Mother of teenage school shooter testifies in murder trial of estranged husband Colin Gray
By Eric Levenson, CNN
(CNN) — Marcee Gray, the mother of Georgia school shooter Colt Gray, testified Monday at the murder trial of her estranged husband, Colin Gray, about how she lost custody of their three children, her struggles with addiction and their oldest son’s spiraling mental health.
After a stint in jail and rehab, Marcee Gray lived with Colin and the kids in July and August 2024 and noticed Colt Gray, then 14, was riddled with anxiety, easily agitated and had a panic attack.
“It was very obvious that he needed some professional help, especially with the anxiety,” she said.
The testimony offered insights into the tumultuous home life of Colt Gray, who, in September 2024, brought an AR15-style rifle to Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, and opened fire. Four people were killed and nine were injured, before he surrendered to police.
Prosecutors allege Colin Gray bought Colt the rifle despite previous warnings that his son was a danger to others, actions that constitute criminally reckless conduct. His defense attorney said in opening statements Colin Gray was unaware his son was planning the shooting and had taken steps to try to get him help.
He has pleaded not guilty to nearly 30 charges, including two counts each of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter.
Colin Gray’s trial is part of a broader push to hold more people accountable for a school shooting, including the shooter’s parents and responding law enforcement officers. This case bears close similarities to the trials of James and Jennifer Crumbley, whose then-15-year-old son killed four students in 2021 at his high school in Oxford, Michigan.
The trial began last week and has featured emotional testimony from students and teachers who survived the shooting, police interviews with Colin Gray, Colt Gray’s spotty school attendance records and photos showing unsecured firearms and ammo in Colin Gray’s home.
Marcee Gray’s testimony focused on some of the intimate details of what Colin Gray knew about their son and what he did about that knowledge. Defense attorneys are expected to cross-examine her about her past legal trouble and struggles with addiction.
Marcee’s mother – the shooter’s grandmother – testified on Friday, saying Colin Gray bought his son an AR15-style rifle as a Christmas gift nine months before the shooting and left the gun in Colt’s room, even though the father knew about his son’s mental health struggles.
Mother explains her arrest
In her testimony Monday, Marcee Gray laid out a timeline of the family’s unsettled life, which featured investigations by the Department of Family and Children Services, visits from police, an eviction and repeated moves.
In November 2022, the two younger children went to live with Marcee Gray, while Colt stayed with Colin Gray. In August 2023, Colt then came to live with her, and when the parents met up at a midway point for the exchange, Colin Gray was “very aggressive” toward Colt, she testified.
She said Colt’s behavior at her home was “alarming” and he repeatedly damaged the house, broke TVs and cut slits into furniture.
“He had a lot of anger inside. He was very aggressive and unpredictable,” she said.
In October 2023, she failed a drug test and lost custody of all her children, who then went to live with Colin Gray. She tried to set up visits, but he blocked her phone and refused to communicate with her, she testified.
“I basically had a complete nervous mental breakdown, I think as any good mother would,” she said. “My kids were and still are my entire world, and to go from being in constant contact – with the two younger children for sure – to nothing, I felt like they had been kidnapped almost.”
The next month, when she was “messed up,” she tied her mother down to a chair and drove to Colin Gray’s house to try to see the kids, she testified. He refused, and she then keyed his truck, she testified.
According to court records, she pleaded guilty in December 2023 to criminal damage to property, criminal trespass-family violence and use of a license plate to conceal identity. She was incarcerated from November 2023 to April 2024 and then spent three months in rehab, she testified.
She lived with her parents for a bit before going to live with Colin and the kids in July 2024.
Two months later, Colt Gray carried out the attack.
She is expected to continue testifying today.
In opening statements last week, prosecutors had said Marcee Gray went into Colt Gray’s room to try to take away his rifle, but Colt shoved her to the ground. She then asked Colin Gray to take the rifle away from the teen and lock up the firearm, but he didn’t do so, according to prosecutors.
Marcee Gray has said she received a concerning text from Colt Gray on the morning of the shooting and called the school to ask them to check on him. By the time the school found him, he had already opened fire, killing four people and wounding nine others.
The defense said in opening statements they planned to challenge Marcee Gray’s credibility, noting her legal problems.
The defense also alleged Colt Gray had told his mother that he had sent commissary money to Nikolas Cruz, the imprisoned Florida school shooter, but Marcee did not share that information with Colin Gray, the school or police.
A week after the shooting, Marcee Gray issued an open letter apologizing to the parents and families of those affected by the shooting.
“We are all in a living nightmare right now, and I will personally never forgive myself for what has happened,” she wrote. “My son Colt is not a monster. He is my oldest baby. He is quiet, thoughtful, caring, funny, and extremely intelligent. Please pray for him and the rest of our family, as I am praying for all of you every moment of every day.”
Colt Gray has admitted to the shooting, according to authorities. Now 16, he has pleaded not guilty to 55 felony counts, including four counts of malice murder. A trial date has not been set.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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