Colin Gray was charged with criminal recklessness for allowing his 14-year-old son Colt access to a rifle.
The father of a school shooter in the United States has been convicted of second-degree murder and manslaughter for the attack on his son at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on September 4, 2024.
A southern state jury returned the verdict Tuesday after less than two hours of deliberation.
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The father, Colin Gray, was found guilty on all charges. His son, Colt Gray, was 14 years old when he opened fire at the high school he attended, killing two students and two teachers and wounding seven others.
Colin Gray’s case is the latest case of a father facing prison time for alleged neglect in the run-up to a school shooting.
His conviction follows a pair of guilty verdicts in 2024 for the parents of another school shooter, Jennifer and James Crumbley, who were charged with involuntary manslaughter.
Prosecutors in the Georgia case accused Gray of enabling his son’s attack at the high school by giving him access to a gun and ammunition.
Among the charges against Gray are two counts of second-degree murder for the murders of students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14 years old.
Georgia law allows for second-degree murder charges in cases where alleged cruelty to children causes the death of a child.
Additionally, Gray was found guilty of two counts of manslaughter for the murders of the two teachers, Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53. He was also found guilty of reckless conduct.
Gray will face life in prison. His sentencing is expected to be set at a later date.
His defense team, however, argued that Gray should not be held responsible for his teenage son’s actions, and that only his son made the decision to carry out the school shooting.
His attorneys also described Gray as a struggling single father caring for three children.
Gray himself testified that, until the shooting occurred, he did not believe his son was capable of carrying out such violence.
“I could have done better,” he told the court when asked about his son’s mental health.
But the father denied seeing warning signs before the shooting and explained that he had told his son that the gun was only for trips to the shooting range or hunting.
Gray had pleaded not guilty before Tuesday’s sentencing.
But prosecutors argued that Gray ignored warning signs before the attack, including his son’s growing fascination with past school shootings.
They argued that as a father, Gray had a responsibility to keep guns out of his son’s reach and prevent harm from occurring, particularly as his son faced mental health issues.
“We talk a lot about rights in our country,” Barrow County District Attorney Brad Smith said after the verdict.
“But God gave us a duty to protect our children, and I hope we remember that, as parents, as community members, to protect our children because that is our God-given duty.”
Colt Gray’s mother, Marcee Gray, also testified in court that she had urged Colin Gray to take the teen’s guns away before the shooting.
She and Colin Gray were separated at the time and she was not charged in connection with the attack.
Gray reportedly gave his son an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle for Christmas. Shortly before Colt Gray opened fire at Apalachee High School, the 14-year-old texted his father: “I’m sorry, it’s not your fault.” He also texted his mother apologizing.
Colt Gray faces 55 charges in a separate criminal trial, including malice murder and felony murder. He has pleaded not guilty.
