CASE BACKGROUND

Georgia v. Colin Gray

A Father, a Gun, and Four Lives Lost at Apalachee High School

February 2026 | Justice Is A Process

On the morning of September 4, 2024, a 14-year-old boy boarded a school bus in Winder, Georgia, carrying a backpack. The barrel of an AR-15-style rifle stuck out from the top, wrapped in poster board. He rode to school. He went to first period. He sat through most of second period. Then he left the classroom, walked into a bathroom, and came out with the weapon exposed.

Seven seconds of gunfire in a hallway. Then more in a classroom. Two teachers and two students never made it home.

Colt Gray, the 14-year-old accused of pulling the trigger that morning at Apalachee High School, surrendered to a school resource officer on site. He was charged with murder and will be tried as an adult. That case is still working its way through the system.

But this trial, the one starting now, is not about the boy who pulled the trigger.

It is about his father.

Colin Gray, 54, is charged with 29 felony counts, including second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, cruelty to children, and reckless conduct. Prosecutors say he bought the AR-15 and gave it to his son as a Christmas gift in December 2023. They say he did this seven months after the FBI and local law enforcement came to his house to question the boy about online threats to shoot up a school. They say he knew his son was obsessed with mass shooters, knew his mental health was falling apart, and still gave a teenager a weapon capable of doing exactly what it did.

Colin Gray has pleaded not guilty to every charge. He is presumed innocent. The State of Georgia has the burden of proving every element of every count beyond a reasonable doubt. That is not a suggestion. That is the law.

This case asks a question that keeps getting louder in American courtrooms. When a child commits an act of mass violence, where does parental responsibility end and criminal liability begin? Is giving your kid a gun for Christmas a crime if you had reason to believe he might use it to hurt people? Or is a parent entitled to trust his own child, make a legal purchase, and not be held responsible for what someone else does with it?

The jury will decide. We will watch.

This is Justice Is A Process. And this is everything you need to know before the trial begins.

The Morning of September 4, 2024

Apalachee High School sits in Winder, Georgia, a small city about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta in Barrow County. Around 1,900 students attend. It is the kind of school where the football coaches also teach math, where everybody knows somebody who knows somebody. Friday night football matters here. Teachers know their students by name. The kind of place where something like this was supposed to be impossible.

Winder is not Atlanta. It is not a big city with big-city problems. Barrow County is where people move to raise families, to get some space, to send their kids to schools where the hallways still feel safe. That is what makes what happened on September 4 so devastating for this community. It was not supposed to happen here. But it did. And a year and a half later, the county is still carrying the weight of it.

Colt Gray had only been enrolled at Apalachee for three weeks. He transferred from a school in neighboring Jackson County on August 14, 2024. In those three weeks, he had already missed nine days of class.

According to investigators, on the morning of September 4, Colt arrived at school carrying his backpack with the rifle barrel visible, wrapped in poster board. He went to first period without incident. During second period, an algebra class, he pulled out a black notebook and placed it on his desk. He briefly used his phone. At approximately 9:45 a.m., he told his teacher he needed to see the school counselor. He took his backpack but left the notebook behind.

That notebook, recovered later by crime scene technicians, contained drawings of stick figures with wounds. One page had the labels "hallway" and "classroom" at the top. Next to the drawings, according to a GBI agent's testimony, were the words: "Shoot the teacher first."

A separate note, found in the home's gaming room, read: "Forgive me. It is out of my control. See you."

Colt entered a bathroom with the backpack and emerged with the rifle. He attempted to re-enter his algebra classroom. When classmates would not open the door, he turned to a nearby classroom and opened fire. Multiple people inside that room were struck, including 14-year-old Christian Angulo, who was killed. After approximately seven seconds of firing, Colt moved into the hallway. He shot and killed one of the teachers. He fired at two coaches, killing one and injuring the other.

The first report of an active shooter came in at approximately 10:20 a.m. School resource officers and law enforcement responded within minutes. One SRO confronted Colt, who surrendered without further incident.

Four people were dead. Nine were wounded. Eight students and one teacher were transported to hospitals. All of the injured were expected to survive. By the end of the week, most had been treated and released. The Barrow County School System closed all schools for the remainder of the week. That evening, hundreds gathered in Jug Tavern Park in downtown Winder for a candlelight vigil.

It was the deadliest school shooting in Georgia's history.

What Colin Gray Was Doing

While his son was carrying out the shooting, prosecutors say Colin Gray was at home. Minutes before the attack, Colt had sent text messages to both his parents. His mother, Marcee Gray, received a text that said: "I'm sorry, mother." She immediately called Apalachee High School, pleading with staff to find her son.

Colin Gray, according to investigators, did not call the school.

When Colin received the messages from his daughter and ex-wife alerting him to the shooting, prosecutors say he went home and turned on the news. He then went to his son's room and looked for the AR-15 he had given him. It was missing.

Deputies arrived at the Gray home shortly after the shooting. According to body camera footage played in pretrial hearings, Colin Gray told law enforcement: "You don't need a search warrant, there ain't nothing there to hide." Investigators conducted a protective sweep of the home, during which they found the note from Colt asking for forgiveness.

Colin Gray was arrested the following day, September 5, 2024.

[PHOTO PLACEHOLDER: Victims memorial poster]
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A memorial poster displaying the four victims of the Apalachee High School shooting | Source: AP Photo

The People at the Center

Richard "Ricky" Aspinwall, 39

Coach A. That is what they called him. Richard Aspinwall was a math teacher and the defensive coordinator for the Apalachee Wildcats football team. He was 39 years old, a father of two young daughters, Addie and Emory. His wife, Shayna, is also a teacher. He had moved to Apalachee from Mountain View High School two years earlier, where former players still remember him as the coach who believed in them when they did not believe in themselves.

His former player Marquel Broughton put it simply: he pushed people to have high aspirations through the faith he had in them. His love was genuine and his heart was pure. Accounts from September 4 indicate Coach Aspinwall died protecting students.

Cristina Irimie, 53

Cristina Irimie was born in Romania, still had family there, and had followed what she described as a calling to teach. She and her husband were unable to have biological children of their own, so she turned her students into her family. She treated them like they were hers. She was known for her patience, her corny jokes, and for answering the phone with the Romanian greeting "Da, Iubita" ("Yes, my love").

On the day she was killed, Irimie was hosting a belated birthday celebration in her classroom. She had baked a cake and brought pizza for her students. Her friend said she died the way she lived, springing into action to protect her kids.

Mason Schermerhorn, 14

Mason was a freshman at Apalachee. He was 14 years old. His family described him as someone who was always positive, always looking at the bright side. He loved playing video games on his PS5 and VR headset. He had recently started learning trumpet because his older sister Alanna played, and he wanted to be like her. His family had been planning a vacation to Disney World.

His mother came to the school that day thinking she was picking up her son to take him home. A chaplain who knew the family said that moment, when she learned the truth, was devastating.

Christian Angulo, 14

Christian was also a freshman. Fourteen years old. The youngest of four children. His friends remembered him as a free spirit who loved making people laugh. His older sister Lisette described him as sweet, caring, and loved by many.

His mother, Emma Angulo, told reporters she would always cherish the final tight embrace Christian gave her the night before the shooting. His friend Abner Sanz said he was in denial for hours, asking everyone he could find to tell him it was not true.

Four people. Two educators. Two kids barely old enough for high school. That is the human cost at the center of this trial.

The Defendant: Colin Gray

Colin Gray is 54 years old. He is the father of three children, including Colt. In recent years, his family went through a bitter separation and divorce. His ex-wife Marcee Gray took custody of the two younger children. Colt stayed with his father.

The family's history is marked by instability that stretched across years. They once owned property, but sold it in 2019 after Colin had at least three major back surgeries that derailed the family's plans. From there, things deteriorated. The family faced lawsuits from multiple landlords. In July 2022, they were evicted from a home in Jefferson by a county sheriff's deputy for failing to pay rent. During that eviction, deputies collected three firearms, including an AR-15, and at least one hunting bow, which were held for safekeeping and later returned.

The marriage collapsed. Court records show law enforcement was called to the family on multiple occasions. Marcee Gray was arrested on family violence charges after she admitted to keying Colin's truck, saying she "lost it" when he would not let her see the kids. She was also arrested on drug charges after police found methamphetamine, fentanyl, and a glass pipe in her car. She later faced separate charges in another county related to elder abuse.

Through all of this, Colt stayed with his father. Colin told investigators in 2023 that his son struggled with the separation at first, that school was "kind of so-so," and that he had been up at the school countless times tracking his son's progress. He described a boy who was bullied, pinched and touched by classmates, ridiculed day after day. He said he was trying to teach his son about firearms and safety to get him interested in the outdoors and away from video games. He described his son as someone who understood the seriousness of weapons.

This is the context the jury will be asked to weigh. A family in crisis. A father dealing with a painful divorce, financial instability, and a troubled son. Whether that context explains his decisions or whether it makes them more reckless is the fundamental question of this trial.

None of that is evidence of guilt. Colin Gray is presumed innocent of every charge against him. The State must prove its case. He does not have to prove anything.

The Defendant's Son: Colt Gray

Colt Gray was 14 years old at the time of the shooting. He has been indicted on 55 counts, including four counts of malice murder, four counts of felony murder, 22 counts of aggravated assault, and 18 counts of cruelty to children in the first degree. He is being tried as an adult and faces life in prison with or without the possibility of parole.

Colt has pleaded not guilty. A defense attorney indicated during a May 2025 hearing that a plea change was possible pending a psychologist's report, but new attorneys have since taken over representation. No trial date has been set. His case and his father's case are being tried separately.

The Warning Signs the State Says Were Ignored

The prosecution's case against Colin Gray is built almost entirely on a timeline of alleged warning signs. They argue that Colin Gray had every reason to know his son was dangerous, and instead of acting on those warnings, he put a weapon in his hands.

May 2023: The FBI Comes Knocking

In May 2023, the FBI's National Threat Operations Center received several anonymous tips about online threats to commit a school shooting. The threats were posted on Discord, a messaging platform popular with gamers. The username on the account that made the threats was written in Russian. When translated, it spelled "Lanza," a reference to Adam Lanza, the perpetrator of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre.

The FBI traced the posts to Georgia and referred the tip to the Jackson County Sheriff's Office. On May 21, 2023, an investigator and a deputy went to the Gray family home in Jefferson, Georgia.

Colin Gray told investigators he did not know what Discord was. Colt, who was 13 at the time, said he used to have a Discord account but had deleted it because it kept getting hacked. He denied making any threats. Both Colin and Colt said they did not recognize the email address associated with the threatening account, and that neither of them spoke Russian.

Colin Gray told the investigator there were hunting guns in the home, but that Colt did not have unsupervised access to them. The investigator advised Colin to keep his firearms locked away.

Investigators later determined the email associated with the Discord account belonged to Colt Gray. The account had been created on April 2, 2023, after Colt claimed to have already deleted it. But the investigator noted he had not been able to open the FBI's full tip file on his phone before conducting the interview. The case was "exceptionally cleared" because the threat could not be substantiated.

Jackson County Sheriff Janis Mangum later said her office "probably dropped the ball" on notifying the school district about monitoring the teen.

During the 2023 interview, Colin Gray told investigators: "He's gone through a lot. It was just very difficult for him to go to school and not get picked on." He described trying to teach his son about firearms and safety. Seven months later, prosecutors say, he bought Colt an AR-15 for Christmas.

December 2023: The Christmas Gift

According to two law enforcement sources with direct knowledge of the investigation, Colin Gray purchased an AR-15-style rifle in December 2023 and gave it to his son as a Christmas present. This was the same firearm prosecutors say Colt used in the shooting nine months later.

Prosecutors allege this purchase was made despite Colin's awareness of the May 2023 FBI inquiry, despite knowing his son had been investigated for online threats to shoot up a school, and despite telling investigators just months earlier that his son did not have unsupervised access to firearms.

The Shrine

Investigators say Colt Gray maintained what they described as a "shrine" to school shooters in his bedroom, above his home computer. The shrine included at least one photograph of Nikolas Cruz, the gunman who killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in 2018.

According to GBI Special Agent Kelsey Ward's testimony, Colin Gray asked his son who the people in the pictures on his wall were. Colt told him one of them was the Parkland shooter. GBI agents also testified that Colt's parents had discussed their son's fascination with school shooters between themselves, but concluded it was in a joking context and not a serious concern.

Colt had also discussed the Parkland shooting with his grandmother approximately one week before the Apalachee attack, according to investigator testimony.

The Months Before: A Deteriorating Situation

Prosecutors say Colin Gray knew his son's mental health was getting worse in the weeks and months leading up to the shooting. The evidence they point to includes several things:

Colin Gray contacted a counseling service seeking help for his son. In his intake request, he wrote: "We have had a very difficult past couple of years and he needs help. Anger, anxiety, quick to be volatile. I don't know what to do."

He was in touch with school staff about his son's need for counseling and submitted a referral form, but investigators say he never followed up to ensure Colt actually attended any appointments. A school counselor testified that Colin indicated he might not be able to afford the care.

Prosecutors also allege that Colin Gray purchased additional accessories for the rifle at his son's request, including a larger-capacity magazine so the weapon could hold more ammunition, a laser sight, and a tactical vest.

The day before the shooting, Colt's maternal grandmother visited Apalachee High School to discuss behavioral issues the teen was having, including chronic absenteeism. Her grandfather, Charlie Polhamus, later told reporters he was unsure what happened during that visit, but it did not appear to result in any suspension or removal from school.

On the morning of September 4, before the shooting began, the school received a phone call warning there would be shootings at five schools, with Apalachee being the first. Investigators have not determined who placed that call. No evidence has emerged of any other schools being targeted. The call raised questions among investigators about whether it was intended to divert police to other locations before the attack.

When GBI agents interviewed Colin Gray after the shooting, he did not appear remorseful, according to Agent Ward's testimony.

What the Defense Will Argue

Colin Gray's defense team is expected to push back on each of these points. His attorneys have already argued that no Georgia law requires firearms to be locked away. They have challenged the admissibility of the home search and post-shooting interview statements. They have noted that the 2023 FBI investigation was closed without charges because the threats could not be substantiated, and that Colin Gray cooperated fully with law enforcement at the time.

The defense may also point to the fact that Colin Gray actively sought counseling for his son, contacted the school about his struggles, and was dealing with an extremely difficult family situation, including divorce, custody battles, and financial instability. They may argue that a father reaching out for help, even imperfectly, is not the same as a father consciously disregarding a risk to other people's children. Whether those efforts were sufficient to avoid criminal liability is the question the jury will have to answer.

There is also the question of foreseeability. The State will argue that the shooting was a foreseeable consequence of Colin Gray's decisions. The defense will argue that no reasonable parent, even one who knew his son was struggling, would have predicted this outcome. Millions of parents buy guns for their children. Most of those children never hurt anyone. The defense will ask the jury: where does normal parenting end and criminal negligence begin?

The Charges: 29 Counts

Colin Gray faces 29 felony counts. If convicted on all of them, he is looking at up to 180 years in prison. The charges break down into four categories, and the structure matters because it reveals exactly how the State is building its case.

COUNTS 1 AND 3: MURDER IN THE SECOND DEGREE (2 COUNTS)

What it means: Under Georgia law, second-degree murder is not the same as what most people think of when they hear "murder." In Georgia, second-degree murder applies specifically when a child dies as the result of the crime of cruelty to children. It does not require intent to kill. It requires that the defendant committed cruelty to children, and that a child died because of it.

Why only two murder counts: The two murder charges correspond to the two victims who were minors: Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14. This statute only applies to deaths of children. The two adult teacher victims are covered by the manslaughter counts instead.

What the State must prove: That Colin Gray committed cruelty to children by giving his son access to a firearm and ammunition after receiving sufficient warning his son would endanger others, and that this cruelty directly resulted in the deaths of those two students.

Potential sentence: 10 to 30 years per count.

COUNTS 2, 4, AND 9-26: CRUELTY TO CHILDREN IN THE SECOND DEGREE (20 COUNTS)

What it means: Cruelty to children in the second degree involves criminal negligence that causes a child pain, either physical or mental. The indictment accuses Colin Gray of "consciously disregarding a substantial and unjustifiable risk" by allowing his son access to a firearm and ammunition after receiving sufficient warning.

Why 20 counts: Counts 2 and 4 are paired with the two second-degree murder charges, representing the underlying cruelty that caused the deaths of Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo. Counts 9 through 26, an additional 18 counts, represent the other children who were either physically injured or present in the classroom during the shooting. DA Brad Smith confirmed the charges extend to students who were physically hurt and those who were in the room when the shots were fired.

What the State must prove: That Colin Gray's actions in providing his son access to weapons, despite warnings, constituted criminal negligence affecting each of these children.

Potential sentence: 1 to 10 years per count.

COUNTS 5 AND 7: INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER (2 COUNTS)

What it means: Involuntary manslaughter means causing the death of another person without any intention to do so, through criminal negligence or during the commission of an unlawful act.

Why these are manslaughter, not murder: The second-degree murder statute in Georgia is limited to deaths of children. Because the two teacher victims, Richard Aspinwall (39) and Cristina Irimie (53), were adults, the State charges those deaths as involuntary manslaughter rather than second-degree murder.

What the State must prove: That Colin Gray's criminal negligence in providing his son access to the firearm caused the deaths of Aspinwall and Irimie.

Potential sentence: 1 to 10 years per count.

COUNTS 6, 8, AND 27-29: RECKLESS CONDUCT (5 COUNTS)

What it means: Reckless conduct involves causing bodily harm or endangering the safety of another person through conscious disregard of a substantial risk.

Why 5 counts: Counts 6 and 8 are paired with the manslaughter charges for the adult victims. Counts 27 through 29 cover additional victims of reckless conduct.

Potential sentence: Up to 1 year per count.

The entire case against Colin Gray rests on a legal theory that is still being tested in American courts: that providing a firearm to a minor, when a parent had reason to believe the child was dangerous, constitutes cruelty to children. And when children die as a result of that cruelty, the parent can be charged with murder. The jury will decide whether the facts support that theory here.

The Legal Battle

The State's Theory

District Attorney Brad Smith and the prosecution are advancing a straightforward but legally significant argument. They contend that Colin Gray made a series of decisions that, taken together, constitute criminal negligence rising to the level of cruelty to children.

The chain, as prosecutors see it: The FBI warned Colin Gray in May 2023 that his son had been linked to online threats to shoot up a school. Colin told law enforcement his son did not have unsupervised access to weapons. Seven months later, he bought his son an AR-15 for Christmas. He then purchased a larger magazine, a laser sight, and a tactical vest. He was aware his son had a shrine to a school shooter in his bedroom. He knew his son's mental health was deteriorating. He sought counseling but did not follow through. And when Colt sent a text to his mother minutes before the shooting saying "I'm sorry," Colin did not call the school.

Prosecutors will argue: but for this father's negligence, these four people would be alive. That is a powerful argument to put in front of a jury that just heard testimony about two dead teenagers and two dead teachers.

The Defense Position

Colin Gray's defense attorneys, Brian Hobbs and Jimmy Berry, have mounted an aggressive pretrial fight. They challenged the indictment itself, filing motions to dismiss and arguing the charges lacked sufficient detail. Judge Primm denied that motion. They challenged the admissibility of statements Colin made to law enforcement, arguing he spoke under duress in a chaotic post-shooting environment. They challenged the search of the Gray home, calling it illegal and arguing the protective sweep was used improperly to obtain evidence for a warrant. Judge Primm denied those suppression motions as well.

The defense has also signaled broader legal arguments. There is no Georgia law requiring firearms to be locked away or stored in any particular manner. Purchasing a legal product and giving it to your child is not, on its own, a crime. The 2023 FBI investigation was closed without charges because the threats could not be substantiated. And Colin Gray did, in fact, seek help for his son. He contacted counselors. He talked to the school.

The central question for the defense is this: at what point does a parent's bad judgment become criminal negligence? Is buying your son a hunting rifle a crime because, 16 months earlier, someone filed an unsubstantiated tip with the FBI? Is being aware that your kid is interested in school shootings the same as knowing he is going to become one?

Atlanta criminal defense attorney Andrew Fleischman has noted that the jury's natural sympathy for the victims could make this an extremely difficult case for the defense. But he also pointed to potential arguments Colin Gray can make about the specific steps he took to address his son's struggles.

The Crumbley Precedent

This is only the second time in American history that a parent is being tried for crimes related to a mass school shooting committed by their child. The first case involved Jennifer and James Crumbley, the parents of Ethan Crumbley, who killed four students at Oxford High School in Michigan in 2021.

Both Crumbleys were convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2024 and sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison. Prosecutors in that case argued the parents failed to secure a firearm at home and ignored clear warning signs about their son's deteriorating mental health, including a drawing he made at school depicting a gun, a bullet, and the words "the thoughts won't stop, help me." The school called a meeting with the parents the morning of the shooting. They were shown the drawing. They did not take their son home. Hours later, he pulled the gun from his backpack and started shooting.

The Colin Gray case has clear parallels but also critical differences. Both cases involve parents accused of giving children access to firearms despite warning signs. Both involve alleged awareness of mental health deterioration. Both involve prior red flags that, in hindsight, look obvious.

But the Georgia case goes further than the Michigan case in one critical respect: the charges here include second-degree murder, not just manslaughter. The Crumbleys were convicted of involuntary manslaughter. If Georgia convicts Colin Gray of murder, it sets a much more aggressive precedent for holding parents criminally responsible. It says that providing a weapon to a child, when you had reason to know they were dangerous, is not just negligence. Under Georgia's cruelty-to-children statute, it is murder.

The defense will likely argue the cases are not comparable. In Oxford, the parents were called to the school the morning of the shooting and shown a disturbing drawing. They were face to face with an active crisis and chose to leave their son there. Colin Gray's situation, the defense may argue, involved an unsubstantiated FBI tip from 16 months prior, a son who denied making threats, and a father who was actively seeking counseling for his child.

A third case is also pending. Jeffrey Rupnow of Wisconsin has been charged after his 15-year-old daughter killed a student and a teacher at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison in December 2024. He is accused of intentionally giving a dangerous weapon to a person under 18, causing death.

These cases, taken together, represent an emerging legal frontier. Three parents in three states charged in connection with school shootings by their children, all within a span of a few years. The question of parental criminal liability for school shootings is no longer theoretical. Juries are being asked to draw lines that legislatures have not drawn. And the outcomes of these cases will shape the law for generations.

What We'll Be Watching

Look, this is an emotionally devastating case. Four people are dead. Two of them were kids who had barely started high school. It is natural to want someone held accountable. It is human to look at the facts prosecutors have laid out and feel anger. That is understandable.

But this is where the work gets hard. This is where due process matters most.

My father, Steven M. Askin, spent his career defending people in the moments when the system was most likely to cut corners. He believed that constitutional protections are not luxuries reserved for sympathetic defendants. They are the foundation. They are what separates a legal system from a mob. He was twice prosecuted by a system that did not appreciate being questioned. He lost his law license for refusing to violate attorney-client privilege. He was criminally convicted for helping people understand their rights from a coffee shop. He knew, from personal experience, what happens when the system decides it wants a particular outcome more than it wants to follow its own rules.

Colin Gray is not a sympathetic defendant. The facts alleged against him are difficult to hear. A father who bought his troubled son a weapon after an FBI visit is not someone most people instinctively want to defend. And that is precisely why due process matters here. The protections exist for exactly these cases. If they only applied to defendants we liked, they would not be protections at all.

Colin Gray is entitled to every protection the Constitution provides. He is presumed innocent. The burden is entirely on the State. He does not have to prove he was a good father. He does not have to prove he made the right decisions. The prosecution has to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that his actions constitute criminal negligence so severe that it rises to cruelty to children, and that his conduct caused the deaths and injuries charged in the indictment.

That is a high bar. It should be a high bar.

We will be watching whether the State meets that burden or whether they rely on emotion to carry what the evidence cannot. We will be watching whether the defense gets a fair chance to present its case in a courtroom 27 miles from the school where this happened. We will be watching whether Judge Primm manages the proceedings in a way that protects both the victims' need for justice and the defendant's right to a fair trial.

We will also be watching the legal precedent this trial sets. Georgia is testing a legal theory that could reshape how parents across the country are held responsible when their children commit violence. The second-degree murder charges in particular push beyond what has been attempted before. If this jury convicts on murder, it will send a message far beyond Barrow County. Whether that message is justified by the evidence is what this trial will decide.

And there is a broader conversation this trial forces into the open. In a country where firearms are legal, where buying a gun for your child is not inherently against the law, where millions of parents teach their kids to hunt and shoot, the State is arguing that this particular purchase, by this particular father, under these particular circumstances, was a crime. The jury will have to decide exactly where that line is. Is it the FBI visit that moves a legal purchase into criminal territory? The shrine? The counseling request? The larger magazine? All of it together?

These are questions that do not have easy answers. They are the kind of questions that make people uncomfortable because they force us to confront what we actually believe about personal responsibility, parental obligation, and the limits of criminal law. We will sit with that discomfort, because that is what the process requires.

I'm not the judge here. But I am watching.

And I will tell you what I see.

The Road to Trial

May 21, 2023
FBI tips about online school shooting threats traced to Georgia. Jackson County Sheriff's Office interviews 13-year-old Colt Gray and his father Colin at their home in Jefferson. Case closed as "exceptionally cleared" due to insufficient evidence.
December 2023
Colin Gray allegedly purchases AR-15-style rifle and gives it to his son as a Christmas gift.
August 14, 2024
Colt Gray enrolls at Apalachee High School in Winder after transferring from a school in Jackson County.
September 3, 2024
Colt's maternal grandmother visits Apalachee High School to discuss behavioral issues and chronic absenteeism.
September 4, 2024
Mass shooting at Apalachee High School. Four killed, nine wounded. Colt Gray, 14, arrested and charged with murder.
September 5, 2024
Colin Gray arrested and charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder, and eight counts of cruelty to children.
September 6, 2024
Colin Gray and Colt Gray make their first court appearances in Barrow County Superior Court.
October 16, 2024
Preliminary hearing for Colin Gray. GBI agents testify about the shrine to the Parkland shooter, the notebook with shooting plans, the forgiveness note, and Colin's purchase of the rifle as a Christmas gift. Judge determines probable cause exists.
October 17, 2024
Grand jury indicts Colin Gray on 29 counts and Colt Gray on 55 counts.
November 21, 2024
Arraignment. Both Colin and Colt Gray plead not guilty.
December 2024
Defense files motions to dismiss the indictment, arguing charges lack sufficient detail and no law requires firearms to be locked.
February 2025
Judge Primm sets bond at $500,000. Colin Gray remains in custody.
April 2025
Both sides agree on change of venue for jury selection. Defense requests a county far from Barrow. Prosecution suggests nearby county.
May 2025
Judge Primm rules jury will be drawn from Hall County (27 miles from Barrow) but trial will remain in Barrow County courthouse. Trial originally set for September 8, 2025.
July 2025
Trial postponed due to defense attorney scheduling conflicts. Judge denies defense motion to appeal ruling upholding the indictment.
August 2025
Suppression hearing on search warrant, bodycam statements, and post-shooting interview. Defense argues statements were coerced and search was illegal.
September 2, 2025
Judge Primm denies motions to suppress evidence and statements. Order filed under seal to protect fair trial rights.
December 18, 2025
Pretrial hearing. Defense challenges 2023 investigator discussions and post-shooting statements. Judge reviews media restrictions for trial.
February 9-11, 2026
Jury selection conducted in Hall County. Twelve jurors and three alternates (eight men and seven women) selected and approved.
February 13, 2026
Final pretrial hearing. Judge Primm restricts autopsy photos, some crime scene images, and the identities of minor witnesses. Reviews media access to school surveillance video.
February 16, 2026
Opening statements. Trial begins in Barrow County Superior Court before Judge Nicholas Primm. Expected duration: approximately three weeks.

Key Players at Trial

Judge: Nicholas Primm, Chief Judge of the Piedmont Judicial Circuit. He has presided over all pretrial proceedings and will preside over the trial. He instructed jurors to "live like it's 1980" and stay off social media and local news.

Prosecution: District Attorney Brad Smith. He has described this as the biggest case the region has ever seen and has emphasized its potential to set precedent for parental accountability nationwide.

Defense: Brian Hobbs and Jimmy Berry. They have aggressively challenged the indictment, the admissibility of evidence, and the venue, arguing Colin Gray cannot receive a fair trial anywhere near Barrow County.

Our Coverage Begins February 16, 2026

Live broadcasts every day of the trial. No Breaks editions for uninterrupted viewing. Justice Breakdowns every night with deep analysis of what happened and what it means.

Full testimony coverage so you can hear every word and decide for yourself. Trial segments broken down by witness and topic.

This trial asks whether a parent can be held criminally responsible for a school shooting committed by their child. It asks where the line is between a bad decision and a crime. It tests legal theories that have never been tried in Georgia and pushes further than any American courtroom has gone before.

The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. That is not a technicality. That is the foundation of everything we do here.

We are not here to convict. We are not here to acquit. We are here to watch. To question. To hold the system accountable. To make sure the process works.

Let's watch the system together.

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