re: Colin Gray - gave my son a gun he used to shoot up a school trial - GUILTY ALL COUNTS

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If this gets to the jury, the defense better damn well hope they get it through the head of the jury that there is a difference between what Colin could have done different and the LAW. The jury is not there to punish someone or emotional conviction someone. They are there to determine guilt of a criminal law

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Well, it went to jury and after 11 days of trial, Colin was found guilty on all charges after less than 2 hours of deliberations

The DA did an amazing job cross examining Colin and then with closing arguments. Was actually very awesome to watch.

Defense was stupid for putting Colin on the stand IMO

Sentence to be done at a later date. Possible of 30 years for the 2nd degree manslaughter convictions

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Yup, terrible decision. What was the defense hoping for here exactly?

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They wanted to try to present what Colin was doing trying to be a single parent with 3 kids for the first time. Also, they wanted to get on record that the daughter was lying this time, not previously and how her demeanor was changed. Last they wanted him to share that he never felt this would be possible and that no one, especially not Colt, said he was going to shoot up a school.

Unfortunately for Colin, he was not good under cross examination and the DA did a great job of presenting new evidence because he decided to testify. They then grilled him and caught him in many lies, but also saying “I don’t know” A LOT.

DA: Why would you do that?
CG: I dunno

I am very torn on this one. After watching most of the trial, skipped a lot of the emotional testimony, I am glad he is going to jail. I believe the shooting “that day” could have been prevented had Colin taken away the guns from the house after seeing what Colt was like and going through

On the other hand, I feel like it is a slippery slope to convict someone of 2nd degree murder when they didn’t break any laws.

In the State of Georgia, it is not illegal to have unlocked weapons in the house. There was no order or punishment preventing Colin from doing it. Should he have known that his son “could” shoot up a school….moat likely, but the State never proved he knew, prior to the Incident, that he would.

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All they have to do is prove that a reasonable person, given the facts available, would conclude that the son was a danger to others and by not acting, contributed to negligence.

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That’s what the State told them to believe, but that’s actually not the law. And again, while I think he is a POS and responsible, I’m not sure on the legality and what it means for the future.

What happens in the future when a 16 year old gets in a wreck for reckless driving and kills their own passengers and others in a different car with children in it? What if the parents knew the kid sometimes got distracted and forgot to give him his medication that one morning when the kid got the keys without permission and went reckless driving with his friends…do you charge the parents along with the teenage driver?

Do we want juries deciding when someone “might be responsible?” That is not how the judicial system is meant to work and this case opened a book of legal worms

where does the issue of "proximate cause" fall in all of this? If at all?

"Proximate cause adds a layer of legal judgment, asking whether the harm was a foreseeable consequence of the act and whether it is fair to hold the defendant accountable"

I will most likely be downvoted into oblivion, but i do not mind the verdict. parents do not pay attention to their kids and hold them accountable, and use schools as day cares that others get to deal with. if parents are not gonna hold their kids accountable, especially for the serious shite like this, then the parents have culpability.

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All they have to do is prove that a reasonable person, given the facts available, would conclude that the son was a danger to others and by not acting, contributed to negligence.

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That's fair.

But it's also not second degree murder.

I only hope this sets a precedent where this starts being used in the actual city of Atlanta with parents of teens being charged.

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What happens in the future when a 16 year old gets in a wreck for reckless driving and kills their own passengers and others in a different car with children in it? What if the parents knew the kid sometimes got distracted and forgot to give him his medication that one morning when the kid got the keys without permission and went reckless driving with his friends…do you charge the parents along with the teenage driver?

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The counter-argument is “what happens when a kid tells his dad he wants a gun so he can kill his classmates, dad buys the kid a gun for Christmas, and the kid goes on to shoot up a school after dad saw the gun in his gym bad?”

If your immediate response is to say “but that’s not what happened here,” yeah - that’s the point. Neither is your example of a kid getting into a car wreck. The facts of every case are going to be different.

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Do we want juries deciding when someone “might be responsible?” That is not how the judicial system is meant to work and this case opened a book of legal worms

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Juries have to decide what a “reasonable person” would have known/believed all the time. The idea of criminal negligence isn’t exactly new either.

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On the other hand, I feel like it is a slippery slope to convict someone of 2nd degree murder when they didn’t break any laws.

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How can you say he “didn’t break any laws” when he was literally convicted of breaking the law?

Also worth noting that the 2nd degree murder statute he was convicted under was written specifically for cases of criminal negligence involving children. It’s not 2nd degree murder in the sense that most people would assume.

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Also worth noting that the 2nd degree murder statute he was convicted under was written specifically for cases of criminal negligence involving children. It’s not 2nd degree murder in the sense that most people would assume

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And yet Shantel’s little regrets get to Rob and kill while she gets more welfare money

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giving your son a gun even though he liked certain things or acted a certain way, doesn’t mean he broke the law.

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Form 4473 line 21.
b. "Are you the actual transferee/buyer of all of the firearm(s) listed on this form and any continuation sheet(s) (ATF Form 5300.9A)?"

b. "Do you intend to sell or otherwise dispose of any firearm listed on this form and any continuation sheet(s) in furtherance of any felony or other
offense punishable by imprisonment for a term of more than one year, a Federal crime of terrorism, or a drug trafficking offense?"

I mean as a non lawyer.... seems like he did break the law.