The mother of Apalachee High School shooting victim Mason Schermerhorn had listened quietly as witnesses described the September 4, 2024 massacre in excruciating detail.

But when testimony turned to shooter Colt Gray’s mother—and her disturbingly enthusiastic jailhouse conversations with her son—Breanna Schermerhorn could no longer remain silent.

“She should be in jail now,” Schermerhorn told relatives seated beside her in the Georgia courtroom.

It was a reaction shared by many after prosecutors played recorded conversations between Colt and his mother, Marcee Gray. In those calls, the two casually discussed notorious mass murderers, Colt’s online following and fan-made artwork depicting him alongside other school shooters.

Despite those conversations, Barrow County District Attorney Brad Smith says Marcee Gray will not be criminally charged in connection with the four murders committed by her son.

Colt Gray was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison without parole, plus 20 years, after pleading guilty to 55 charges. His father, Colin Gray, was sentenced two days later to 15 years in prison for giving his son the AR-15-style rifle used in the attack. Colin Gray’s attorney has announced plans to appeal.

Prosecutors said Marcee’s behavior after the shooting was deeply troubling, but it did not legally connect her to the murders.

“At the end of the day, she did not have custody of Colt, she did not have proximity to Colt, and she was not the one that provided him the firearms,” Smith previously explained.

Marcee had lost custody of her children before the shooting following allegations of drug abuse and neglect. Smith also noted that she had taken at least some steps to have firearms removed from Colt’s possession or had asked his father to do so.

Because of that, prosecutors said they could not establish the “proximate cause” required under Georgia law to hold her responsible for the killings.

Mother Discussed Shooter’s Online ‘Fans’

The most disturbing evidence against Marcee involved recorded jail calls made months after the massacre.

In one conversation, Marcee told Colt that she had been printing artwork created by members of what prosecutors described as the online “True Crime Community.”

“I’m printing out, like, all of these pictures, because seriously, they are extremely cute,” she told him.

The pictures reportedly included drawings of Colt alongside other mass shooters. Colt asked his mother to bring him certain pictures and comments that interested him.

Marcee appeared to understand that detention-center employees might object to some of the material.

“Just looking for any other ones that would not set off the alarm bells,” she said during one call.

Stephen Baker, Colt’s jail counselor, testified that juvenile inmates are prohibited from possessing photographs of school shooters. He agreed that deliberately selecting less-obvious pictures would amount to an attempt to skirt those rules.

During another call, Marcee described artwork showing Colt alongside Columbine killers Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold and Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz, styled like a Weezer album cover.

“It’s really awesome!” she told Colt.

Colt responded that he wanted it printed and brought to him.

Officials eventually discovered what the two were discussing and stopped their communication. Georgia later terminated Marcee’s parental rights and placed Colt in foster care while he remained in custody.

Marcee, who did not attend her son’s sentencing hearing, told CNN that she initially did not understand the nature of the Reddit and Discord communities Colt had directed her to visit. She said her animated and encouraging tone was an attempt to prevent her son from shutting her out or harming himself.

She acknowledged that the conversations were inappropriate and said she regretted the pain her actions caused.

Disturbing—but Not a Crime

John Acevedo, a professor and associate dean at Emory University School of Law, said Marcee’s remarks may have been appalling, but they occurred after Colt was already in custody.

A person can be prosecuted for encouraging or assisting a crime before it occurs, Acevedo explained. Marcee’s conversations, however, came after the murders and therefore did not help cause them.

“They’re definitely distasteful, but not criminal,” he said.

Smith also ruled out bringing child-abuse charges against Marcee.

She already has a criminal record in Barrow County. Less than a year before the shooting, she pleaded guilty to trespassing at Colin Gray’s home and damaging his work truck during a period when the couple was estranged. As a condition of probation, she had been ordered to stay out of Barrow County before the massacre occurred.

Colt’s attorneys asked the judge for mercy, arguing that the teenager had endured an abusive and chaotic childhood.

Smith acknowledged that Colt had a bad upbringing—but said the court had seen defendants survive even worse childhoods without walking into a school and murdering four people.

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