First parent convicted of murder for son’s school shooting sentenced to 15 years in prison

A judge found the Georgia father repeatedly failed his teenage son, including by providing the assault rifle and ammunition used to kill four people and wound nine others.WINDER, Ga. (CN) — The father of the 16-year-old convicted in the 2024 mass shooting at Georgia’s Apalachee High School was sentenced to 15 years in prison Thursday for giving his son the murder weapon.“I realize no parent believes their child is capable of committing a heinous crime. No parent thinks that their child is going to be the next school shooter,” Piedmont Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Nicholas Primm said.“But it became more and more obvious that something bad was going to happen. At a minimum you should have believed that Colt would commit suicide. And you failed to do the simplest things to prevent this,” he added.In March, a jury found Colin Gray guilty on all 29 counts, including two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the Sept. 4, 2024, mass shooting that left four people dead and several others injured.Two teachers, 39-year-old Richard Aspinwall and 53-year-old Cristina Irimie, and students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, were killed. Another faculty member and eight other students were wounded.Colin Gray is the first parent of a U.S. school shooter to be convicted of second-degree murder. He gave his then-14-year-old son the assault rifle and ammunition used in the fatal attack.“You were convicted because the warning lights were flashing brighter and brighter and you didn’t get him help and you didn’t remove his access to the guns,” Primm said.The judge noted Colin Gray had gun locks but refused to use them and had searched online for gun safes but never purchased one.Yet he acknowledged Colin Gray did not pull the trigger, intend to harm anyone or know his son’s plans.Primm said none of the counts required mandatory prison time and he doesn’t believe the 55-year-old is at risk of reoffending.“Punishing criminal negligence is not easy,” Primm said.But it was clear he failed as a parent, Primm added, noting that he did not provide a stable household. He didn’t enroll Colt in school for a full year, didn’t sign him up for group activities, didn’t monitor his computer use or get him obviously necessary counseling.The case marks only the second time in U.S. history a parent has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for their role in a school shooting, following the convictions of Jennifer and James Crumbley in 2021. The couple is serving 10-year prison sentences after their 15-year-old son, Ethan Crumbley, used a gun they bought him to kill four students and wound others at Michigan’s Oxford High School.Colin Gray’s attorney Brian Hobbs argued evidence presented during Colt Gray’s sentencing hearings this week unveiled a deeper picture of the hidden online world that consumed him, which jurors didn’t see during his father’s trial.“He lived in a world Colin Gray did not know existed,” Hobbs told the judge.On Tuesday, Colt Gray was sentenced to life in prison without parole. The judge expressed concerns about his lack of remorse and studies of other mass shooters’ trials.Evidence at trial showed he tried to get his son back into school and away from the computer, Hobbs said.Hobbs also said although Colin Gray was negligent, he made efforts to connect, pointing to texts he sent Colt saying he loved and was proud of him.“There is a difference in sentencing between a man who watched a fire build and did nothing than a man who saw sparks and misjudged them," Hobbs said.But Barrow County District Attorney Brad Smith argued the warning signs were obvious.Colt Gray got the gun as a Christmas present, which he was allowed to keep in his bedroom, shortly after police told Colin Gray to keep firearms away from his son. They had traced threats to shoot up an elementary school to his computer.In 2021, law enforcement was also alerted after Colt Gray searched “how to kill your dad” on a school computer.Smith held up a large poster from Colt Gray’s bedroom, with headlines from other mass shootings. One about the perpetrator of the Parkland high school shooting read, “Florida shooting suspect displays flashes of rage and other warning signs,” along with pictures of students crying and streaming out of school with hands above their heads.“This was the risk that was staring at him in the face every day,” Smith said.He noted when Colin Gray’s younger daughter alerted him about the shooting, he did not immediately contact Colt or the school. Instead, he told his boss he had to leave because his son had broken his arm. He stopped at a convenience store for a drink and then went home.Categories / Criminal, TrialsSubscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads