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Written by: E. George
Published September 24, 2024 @ 2:20 PM ET
Warning: The following story contains information regarding alleged domestic violence/exploitation of disabled or elderly persons.
BEN HILL COUNTY, Ga. – The mother of Colt Gray, the 14-year-old suspect in the Apalachee school shooting, has been charged for taping her then 73-year-old mother to a chair in her own home in Fitzgerald, taking her phone, and leaving her for nearly 24 hours before someone found her.
Marcee Anne Gray, who was arrested in November 2023 in Barrow County on a plethora of charges, including possession of methamphetamine, criminal damage to property, and concealing the identity of a vehicle, now faces charges in Ben Hill County.
Gray’s criminal history has reportedly spanned across four counties over a period of 17 years.
She received a five-year jail sentence with the first 46 days to be served in confinement for the crimes she committed in Barrow County before officials transported her back to Ben Hill County to face the charges involving her mother.
In April, she received a $5,700 bond in Ben Hill County.
On Monday, Gray was indicted on single counts of exploitation and intimidation of a disabled adult or elderly person, false imprisonment, criminal damage to property in the second degree, and theft for the crimes alleged against her mother. If convicted, she could face a 20-year prison sentence.
Gray’s mother allegedly wanted her to be held liable for her crimes; however, she “did not want to see Marcee being a felon for the rest of her life.”
According to the incident report, on November 3, the victim’s other daughter, who lives in Florida, was unable to get in contact with her mother, so she sent a friend to check on her. When the friend entered the house, she found Gray’s mother taped at her wrists and ankles to a chair and freed her.
The victim told police that Marcee Gray was upset after she refused to go with her to Barrow County to confront her ex-husband, Colin Gray.
“Marcee became upset and told Deborah that she was making her go with her because she was going to kill her ex,” the report states. “Deborah stated she refused to go, and Marcee threw her up against the wall, causing a cut on her left wrist. Marcee stated that since Deborah wasn’t going, she was going to tie her to a chair and take her phone so she wouldn’t call anyone.”
The police report says that Marcee Gray taped her mother to her chair, took her iPhone, and broke a back door and bathroom mirror during the incident. She allegedly told her mom that she would call her father after she left the home so he could cut her free. It was nearly 24 hours later before she was found by a family friend.
Authorities arrested Gray three days later for possessing drugs and causing damage to her husband’s work vehicle in Barrow County.
Gray’s son, Colt Gray, was arrested for the Apalachee High School shooting that left two students and two teachers dead and nine other individuals injured, and her husband, Colin Gray, was also arrested in connection with the tragedy.
This case is pending in court.