Days after a deadly school shooting in Winder, the 14-year-old suspect and his father appeared separately in court.
Colt Gray is charged as an adult in the September 4 shooting at Apalachee High School. On Friday, he appeared in Barrow County Superior Court before Piedmont Judicial Circuit Judge Currie Mingledorff.
Gray is charged with four felony counts of murder for the deaths of Apalachee teachers Richard Aspinwall and Christina Irimie and freshmen students Christian Angulo and Mason Schermerhorn.
Mingledorff told Gray that the maximum penalty for each count is either death or imprisonment for life, with or without parole. But the judge misspoke and later called Gray back into the room to correct the record: He would not be eligible for the death penalty if convicted because he’s under 18, NPR News reports.
The teenager’s 54-year-old father also appeared in court Friday on charges alleging he contributed to the deaths.
The GBI says Colin Gray admitted buying as a gift for his son the gun that was used in the shooting. He faces four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder, and eight counts of cruelty to children.
“His charges are directly connected with the actions of his son and allowing him to possess a weapon,” said Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey.
Both suspects are currently being held in separate jails. Preliminary hearings are set for Dec. 4.
The nine people wounded in the shooting are all expected to make a full recovery, according to Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith.
