The father of a boy charged with killing four people at a Georgia high school was found guilty of murder and manslaughter on Tuesday.
Jurors took less than two hours to convict 55-year-old Colin G. for his role in the September 2024 shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, northeast of Atlanta. He was convicted of second-degree murder in the deaths of two 14-year-old students, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, and of involuntary manslaughter for the killings of teachers Richard Aspinwall and Cristina Irimie.
Over an 11-day trial, prosecutors argued Colin G. armed and enabled his son, Colt, by giving him a rifle as a Christmas present despite concerns about the boy’s worsening mental health. “This case is about this defendant and his actions, allowing a child that he has custody over access to a firearm and ammunition after being warned that that child was going to harm others,” Barrow County District Attorney Brad Smith said.
The FBI says deputies interviewed Colt and his father in May 2023 after anonymous tips about online threats to carry out a school shooting. Prosecutors told jurors Colin G. disregarded warning signs, including that his son kept a shrine to school shooters and behaved violently at home.
Defense attorney Brian Hobbs said Colin G., who pleaded not guilty, did not know his son intended to attack and had sought help for Colt’s mental health problems. Hobbs said his client was trying to be a good parent and never expected the boy to carry out a shooting.
The case is notable because prosecutions of parents for a child’s role in mass shootings are rare. In a separate 2024 case, Jennifer and James Crumbley were convicted of manslaughter in a Michigan school shooting that killed four people and were sentenced to 10 to 15 years. Colin G. is believed to be the first parent charged with murder in connection with a shooting carried out by their child.
Colin G. will be sentenced at a later date. Second-degree murder carries a sentence of 10 to 30 years; involuntary manslaughter adds up to 10 years. Colt G., who was 14 at the time and is now 16, has been charged as an adult and has pleaded not guilty to 55 counts. Investigators say he carefully planned the attack on September 4, 2024, bringing a semiautomatic, assault-style rifle to school in his book bag.
Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko