A former landlord to the parents of accused Georgia school shooter, Colt Gray, has portrayed the family as both cold hearted and callous.
The man, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described how Colin, 54, and Marcee Gray, 43, were allegedly chaotic tenants to deal with and he ultimately had them evicted.
Even more shockingly, he said, when the now estranged couple fell behind on their rent and were forced from their rental home in 2020, they decided to leave their pets behind, only returning to retrieve their guns – and allegedly kicking down the front door as they did so.
‘The craziest part of all is that they left [their] two German Shepherds,’ the landlord told The Independent.
‘I imagine the next place where they were renting didn’t allow dogs, so they just left them.’
The landlord explained that even when he tried to contact the couple to reunite them with their pets, they weren’t interested and ignored his calls.
A former landlord to the parents of accused Georgia school shooter, Colt Gray has portrayed the family as both cold hearted and callous. Dad, Colin Gray, 54, is seen in court on Friday
The pair have suddenly become the center of attention after the alleged actions of their 14-year-old son, Colt, accused of fatally gunning down four people and injuring nine more at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia.
Details have since emerged of prior arrests and earlier this week charges filed against the father for allegedly giving his son the weapon used in the shooting.
Concern for their guns aside, it appears the couple were as cavalier with their pets as they were with their possessions.
‘They left their wedding photos,. My wife tried to contact her to say, ‘Hey, do you want these? Like, you can have them.’ And she never responded. So we ended up having to throw away their wedding pictures,’ the landlord explained.
Looking back at his time dealing with the pair, he claims that he had a ‘bad feeling’ about the couple from the start.
At first it was was little things including the refusal by Colin to look at him in the eye, or even shake his hand.
The landlord also noted how then-wife, Marcee, had a long rap sheet for drug possession while also seeming to be ‘scared as hell’ of her husband.
It wasn’t long the before the couple fell behind on their rent and the family, that included their three children, were forced to vacate the rental home, leaving behind the family’s dogs and a host of other random objects including a golf bag, archery set and various tools.
Owing thousands of dollars in unpaid rent, the Grays were not quick to leave and ultimately the unnamed landlord was forced to change the locks in order to get the family out once and for all.
When dad Colin Gray returned to collect something he did care about – his weapons – he was forced to ‘kicked in the door to get his guns out.’
The landlord reported the break-in to the police but was recommended not to press any criminal charges as he had only ‘stolen’ his own belongings back.
It was only when Colin and Marcee’s names made headline news earlier this week the landlord recalled his unsettling encounters with the family having ‘kind of forgotten about them.’
‘And then it all comes back, but in the same way, you’re kind of like, ‘Well, shoot, I mean, it was a weird, weird situation, so maybe it wasn’t as shocking as it seemed.’ We thought it was a bad situation, but s***, we’re like, ‘Oh man, we got lucky that [that] was all we dealt with.”
Teenager Colt Gray appeared in court on Friday to face murder charges while his father Colin declined to seek bond and they were ordered to remain in custody.
Judge Currie Mingledorff read out the charges and rights to the thin, dyed-blond-haired boy, who was dressed in a green shirt and khaki trousers, with shackles at the wrists and ankles.
Mingledorff told the boy he faces four charges of felony murder which are not eligible for the death penalty because he is a juvenile. The maximum penalty would be life in prison without parole.
Gray is charged with shooting dead two fellow students, also aged 14, and two teachers at his high school on Wednesday.
Gray’s father appeared before the same judge shortly afterward, dressed in a black and white striped prison uniform and rocking back and forth nervously at the defendant’s table.
He faces involuntary manslaughter and second-degree murder charges.
Earlier this year, the parents of another teenage school shooter were convicted of manslaughter charges, but Colin Gray is believed to be the first parent to be charged with murder over a shooting carried out by their child.
His lawyer also declined to seek bond and he will remain behind bars for the time being.
Relatives of some of the victims of Wednesday’s shooting were in the public gallery during the two defendants’ brief court appearances.
The elder Gray bought the gun used in the shooting, an AR-15 style assault rifle, for his son as a gift last Christmas.
Georgia Bureau of Investigation director Chris Hosey said the father had ‘knowingly’ allowed his troubled son to possess a weapon.
Meanwhile, Mom, Marcee Gray, is said to be cooperating with investigators, but has not charged with any crime.