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- Dad of Georgia high school shooter requests new trial (abcnews.com)
Colin Gray, the father of a teenager responsible for a deadly mass shooting at a Georgia high school, is seeking a new trial just days after being sentenced to prison.
Last week, 55-year-old Gray received a 15-year prison sentence following a March jury verdict that held him criminally responsible for the 2024 shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia. Despite facing over a century behind bars on 27 charges-including second-degree murder-Gray’s sentence was significantly shorter than the maximum.
This week, Gray’s defense team filed a motion requesting a new trial within 30 days. They argue that the original verdict was “contrary to evidence,” “strongly against the weight of the evidence,” and “contrary to law and the principles of justice and equity.”
Colin Gray had admitted to providing the assault rifle used by his then-14-year-old son, Colt Gray, in the September 2024 attack that claimed the lives of two students and two teachers.
At sentencing, Judge Nicholas Primm emphasized that Colin Gray was convicted because warning signs were increasingly evident, yet he failed to seek help for his son or restrict his access to firearms. “No parent thinks that their child is going to be the next school shooter, but it became more and more obvious that something bad was going to happen,” Primm stated.
The judge also remarked that Colin Gray “failed as a parent” in his handling of the situation.
Meanwhile, Colt Gray pleaded guilty last month to all 55 charges against him, including murder and aggravated assault. The teenager was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, with the judge describing his actions as “deliberate, contemplated evil.”
Representatives for Colin Gray have not yet responded to requests for comment on the motion for a new trial.
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- Dad of Georgia high school shooter requests new trial (abcnews.com)