Father of Georgia school shooter requests new trial after conviction

Colin Gray, the Georgia father sentenced to 15 years in prison for giving his son the rifle used in a fatal high school shooting, has formally requested a new trial. His attorneys filed a motion on Wednesday arguing that the jury's guilty verdict is unsupported by the evidence and runs "contrary to law and the principles of justice and equity."

Gray was convicted earlier this year on charges of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. The charges stem from the September 4, 2024, attack at Apalachee High School, located about 45 miles northeast of Atlanta, which left two students and two teachers dead.

His son, Colt Gray, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the shooting. Colin Gray is among a small number of American parents to face criminal charges in connection with a child's act of violence.

Prosecutors said Colin Gray gave his son the semiautomatic rifle as a Christmas gift, along with ammunition and other shooting accessories. In March, a jury found him guilty of second-degree murder in the deaths of 14-year-old students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo. Under Georgia law, second-degree murder applies when a person causes a child's death while committing cruelty to children. He was also convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the deaths of teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53.

The new trial motion is the latest legal step in a case that has drawn national attention to parental responsibility in school shootings.