WASHINGTON (TNND) — A Georgia jury’s decision to convict the father of an alleged high school shooter of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter is raising new questions about how far criminal liability should extend for parents whose children commit violent acts.
Criminal defense attorney Steve Greenberg said he finds it “problematic” when “parental decision” becomes “criminalized,” and questioned what the conviction of Colin Gray could mean for parents nationwide. (TNND)
Criminal defense attorney Steve Greenberg said he finds it “problematic” when “parental decision” becomes “criminalized,” and questioned what the conviction of Colin Gray could mean for parents nationwide.
Greenberg pointed to evidence presented in the case that he said suggested the father made “some very poor decisions,” including that “they had a lot of evidence that the 14 year old shouldn’t have had the gun.” He said the mother testified that she warned the father, saying, “Look up your guns. Our son is dangerous.” Greenberg also said the son “apparently had a shrine in his room to another school killer.”
At the same time, Greenberg questioned where the legal line should be drawn if a parent can be convicted of murder based on a child’s actions.
“But where do we want to draw the line now?” Greenberg said. “When a father is getting convicted of murder for his child’s actions, are we going to? What’s going to happen when a child gets in an automobile accident? Are we going to say that the parents should have known not to give the kid the keys to the car? What’s going to happen when you know someone punches someone in the face and the person gets injured badly? Are we going to say that they should have known that their child was violent?”
Greenberg said he views manslaughter as a more fitting charge in cases involving parental negligence or reckless conduct. “The parents who were convicted of a form of manslaughter, which is, I think, more appropriate,” he said, describing manslaughter as “sort of a negligence.”
In this case, Greenberg said, the jury’s verdict amounted to holding the father responsible for murder. “Here we’ve got someone actually being said that what the jury said is you’re responsible for the murder,” he said. “You it’s as if you pulled the trigger in this case. I think that’s pushing it a bit much.”
Greenberg suggested lawmakers may need to address the issue directly. “Maybe what they need to do is change the laws and have some parental responsibility laws,” he said.
He also noted that questions about social media and mental health are increasingly part of the public conversation following cases like this.
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