Marcee Gray, the mother of the suspect in Wednesday’s Apalachee High School shooting, has a criminal record spanning more than 17 years and four counties, court records show.
The 43-year-old has faced prosecution in Barrow, Fulton and Forsyth counties, accused of domestic violence, drug possession, property damage and traffic violations. She has also faced civil fraud claims related to a vehicle purchase and was in jail in Ben Hill County as recently as April, according to publicly available court filings.
Attempts to contact Marcee Gray were not immediately successful.
The suspect’s father, Colin Gray, 54, was arrested Thursday on charges stemming from the school shooting.
He faces four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children and will be held at the Barrow County Jail. GBI Director Chris Hosey said during a Thursday evening news conference outside the school that the charges are “directly connected with the actions of his son” in the Wednesday morning shooting at the Barrow County school.
“These charges stem from Mr. Gray knowingly allowing his son, Colt, to possess a weapon,” Hosey said.
Marcee Gray was arrested on Nov. 6 in Barrow County, suspected of possessing methamphetamine, fentanyl and muscle relaxants. Publicly available court records indicate that she was not actually charged with drug possession in relation to her arrest.
Credit: Ben Hill County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Ben Hill County Sheriff's Office
The arrest warrant states that Marcee Gray had a glass jar containing methamphetamine, a “baggie” containing fentanyl, another “baggie” containing multiple muscle relaxants, and a glass pipe “used for the ingestion of narcotics.” She also concealed the identity of her Nissan Rogue by affixing a tag for a Nissan Kick, the warrant states.
In December, Marcee Gray was charged with, and pleaded guilty to, single counts of using a license plate to conceal identity, criminal damage to property in the second degree and criminal trespass/family violence. Her guilty plea form, filed in the Barrow County Superior Court, shows that she was prosecuted under Georgia’s First Offender Act, which allows eligible defendants to plead guilty without being convicted.
Marcee Gray was sentenced on Dec. 21 to five years in jail, with the first 46 days to be spent in confinement and the remainder on probation. She received credit for the time she had spent in custody from Nov. 6.
As a special condition of probation, Marcee Gray was ordered to pay just over $1,500 in restitution to an Atlanta construction company, Van Winkle Construction. She was also prohibited from having any contact with Colin Gray except through a third party for matters concerning their children or divorce.
Marcee Gray was ordered to participate in a family violence intervention program and to stay away from drugs and alcohol. She was represented in the Barrow County case by a public defender, who did not immediately respond to questions about it.
An April 5 order in relation to the restitution shows Marcee Gray was at that time located in the Ben Hill County Jail in Fitzgerald. An earlier order in the Barrow County case states that Marcee Gray may be subject to prosecution in another county, but does not specify where or why.
Marcee Gray was granted a $5,700 bond on April 12 in Ben Hill County, where she was charged with aggravated battery of a 73-year-old woman, theft, false imprisonment, criminal trespass and failure to appear.
An arrest warrant in relation to those charges states that Marcee Gray grabbed the 73-year-old woman and threw her against a wall, “resulting in a bloody laceration to (the victim’s) left wrist.” The incident happened on Nov. 4 at a Fitzgerald residence, the warrant says.
Marcee Gray also took the woman’s iPhone and prevented her from leaving the property by putting her in a chair and taping her hands and feet, the warrant states. It further alleges that Marcee Gray broke a bathroom mirror in the house, which is less than two miles from her listed address.
An employee of the Ben Hill County Superior Court clerk’s office told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Marcee Gray had not yet been indicted in that case.
Publicly available court records show Marcee Gray was prosecuted in 2019 on misdemeanor traffic charges in Forsyth County, and faced a speeding charge in Barrow County in 2014. Details of those cases were not immediately available.
She was also prosecuted in 2008 in Fulton County regarding 2007 traffic offenses including driving under the influence of alcohol. She took a plea deal and was fined $600, sentenced to 12 months of probation and ordered to complete 40 hours of community service, court records show.
Marcee Gray was sued in 2019 by Nash Chevrolet Company, which alleged that she had bought a 2018 Chevrolet Suburban in September 2018 using a $10,000 check as a down payment. The check, which had both Marcee Gray and Colin Gray’s names on it, was “dishonored due to lack of funds,” the dealership’s complaint states.
In February 2020, Marcee Gray was ordered to pay the dealership just over $19,000, reflecting the money initially owed for the vehicle as well as interest, attorney fees and punitive damages.
Records show that in Gwinnett County, Bank of America had an ongoing garnishment claim on Colin Gray’s paychecks for about a year.
