WINDER, Georgia — Colt Grey, the baby-face Georgia college taking pictures suspect who’s charged with murdering two classmates and two academics, grew up in a damaged and neglectful house, which police and baby providers visited frequently, a former neighbor and landlord inform The Publish.
His mom, Marcee, 43, has a prolonged rap sheet with drug and home violence arrests. And his father Colin, 54, allegedly purchased his troubled son an AR-15 rifle for Christmas — and now faces costs of his personal for supplying the weapon used within the taking pictures.
Lauren Vickers, who lived next-door to the Grays in Jefferson, Georgia, stated there have been “issues instantly” when the Grays and their three kids moved into the well-manicured neighborhood 60 miles east of Atlanta in 2022.
“There have been nights the place the mother would lock him and his sister out the home. And they might be banging on the again door, simply screaming like ‘Mother! mother! mother!’ and crying. It was completely devastating,” she stated.
Vickers stated that generally the youngest baby would come to her again yard asking for meals.
“No clear garments, I’m not exaggerating.”
“It was fixed abuse,” she stated. “It’s very, very unhappy.”
Colt, 14, was charged as an grownup on Thursday with 4 counts of homicide after Wednesday’s taking pictures at Apalachee Excessive College in Winder.
He’s anticipated to seem in court docket on Friday.
Colt’s aunt, Annie Brown, instructed the Washington Publish that her nephew was battling psychological well being points, and had been “begging for assist from all people round him” months earlier than the bloodbath.
“The adults round him failed him,” she stated.
His mother Marcee, who attended Georgia Southern College and listed her career on LinkedIn as a “high quality engineer” at an area producer, additionally has a prolonged prison historical past spanning 17 years and 4 Georgia counties, in response to the Atlanta Journal-Structure.
Her rap sheet consists of home violence, drug possession, property harm and varied site visitors violations, together with driving underneath the affect costs. She additionally confronted civil fraud costs over the acquisition of a used car, and was locked up in Ben Hill County as not too long ago as April.
She later left the household house, in response to her social media accounts and neighbors.
Colt’s father, Colin, works in development, in response to Vickers.
Neither dad or mum responded to The Publish’s requests for remark.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Workplace visited the Grays’ Jefferson house in Might 2023 following up on an FBI report that Colt had threatened to shoot up his center college on Discord, a messaging app common with players.
Nevertheless, the case was shelved after just a few days when police had been unable to verify key particulars of the FBI’s investigation.
Colin instructed the cops they stored a number of searching rifles in the home, which he admitted Colt had occasional entry to underneath supervision. The officers urged him to maintain the firearms underneath lock and key, and suggested they preserve Colt out of college “till this matter might be resolved,” however college was already out for the 12 months.
Regulation enforcement sources instructed The Publish that in December 2023 — regardless of the go to from the cops — Colin purchased an AR-style assault rifle for Colt for Christmas.
That weapon was utilized in Wednesday’s taking pictures.
Vickers, the neighbor, stated that whereas the household was dwelling subsequent door, it was the mother who drew probably the most consideration.
“I’d discover her within the driveway, handed out, with the automobile operating and blaring music early within the morning,” Vickers stated, talking of Marcee — whom she claims habitually abused medicine and alcohol.
“She would have taken the baby to daycare or pre-Okay. She was driving him like that,” she stated of Grey’s youthful brother.
She stated Colt didn’t communicate a lot, however that she’d usually see him skipping college, wandering across the woods and within the unbuilt homes at close by developments.
Requested to characterize Colt, Vickers stated, “he wasn’t a bully or a imply child. He didn’t say a lot. He was so quiet,” she stated, noting that he was a classmate of her daughter, Berlin.
Though she known as baby providers a number of instances, Vickers stated, “they got here, talked to me, and did nothing.”
A former landlord of the Grays, who requested his identify not be used, described Marcee as “a f–okay up,” whereas crediting the daddy as, “making an attempt his finest to be a stand-up man.”
“She was locking them out in inclement climate. Freezing climate,” he stated, corroborating Vickers’ account.
He stated he stopped by the home to talk to Colin as soon as neighbors began complaining.
“The neighbors reported [Marcee] was driving down the road in her automobile, drunk, fell out the automobile, with the door open and the engine operating. As a landlord, I can’t tolerate this type of conduct in a neighborhood the place a tenant is likely to be placing different kids in danger,” he stated,.
“I spoke to the husband and requested him, ‘are you aware your kids are being locked out of the home?’”
The owner stated Colin instructed him Marcee had been battling drug and alcohol habit and that the couple was headed for divorce.
He then reported her to Georgia Division of Household & Kids Companies and eliminated her from the lease, leaving Colin to fend for himself till he finally moved out on his personal accord.
“I feel the person actually went by means of it. I can’t think about he didn’t search assist for these kids as a result of they’d been fairly traumatized,” the owner stated.
He stated though he by no means spoke to Colt, he obtained the impression that he “actually needed to be along with his father.”
Requested concerning the Apalachee Excessive College taking pictures, the owner stated, “I definitely wouldn’t assume for a minute this was going to occur. There’s no option to predict this,” he stated.
“All I can say is that this baby has fallen between the cracks of getting the assistance from the social community that we should always have in place to assist these kids,” he stated.
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