Colt Gray and Colin Gray first court appearance as father and son learn what they can now face if convicted against the shooting crimes the 14 year old committed at Apalachee High School which left four dead and countless others injured and a community destroyed.
Colt Gray the 14 year old Georgia teen accused of gunning down fellow classmates and teachers at Apalachee High School, where he killed four and wounded countless others appeared in court, Friday morning where the boy is to be tried as an adult.
Facing four felony first degree murder charges following the gun massacre, the teen made his first court appearance at Barrow County Superior Court while donning shackles and prison attire.
The boy kept his head down, with his hair covering his face, and spoke softly when addressed by Judge Mingledorff, replying ‘yes sir’ when asked to confirm his name.
Georgia father and son sit in exact same seat one after the other as they hear charges against them read
Despite the severity and nature of his crimes, the 14 year old boy will not face the death penalty which exists in the state of Georgia for murder.
A 2005 Supreme Court decision forbids the execution of offenders who were under the age of 18 when their crimes were committed.
If convicted the boy is likely to spend the rest of his life behind bars without the chance of parole.
Colt Gray’s attorney did not request bond for the teenager.
Present for both the boy’s and father’s court appearances were family members of the victims who sat in the front row alongside the defendants, many of whom were observed openly weeping and wearing dark sunglasses, their world forever shattered by the hubris of a father and son’s sense of invincibility and belief they could behave at will.
Meanwhile his father, Colin Gray, 54, cried as he appeared shortly after his son in the same courtroom, charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two of second degree murder and eight of cruelty to children.
The parent told the court of having completed his education up until 11th Grade GED, while nodding along to proceedings as they took place. Previous reports told of the father being a victim of abuse as a youth only to end up perpetrating similar abuse on others, including his wife, Marcee Gray, who eventually filed for divorce against her husband of 14 years alleging domestic violence.
A young boy to spend the rest of his life behind bars and his father 180 years if both convicted
During his preliminary court appearance, Colin Gray was observed nervously rocking back and forth along with intermittently weeping – perhaps finally dawning on him the gravity and severity of his son’s actions and the incredulity of having gifted his son a high velocity AR-15 rifle mere months after he was told by the FBI that his son was being investigating for making online threats to shoot up a school in May, 2023. Threats that the boy at the time vehemently denied and which the father joked about.
During his initial court appearance, the father was explained the maximum sentences he stood now to receive.
Judge Mingledorff advised Colin Gray that he could face up to 30 years in prison for each felony murder count, 10 years for each involuntary manslaughter charges and cruelty to children – the maximum totaling 180 years.
The father is remanded to appear in court again on December 4.
The revelations follow a previous report exploring the teen’s mother and Colin’s wife, Marcee Gray ongoing addiction and sordid criminal history, leading to some commentators on the web to argue the boy ‘never stood a chance.’ Or did he?
