Mother of Georgia School Shooting Suspect Indicted on Unrelated Elder Abuse Charges
The mother of a 14-year-old Georgia student accused in the Apalachee High School shooting that left four dead has been indicted in a separate domestic violence case involving her own mother, according to reports.
Marcee Gray, 43, was indicted by a grand jury on Monday, facing charges including exploitation and intimidation of a disabled person or elderly adult, false imprisonment, criminal damage to property, and theft, as reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Saturday.
These charges are unrelated to the Sept. 4 school shooting, for which her son, Colt, stands accused. That tragic event claimed the lives of two teachers, Cristina Irimie, 53, and Richard Aspinwall, 39, as well as two students, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14. Nine other students were injured in the attack.
Colt’s father, Colin Gray, was arrested by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation on Sept. 5. Prosecutors have charged him with two counts of murder, four counts of involuntary manslaughter, and eight counts of child cruelty.
Marcee Gray faces a potential 20-year prison sentence if convicted of the felony elder exploitation charge, according to the report. USA TODAY was unable to reach Gray for comment.
The case allegedly began when Gray attempted to persuade her mother, 74-year-old Deborah Polhamus, to accompany her on November 3, 2023, to confront her ex-husband, Colin Gray. When Polhamus refused, Gray reportedly restrained her 73-year-old mother by taping her to a chair for nearly 24 hours, confiscating her cellphone, and damaging her home in Fitzgerald, Georgia.
On November 4, 2023, a family friend discovered Polhamus, the report states. That same day, court records indicate that Marcee Gray was involved in a separate incident where she allegedly damaged Colin Gray’s work truck in Barrow County, roughly 3.5 hours away.
Just two days later, on November 6, a Barrow County Sheriff's deputy arrested Gray. She was charged with concealing her Nissan Rogue with false tags and possession of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and muscle relaxants, according to court documents.
In December, prosecutors charged Marcee Gray with concealing her license plate, property damage, criminal trespass, and family violence. She pleaded guilty, resulting in a five-year sentence. The first 46 days were to be served in jail, with credit for time served starting from her November 6 arrest, and the remainder to be served on probation.
According to reports, Marcee Gray has apologized to the families impacted by the school shooting. *The Washington Post* revealed that she claimed to have contacted the school the morning of the shooting, warning them of an "extreme emergency" and urging them to locate her son.