BARROW COUNTY, Ga. — On Monday, a Barrow County judge approved a request to move the venue of the trial for the father of accused Apalachee High School shooter Colt Gray.
Barrow County Superior Court Judge Nicholas Primm approved a request by Gray to include a new jury from Hall County. The location of the trial will remain at the Barrow County courthouse.
A jury for Colin Gray’s trial will be selected from Hall County residents and conducted by the Hall County Superior Court.
According to Judge Primm’s order, “the state requested that jurors from Walton County be selected and that the site of the trial remain in Barrow County.”
The trial will then be conducted in Barrow County and Barrow will cover the related costs of Hall County for proceeding this way, according to the judge’s order.
Gray is accused of giving his son, Colt Gray, access to the AR-style weapon used in the attack. He faces multiple charges, including two counts of second-degree murder.
Judge Primm previously ruled that Colin Gray’s trial should not be held before a Barrow County jury due to extensive pre-trial publicity.
According to Primm’s order, “the logistics of this trial are burdensome. The trial is going to require the complete occupation of a courtroom for up to three consecutive weeks.”
The motion, filed in March, contends that “community feeling is strongly set against him” due to widespread news coverage, fundraisers, and vigils following the tragic event.