--- title: "Colin Gray requests new trial after conviction for giving son gun used in Apalachee shooting" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/media/colin-gray-requests-new-trial-after-conviction-for-giving-son-gun-used-in-apalac" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/colin-gray-requests-new-trial-after-conviction-for-giving-son-gun-used-in-apalac" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/media/colin-gray-requests-new-trial-after-conviction-for-giving-son-gun-used-in-apalac.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/colin-gray-requests-new-trial-after-conviction-for-giving-son-gun-used-in-apalac" category: "Media" area: "United States" published: "2026-08-07T21:46:05.310Z" source_reported: "2026-08-07T19:58:05.000Z" updated: "2026-08-07T21:46:05.310Z" trust_score: 66 critic_score: 67 hype_score: 15 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-08-07T21:46:31.299Z" --- # Colin Gray requests new trial after conviction for giving son gun used in Apalachee shooting *Gray was sentenced to 15 years in prison for second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter in the September 2024 attack* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 66 of 100, higher is better. Trust 66: AP report cites court filing and names victims, but only one original source limits corroboration. - Craft 67 of 100, higher is better. Critic 67: clear facts, specific names and dates, but no quotes or explanatory context. - Hype 15 of 100, lower is better. Hype 15: headline matches article; language is factual without sensational embellishment. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Colin Gray was sentenced to 15 years in prison for giving his son the gun used in the September 4, 2024 Apalachee High School shooting, which killed two students and two teachers. - Gray filed a court motion on Wednesday requesting a new trial, arguing the jury’s verdict was not supported by the evidence. - The left-rated outlets led on the new trial request, while the centre-rated digest mentioned it without additional detail. - No right-rated outlet reported on the motion or the original conviction. Colin Gray, the father of the teenager who carried out the September 4, 2024 shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia, has asked a court for a new trial. Gray was convicted in March of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter for giving his son the semiautomatic rifle used in the attack. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison. The shooting killed two 14-year-old students, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, and two teachers, Richard Aspinwall and Cristina Irimie. Gray’s son, Colt Gray, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Prosecutors said Colin Gray gave his son the rifle as a Christmas gift, along with ammunition and other accessories. In a court filing on Wednesday, Gray’s attorneys argued the jury’s guilty verdict was not supported by the evidence and was “contrary to law and the principles of justice and equity.” The motion does not specify which parts of the evidence or legal arguments the defence disputes. ## What the coverage left out No right-rated outlet ran the story at all. None of the digests, including the centre-rated one, mentioned the specific legal grounds Gray’s attorneys cited for the new trial request beyond the general claim that the verdict was unsupported. The Associated Press report was the only one to include the detail that the rifle was given as a Christmas gift. ## Who covered it Shares of the 8 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 88% (7) - Centre: 12% (1) - Right: 0% (0) 0 of 8 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-08-07T21:46:31.299Z. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 8 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-08-07T23:45:10.381Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - All six left-rated digests led on Colin Gray’s request for a new trial. The Associated Press, whose full report was published by several outlets, included the defence’s argument that the verdict was unsupported by evidence and contrary to legal principles. The digests also carried the length of Gray’s sentence, the charges he faced, and the names of the victims. - The Associated Press report described Gray as one of a “handful of American parents” criminally charged after their children were accused in shootings. It quoted the defence’s motion directly: “contrary to law and the principles of justice and equity.” The report also noted the rifle was given as a Christmas gift, a detail the digests did not include. ### Centre - The centre-rated digest from CBS News mentioned Gray’s request for a new trial but did not include additional details about the legal arguments or the evidence presented at trial. It named Gray and identified him as the father of the shooter, but did not list the victims or the charges he faced. ### Right No separate framing summary. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - high: 3 - veryHigh: 5 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Georgia Public Broadcasting](https://gpb.org/news/2026/08/07/georgia-dad-convicted-after-giving-his-son-the-gun-used-in-school-shooting-seeks) — Georgia dad, convicted after giving his son the gun used in school shooting, seeks new trial - [The Seattle Times](https://seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/georgia-dad-convicted-after-giving-his-son-the-gun-used-in-school-shooting-seeks-new-trial) — Georgia dad, convicted after giving his son the gun used in school shooting, seeks new trial - [The Toronto Star](https://thestar.com/news/world/united-states/georgia-dad-convicted-after-giving-his-son-the-gun-used-in-school-shooting-seeks-new-trial/article_3b60953c-a047-5523-9f9a-59f2a54c132d.html) — Georgia dad, convicted after giving his son the gun used in school shooting, seeks new trial - [Associated Press News](https://apnews.com/article/georgia-high-school-shooting-father-gray-trial-ae64fdb6571611888f95da4ec64c57a1) — Georgia dad, convicted after giving his son the gun used in school shooting, seeks new trial - [abc News](https://abcnews.com/US/wireStory/georgia-dad-convicted-after-giving-son-gun-school-135468820) — Dad convicted after giving his son the gun used in school shooting, seeks new trial - [CBS News](https://cbsnews.com/atlanta/news/colin-gray-father-of-apalachee-high-school-shooter-asking-for-new-trial) — Colin Gray, father of Apalachee High School shooter, files motion asking for new trial - [The Hamilton Spectator](https://thespec.com/news/world/united-states/georgia-dad-convicted-after-giving-his-son-the-gun-used-in-school-shooting-seeks-new-trial/article_bc5afab3-42d8-5a28-bc81-072a1f6cbb78.html) — Georgia dad, convicted after giving his son the gun used in school shooting, seeks new trial - [St Catharines Standard](https://stcatharinesstandard.ca/news/world/united-states/georgia-dad-convicted-after-giving-his-son-the-gun-used-in-school-shooting-seeks-new-trial/article_301bd127-fb25-5e5b-8030-ce25831efc32.html) — Georgia dad, convicted after giving his son the gun used in school shooting, seeks new trial ## Questions **What was Colin Gray convicted of?** Colin Gray was convicted of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter for giving his son the gun used in the Apalachee High School shooting. The charges stemmed from the deaths of two students and two teachers in September 2024. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison. **Why is Colin Gray requesting a new trial?** Gray’s attorneys filed a motion arguing the jury’s guilty verdict was not supported by the evidence and was contrary to law and principles of justice. The motion does not specify which parts of the evidence or legal arguments the defence disputes, as reported by the Associated Press. **Which outlets reported on the new trial request?** Six left-rated outlets and one centre-rated outlet ran digests of the story, all leading on the new trial request. The Associated Press published the only full report, which included the defence’s legal arguments. No right-rated outlet covered the development. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/media/colin-gray-requests-new-trial-after-conviction-for-giving-son-gun-used-in-apalac. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Colin Gray requests new trial after conviction for giving son gun used in Apalachee shooting", https://mediabias.news/media/colin-gray-requests-new-trial-after-conviction-for-giving-son-gun-used-in-apalac