A man who gave his son the gun used to kill two students and two teachers at Appalachee High School in Georgia is set to be sentenced Thursday after he was convicted of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter.
Colin Gray's sentencing comes just days after his 16-year-old son, Colt Gray, pleaded guilty to murder and other charges and was sentenced to serve life in prison without the possibility of parole for the Sept. 4, 2024, shooting at the school about 45 miles (73 kilometers) northeast of Atlanta. The elder Gray is one of a handful of parents around the country who have been charged criminally after their children were accused in shootings.
A jury in March found Colin Gray guilty of second-degree murder in the deaths of two 14-year-old students, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo. Georgia law defines second-degree murder as causing the death of a child by committing the crime of cruelty to children. Gray was also found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the killings of teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53.
Another teacher and eight other students were wounded.
Prosecutors have said that Colin Gray gave his son the rifle as a Christmas gift and also bought him ammunition, a gun sight and other shooting accessories.
Colt Gray, who was 14 at the time of the shooting, had shown signs of deteriorating mental health in the weeks leading up to the killings, according to testimony during his sentencing hearing. He also had more than a dozen photos of Nikolas Cruz, the shooter in the 2018 massacre at Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, on his bedroom wall, an investigator testified.
The teen's mother, Marcee Gray, who was separated from Colin Gray, told investigators that she had argued with her estranged husband weeks before the shooting, asking him to secure his guns and restrict their son's access.
Barrow County Sheriff's Office Investigator Jason Smith testified that Colt Gray carried the semiautomatic, assault-style rifle given to him by his father onto the school bus with the barrel sticking out and wrapped in poster board. The teenager left his second-period class and went to a bathroom, emerging with the rifle and shooting people in the hallway and a classroom, the investigator said.
In interviews with investigators the day of the shooting, Colt Gray falsely said his father had made efforts to hide the gun from him, but the investigation showed that the gun was in the teenager's bedroom, Smith said.
Second-degree murder is punishable by at least 10 but no more than 30 years in prison, while involuntary manslaughter carries a penalty of one to 10 years in prison.
Colin Gray was also convicted of multiple counts of reckless conduct and cruelty to children.
FILE - Colin Gray, the father of Apalachee High School shooting suspect Colt Gray, arrives to the courtroom at the Barrow County courthouse, Dec. 18, 2025, in Winder, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)
CHICAGO (AP) — Edgar Quero had an RBI single in the 12th inning to give the Chicago White Sox a 6-5 victory over the New York Yankees on Wednesday night.
The White Sox stayed 1 1/2 games ahead of Cleveland in the AL Central.
Jordan Hicks (1-1) left the bases loaded in the top of the 12th to set the stage for Quero, who drove in Tristan Peters to give Chicago a win after dropping the first two of the four-game series.
Chicago trailed 4-1 in the eighth before Sam Antonacci and Munetaka Murakami hit consecutive homers off Paul Blackburn to tie it.
Spencer Jones hit an early three-run homer and Cam Schlittler was strong into the seventh inning for New York. Ryan Yarbrough (2-1) took the loss as the Yankees dropped 2 1/2 games behind AL East leader Tampa Bay.
Anthony Volpe’s pinch-hit sacrifice fly put New York ahead in the 11th inning, and Chicago countered when Murakami came home on catcher Ali Sanchez’s errant pickoff throw.
Schlittler kept the White Sox scoreless until Andrew Benintendi’s seventh-inning RBI double. The lanky right-hander retired the first 11 he faced and allowed two hits and a walk while striking out eight in 6 1/3 innings.
The Yankees started the night with a four-run first inning. Paul Goldschmidt singled in Ben Rice, and Jones sent his third home run of the season into the left-centerfield bleachers.
Chicago’s Davis Martin gave up four runs, five hits and a pair of walks while striking out six in the first six innings.
Murakami drew Schlittler’s only walk in the seventh to reach safely for the 15th straight game.
New York LHP Ryan Weathers (4-7, 4.25 ERA) was set to face RHP Sean Burke (7-5, 3.19) on Thursday in the series finale.
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Chicago White Sox pitcher Jordan Hicks (44) reacts during the 12th inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees in Chicago, Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)
Chicago White Sox's Sam Antonacci (17) drops his bat after hitting a home run as New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells watches during the eighth inning of a baseball game in Chicago, Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)
Chicago White Sox's Munetaka Murakami reacts while running towards home plate after hitting a home run during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees in Chicago, Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)
Chicago White Sox's Munetaka Murakami (5) celebrates with Miguel Vargas after hitting a home run during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees in Chicago, Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)
Chicago White Sox's Edgar Quero hits a walk off RBI single during the 12th inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees in Chicago, Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)
New York Yankees shortstop José Caballero throws to first base during the third inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)
Chicago White Sox pitcher Davis Martin throws to a New York Yankees batter during the first inning of a baseball game in Chicago, Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)
New York Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler looks on during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)
Chicago White Sox's Miguel Vargas (20) gestures after hitting a single as New York Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, left, and Chicago White Sox first base Jose Leger, right, look on during the fourth inning of a baseball game in Chicago, Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)
