Parents face murder convictions across three school shooting cases
Parents in multiple school shootings face murder convictions for enabling firearm access to their sons.
Event / Security
Apalachee High School Shooting
September 4, 2024 shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia that killed four people and injured nine. Shooter Colt Gray, 16, sentenced to life without parole in July 2026. His father Colin Gray convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison for providing the weapon and enabling the attack despite warning signs.
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2026-08-14 to 2026-11-11 · UTC publication dates
Coverage begins 25 Jul, 02:28 UTC
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What happened
Prosecutor argues Colin Gray enabled son's mass shooting
District Attorney Brad Smith argued that Colin Gray was responsible for the shooting's occurrence by giving his son access to firearms despite clear warning signs. Smith stated: 'This was the risk he was ignoring: That there would be a mass shooting of children at a school. And he gave his son the exact tool he would need to accomplish this. He is the reason four people are dead, seven were injured and countless others were traumatized.' Prosecutors had sought an 80-year sentence for Colin Gray.
Colin Gray sentenced to 15 years in prison for role in Georgia school shooting
Colin Gray, father of school shooter Colt Gray, was sentenced to 15 years in prison on July 30, 2026. Gray was found guilty in March of 29 charges, including two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of involuntary manslaughter. He had given his 16-year-old son Colt the AR-15 rifle used in the Apalachee High School shooting as a Christmas gift, along with ammunition and accessories. Judge Nicholas Primm stated that Gray had failed as a parent by not providing a stable household, not monitoring his son's computer use, not ensuring school attendance, and not removing access to firearms despite warning signs of danger.
Colt Gray's mother barred from contact with son in detention
Marcee Gray, mother of Colt Gray, is no longer allowed contact with her son following recordings of jail calls between them. During these calls, they discussed Colt's media image and compared him to other school shooters, laughing about his notoriety. When discussing fan art showing Colt alongside Columbine shooters and Nikolas Cruz, Marcee responded positively. She will not face criminal charges, as Georgia law does not allow prosecution of her for the incident. Colt's mental health counselor at his detention facility reported he is doing much better since contact with his mother ended.
Apalachee High School shooting kills four, injures nine
A shooting occurred at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia on September 4, 2024. Two teachers and two students were killed. One teacher and eight students were injured in the attack.
Colt Gray's mother asked ex-husband to restrict son's firearm access
Marcee Gray, Colt Gray's mother and separated from Colin Gray at the time of the shooting, had asked her ex-husband to keep their son away from firearms. This request was not honored by Colin Gray, who provided their son with the AR-15 rifle used in the shooting.
Judge cites parental failures in Colin Gray sentencing
Judge Nicholas Primm, in sentencing Colin Gray, detailed specific parental failures: Gray did not provide a stable household, did not monitor his son Colt's internet activity, did not ensure Colt attended school during eighth grade (when Colt watched and rewatched the Parkland High School shooting trial repeatedly), and did not seek mental health counseling despite obvious need. Primm stated Gray 'failed as a parent' but acknowledged the difficulty in punishing negligence due to lack of proven intent.
Colt Gray sentenced to life in prison for Apalachee High School shooting
Colt Gray, 16 years old, was sentenced to life in prison without parole on July 28, 2026, for the September 4, 2024 shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia. The shooting killed four people: two teachers and two students. An additional teacher and eight students were injured. Gray had exhibited signs of poor mental health and was a member of online communities focused on mass shootings, including watching and rewatching trial footage of the Parkland High School shooter Nikolas Cruz.
Jennifer and James Crumbley convicted for son's 2021 school shooting
In 2024, Jennifer and James Crumbley were convicted of involuntary manslaughter in separate trials for their son Ethan Crumbley's mass shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan in November 2021. The shooting killed four students and injured several others. The parents were each sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison.
Four killed and ten wounded in Apalachee High School mass shooting
A mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia on September 4, 2024 killed four people: students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, and teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53. Seven students and one teacher were wounded, with seven of the wounded injured by gunfire.
Wisconsin school shooting case ongoing against father Jeffrey Rupnow
Jeffrey Rupnow faces charges for allegedly allowing his 15-year-old daughter access to guns used in a 2024 mass shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin. The shooting killed a student and teacher. Rupnow was charged with two counts of intentionally giving a dangerous weapon to a minor and one count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. His trial is set for next year.
Colin Gray sentenced to 15 years in prison for providing assault rifle used in school shooting
Colin Gray, 56, was sentenced to 15 years in prison after being convicted on 27 counts including second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. He provided an AR-15-style assault rifle as a Christmas present to his son, who used the weapon to carry out a mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia on September 4, 2024.
Robert Crimo Jr. sentenced for son's Highland Park parade shooting
In 2023, Robert Crimo Jr. pleaded guilty to seven counts of misdemeanor reckless conduct, one for each person killed by his son Robert Crimo III in a July 2022 mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois. Crimo Jr. was sentenced to 60 days in jail and two years of probation. His son was 19 at the time of the shooting and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Shooter threatened to attack elementary school months before high school shooting
Prior to the September 2024 shooting, law enforcement responded to the Gray home after Colt Gray threatened to shoot up an elementary school. Despite this warning, his father provided him with an assault rifle only a few months later.
Colt Gray pleads guilty and sentenced to life in prison for Apalachee High School shooting
Colt Gray, 16, pleaded guilty to all 55 counts against him including murder and aggravated assault for carrying out the September 4, 2024 mass shooting at Apalachee High School. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole. At the time of the attack, he was 14 years old and was charged as an adult.
Teen shooter obsessed with mass killings at Columbine and Sandy Hook
Colt Gray had become particularly fixated on the perpetrators of the 1999 Columbine High School shooting in Colorado and the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut. Investigators found he had a shrine in his bedroom dedicated to mass shooters, including the Parkland High School shooter.
Gray motivated by desire for notoriety within online mass shooter community
Prosecutors presented evidence that Colt Gray committed the shooting to achieve fame within the True Crime Community (TCC), an online subculture obsessed with mass shooters. Gray had written "I want to make history. I want people to remember the pain I caused." He possessed over 2,000 photos of Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz and had a shrine dedicated to him in his bedroom. Investigators found Gray had modeled his attack on other mass shooters and sent ominous messages to online contacts about something happening on September 4.
Colt Gray sentenced to life without parole for Georgia high school shooting
Colt Gray, 16, was sentenced to life without parole on July 28, 2025, by Barrow County Superior Court Judge Nicholas Primm for carrying out a mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia on September 4, 2024. Gray pleaded guilty to all 55 counts against him, including felony murder and aggravated assault. The shooting killed two students (Mason Schermerhorn, 14, and Christian Angulo, 14) and two teachers (Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53), and injured nine others.
Gray's father convicted of murder for providing the weapon
Colin Gray, Colt Gray's father, was convicted in March 2025 of second-degree murder and manslaughter for providing his son with the rifle used in the mass shooting. Colin Gray is scheduled to be sentenced in late July 2025.
Gray displayed signs of mental distress and isolation before shooting
A forensic psychologist who evaluated Gray testified that the teen had experienced a chaotic childhood marked by financial instability, parental drug use, and school changes. Gray grew increasingly isolated, spent most of his time online, and at the time of the shooting was struggling with anxiety, paranoia, depression, and thoughts of self-harm. However, investigators indicated Gray may have exaggerated some mental health symptoms in an attempt to support an insanity defense.
Mass shooting occurred at Apalachee High School in Georgia
On September 4, 2024, a 14-year-old Colt Gray opened fire at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, killing four people (two students and two teachers) and injuring nine others. Gray carried out the shooting using a rifle his father, Colin Gray, had given him as a Christmas present.
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2 alternative perspectives
Mother sought firearm restrictions before son's school attack
Mother sought firearm limits; was later barred from contacting detained son.
Colin Gray sentenced to 15 years for enabling son's mass shooting
Colin Gray sentenced to 15 years for murder conviction in providing the weapon used in the school shooting.
Shooter threatened elementary school attack months before high school violence
Shooter threatened elementary school attack months before high school violence, reflecting ideological obsession with mass shooting perpetrators.
Father sentenced to 15 years for providing rifle in school shooting
Colin Gray sentenced to 15 years for providing the rifle used in the school shooting.
Shooter's online notoriety motive tied to mental distress and isolation
Gray's attack motivation combined mental health crisis with online mass shooter community radicalization.
Father's murder conviction underscores parental role in gun access
Father convicted of murder for supplying firearm used in school shooting, establishing parental accountability.
Gray sentenced to life without parole for Apalachee shooting
Colt Gray sentenced to life without parole; judge called actions deliberate and contemplated evil.
Warning signs preceded shooting: threat report and counseling sought
Law enforcement and family sought intervention before shooting; warning signs preceded the attack.
Shooting suspect's notebook revealed detailed attack plans and preparation
Evidence shows Gray planned the attack in advance, including a detailed notebook and shrine to a previous mass shooter.
Gunman pleads guilty to all 55 counts in school shooting
Shooter pleads guilty to all counts; father convicted for providing weapon.