Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Opening Statements Begin in Georgia Trial of Father Accused in Apalachee High School Shooting

The case tests Georgia’s cruelty-to-children route to second-degree murder charges against a parent in a school shooting.

Overview

  • Proceedings opened Monday in Barrow County with a Hall County jury seated after venue concerns, and the judge expects the trial to run about three weeks.
  • Colin Gray, 55, has pleaded not guilty to 29 counts, including two charges of second-degree murder, two of involuntary manslaughter, and multiple counts of second-degree cruelty to children.
  • Prosecutors say he bought his son an AR-15–style rifle as a 2023 Christmas gift and later a larger magazine despite prior warnings, including a deputy’s instruction to secure firearms.
  • Authorities had questioned the teen in May 2023 over online threats, and prosecutors cite his fixation on school shooters, a bedroom shrine to Nikolas Cruz, and the father’s recent counseling request as evidence of clear warning signs.
  • The 2024 attack killed teachers Richard Aspinwall and Cristina Irimie and students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo and wounded nine, while Colt Gray, now 16, faces 55 felony counts in a separate case.