Apalachee trial: What to expect as the case against Colin Gray nears close

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

The jury, which has been bused in from neighboring Hall County each day in an effort to keep the jury pool untainted, has heard from shooting suspect Colt Gray’s mother, Marcee, and his younger sister as they testified that Colin ignored warning signs about his son’s behavior.

Marcee told the jury she pleaded with her estranged husband to take away the boy’s guns while the family figured out how to deal with Colt’s angry outbursts and his professed violent fantasies.

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

The boy’s sister testified that her father knew about her brother’s obsession with school shooters, but that he let Colt keep a rifle in his bedroom.

Jurors also heard from Colin Gray, who took the stand in his own defense on Friday for lengthy testimony in which he claimed that his wife’s documented history of substance abuse made her a less reliable narrator than his son.

Colin painted a picture of himself as a man working hard to keep his family together, struggling to connect with his troubled son. He said he found that he could bond with Colt over guns, going hunting and doing target shooting, so he tried to meet the boy’s requests for items like a tactical vest, laser sight and other accessories.

Prosecutors pointed out that those items were found on Colt after the shooting.

Here’s what to expect Monday as the trial gets back underway:

Housekeeping and debate

Barrow County Superior Court Judge Nicholas Primm plans to referee a debate between the prosecution and defense on Monday morning over exactly how the charges will be explained to the jury, in what’s known as a charge conference.

The attorneys told the judge late Friday they expect to spend a few hours getting into the details of the laws that apply to each of the charges Colin Gray faces. The jury won’t be present for the conference. Instead, they’ve been asked to arrive after noon.

Closings

The prosecution and defense will each have 90 minutes to give their closing arguments to the jury. This is each side’s final chance to persuade the jury to find in their favor, and it comes with an added bonus: unlike opening statements, which must adhere strictly to the evidence, the attorneys giving closing arguments can discuss the merits of the case to the jury.

Deliberations and verdict

Once closing arguments are complete, the judge will read the agreed-upon charges and explanations of law to the jury, and they will leave the courtroom to discuss their conclusions. Each of the witnesses to take the stand in the case told their own version of events, and some of that testimony conflicts.

For example, Colin Gray told the court he was researching mental health treatment for his son and working to find a solution the boy would agree to, while Marcee said she was doing that work, and that her husband was brushing off her requests to act more urgently on it.

The jury has to decide what they believe is the truth, and then determine whether that truth matches the legal requirements, outlined by the judge in the jury charge, that would merit a guilty verdict. They do not have a time limit, but their decision must be unanimous.