Gray stands as a stark reminder: A Christmas gift intended to strengthen a father-son bond instead became the instrument of unimaginable loss — and the father who handed it over will pay the price.