A woman whose son is charged in connection with the mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia earlier this month has been accused of tying her elderly mother to a chair with tape, stealing her cellphone and damaging her home, local reports say.
Marcy Gray, 43, whose son, Colt Gray, allegedly shot and killed two students and two teachers, was indicted Monday on charges of abusing her mother, Deborah Polhamus, who was 73 at the time, in November, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported, citing an incident report.
Polhamus had been tied to a chair for nearly 24 hours at her home in Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, after being discovered by a friend of her daughter, Annie Brown, who lives in Florida. Brown told police she had become concerned about her mother after she could no longer reach her by phone and asked the friend to check on her.
Apalachee High School shooting suspect Colt Gray and his father appear in court separately
Marcy Ann Gray is seen in a 2023 arrest warrant photo taken by the Ben Hill County Sheriff's Office. (Ben Hill County Sheriff's Office)
The incident occurred on Nov. 3 after Marcie demanded that her mother accompany her to confront her ex-husband, Collin Gray, the father of Colt Gray.
When she refused, Marcy is accused of tying her mother to a chair with tape, stealing her iPhone, and breaking a bathroom mirror and the back door of her mother's house.
The incident report states that Marcy threw her mother against a wall, causing a cut on her left wrist, and that when she refused to go, she was going to tie her to a chair and take her cell phone so she couldn't call anyone.
Polhamus suffered a wounded wrist and bruises but told police he “didn't want to see Marcy remain a felon for the rest of her life,” according to the report.
It's unclear why Marcy decided to confront her ex-husband.
She was arrested in December and released in April on $5,300 bail.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Marcy has been charged with numerous offenses, including exploitation and intimidation of the elderly, false imprisonment, criminal damage to property and theft.
The suspected shooter has been identified as 14-year-old student Colt Gray. (Barrow County Sheriff's Office)
Police and court records show she has a lengthy criminal history, including drug use and property damage.
A week after the deadly incident, she apologized to the victim's family in an open letter.
“My heartfelt condolences go out to the parents and families of those affected by the tragic incident at Apalachee High School,” she wrote in the letter.
“If I could take Mason and Christian's place, I would do so without hesitation,” she wrote, adding, “My heart breaks for these two teachers who gave their lives in the line of their duties teaching and protecting our children.”
Colt Gray shot and killed a total of 11 people and wounded two others during the September 4 shooting.
Georgia school shooting: New audio of suspect's father's encounter with police over online threats in 2023
He was able to carry a semi-automatic AR-15 style rifle to school alone, concealed in a backpack. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) confirmed this.
Colt left the classroom after asking his teacher if he could go to the front office to speak to someone. The teacher allowed him to leave the classroom and take his belongings.
“He then went to the bathroom where he allegedly hid from teachers before pulling out a rifle and opening fire, killing two students and two teachers.”
The victims were identified as Richard Aspinwall, 39, Christina Irimy, 53, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14 years old.
Murthy told ABC News in an interview that she called the school counselor the morning of the shooting to alert authorities about worrying messages she had received from her son.
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Collin Gray (54), the father of Apalachee High School shooter Colt Gray (14), made his first court appearance in Barrow County Court in Winder, Georgia on Friday, September 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Bryn Anderson)
She said the last message she received from her son was “I'm sorry, Mom,” and that his father received similar messages, including “I'm sorry” and “This isn't your fault.”
Colt is charged with four counts of felony murder, with more charges expected.
His father, Collin, 54, is accused of “knowingly causing his son to possess” the weapon used in the attack, police said. Collin has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder, four counts of manslaughter and eight counts of child abuse.
Authorities have said Gray's father, Collin Gray, provided Colt with the rifle used in the shooting and is the first parent of a school shooting suspect to be indicted in Georgia.
Fox News' Molly Markowitz contributed to this report.
