A Rare Prosecution of Parents
Colin Gray’s case will mark the second time in U.S. history that parents of an alleged school shooter have faced criminal prosecution tied to a mass school shooting.
The first involved Jennifer and James Crumbley, whose son, Ethan Crumbley, killed four students and injured seven others at Michigan’s Oxford High School in November 2021.
Both parents were convicted of four counts of involuntary manslaughter — one for each student killed — and were sentenced in April 2024 to 10 to 15 years in prison.
Developments in Colt Gray’s Case
Meanwhile, Colt Gray’s defense remains in flux. In December 2025, his newly appointed attorneys said he was undergoing medical evaluations. Earlier, in May 2025, his former legal team indicated that plea negotiations might have been under consideration.
As Colin Gray’s Apalachee shooting trial approaches, the proceedings promise to test not only the facts of what happened inside Apalachee High School but also the evolving legal boundaries of parental responsibility.
Like a courtroom echo of a tragedy that still reverberates, the case stands poised to shape how far the law can — and should — reach when violence erupts in a classroom.
