According to sources, the mother of the 14-year-old Georgia student involved in the four-person massacre at Apalachee High School had been indicted in a domestic abuse case in 2023.
A grand jury indicted Marcee Gray, 43, on Monday on charges of exploitation and intimidation of a disabled person or older adult, false detention, criminal property damage, and theft, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The allegations are unrelated to the horrific shooting that her son, Colt, is accused of carrying out on September 4, which killed instructors Cristina Irimie, 53, and Richard Aspinwall, 39, as well as students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14. Nine other pupils were hurt in the event. On September 5, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrested the teen’s father, Colin Gray, who has been charged with two counts of murder, four counts of involuntary manslaughter, and eight counts of child maltreatment.
According to the newspaper, Marcee Gray may face up to 20 years in jail for the felony allegation of elder exploitation. USA TODAY was unable to reach Gray for comment. The dispute comes from Gray’s attempt to have her mother, Deborah Polhamus, now 74, accompany her to confront her ex-husband, Colin Gray, on November 3, 2023. According to the newspaper, Polhamus refused to leave, so Gray taped her 73-year-old mother to a chair for nearly a day, removing her cellphone and causing damage to her Fitzgerald, Georgia, home. The following day, Nov. 4, 2023, a family friend discovered Polhamus, according to the newspaper. According to court records, Marcee Gray damaged Colin Gray’s work truck in Barrow County, which is approximately 3.5 hours distant.
Two days later, on November 6, a Barrow County Sheriff’s officer arrested Marcee Gray for allegedly concealing her Nissan Rogue with new tags while carrying fentanyl, methamphetamine, and muscle relaxants, according to court papers. In December, prosecutors accused her of hiding her license plate, causing damage to property, criminal trespass, and domestic violence. She pleaded guilty, and a local judge sentenced her to five years in jail, with the first 46 days spent in confinement and credit for time served beginning November 6 and the remainder on probation. Marcee Gray reportedly apologized to the parents and families who were affected by the school massacre. According to the Washington Post, Marcee Gray called the school on the morning of the shooting to report an “extreme emergency” and request that officials locate her son.
