Mother of Georgia school shooting suspect charged with elder abuse

Rosie Manins
| Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Atlanta — Marcee Gray, the mother of the Apalachee High School shooting suspect, has been indicted in Ben Hill County on charges she duct-taped her mother, then 73, to a chair, stole her phone and damaged her home in November.

Deborah Polhamus, 74, spent nearly 24 hours tied to a chair in her Fitzgerald home, according to an incident report. She was found on Nov. 4, 2023, by a friend of her daughter, Annie Brown, who lives in Florida. Brown told police she became concerned about her mother after she couldn’t reach her by phone and asked her friend, who lives in Fitzgerald, to check on her.

Gray, 43, was charged Monday with single counts of exploitation and intimidation of a disabled adult or elderly person, unlawful confinement, second-degree criminal damage to property and theft. If convicted, she faces up to 20 years in prison for the most serious charge of criminal exploitation of an elderly person.

Gray did not immediately comment on his indictment.

Police allege Gray duct-taped her mother to a chair, took her mother’s iPhone and damaged a bathroom mirror and the back door of her mother’s home around 5 p.m. on Nov. 3. According to an incident report, Gray became upset after Polhamus refused to accompany her to Barrow County, where Gray planned to confront Colin Gray, her ex-husband.

“Marcee became upset and told Deborah that she was forcing her to come with her because she was going to kill her ex,” the incident report states. “Deborah stated that she refused to come and Marcee threw her against the wall, causing a cut to her left wrist. Marcee stated that since Deborah didn’t want to come, she was going to tie her to a chair and take her phone so she wouldn’t call anyone.”

Marcee Gray was arrested in Barrow County on Nov. 6 in connection with a separate incident, in which she was suspected of possessing methamphetamine, fentanyl and muscle relaxants, and of concealing the identity of her Nissan Rogue. She was also accused of damaging Colin Gray’s work vehicle.

In December, Marcee Gray was charged and pleaded guilty to single counts of using a license plate to conceal identity, second-degree criminal damage to property and criminal trespass/family violence in Barrow County. She was sentenced to five years in prison, with the first 46 days in custody and the remainder on probation. She received credit for time served since Nov. 6.

Police said Polhamus suffered a wrist injury and bruises on her arms and legs. The incident report states that Polhamus told police she “didn’t want to see Marcee become a criminal for the rest of her life.”

“Deborah explained that she agreed that Marcee should be punished for what she did, but she wanted Marcee to get help for her drug addiction,” the incident report states.

Marcee Gray has a criminal record spanning more than 17 years and four counties, according to court documents. Her children were living with their father at the time of the Sept. 4 shooting at the high school, in which two students and two teachers were killed and nine others were injured.

His son Colt Gray, 14, was arrested that day and charged with four counts of murder. Colin Gray, 54, was arrested the day after the shooting and charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of child cruelty.

Colt Gray and Colin Gray both made their first court appearances on September 6. Neither requested bail.

In a statement released to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and other media outlets, Marcee Gray apologized to those affected by the shooting. She said her son was “not a monster.”

Brown has spoken publicly about Colt Gray to the national press, identifying herself as his aunt. She said Marcee Gray called the school about 30 minutes before the shooting to express concern about her son. Brown called authorities about 90 minutes after the shooting, saying she feared the shooter was her nephew, she said.