Teen Shooting Suspect's Mom Faces Her Own Charges

Marcee Gray accused of taping her mother to a chair for 24 hours
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 22, 2024 6:30 AM CDT
Teen Shooting Suspect's Mom Faces Her Own Charges
Marcee Gray in a police mugshot.   (Barrow County Sheriff's Office)

The teen accused of a deadly shooting at a high school in Georgia faces a long stretch in prison, as does his father, who is accused of supplying him with the gun. Now, in a disturbing footnote, the teen's mother also faces up to 20 years in prison for a separate incident in which she is accused of taping her mother to a chair and leaving her there, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

  • In November, police say Marcee Gray, 43, visited her mother, Deborah Polhamus, in her home in Fitzgerald, Georgia, and tried unsuccessfully to convince Polhamus to accompany her to confront Gray's ex-husband, Colin Gray.
  • "Marcee became upset and told Deborah that she was making her go with her because she was going to kill her ex," according to the police report cited by the AJC. "Deborah stated she refused to go and Marcee threw her up against the wall, causing a cut on her left wrist. Marcee stated that since Deborah wasn't going she was going to tie her to a chair and take her phone so she wouldn't call anyone."

  • A family friend found and freed Polhamus, now 74, about 24 hours later, having been asked to check on her by another daughter, reports WSB-TV.
  • Marcee Gray, meanwhile, drove more than three hours to Georgia's Barrow County, where she was arrested on charges of drug possession and damaging her ex's truck, reports Fox5 Atlanta.
  • On Monday, a grand jury separately indicted Marcee Gray on charges of exploiting and intimidating a disabled person or elderly adult, false imprisonment, criminal damage to property, and theft, per USA Today. She faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. After being indicted, Marcee Gray called her actions "inexcusable and horrifying," per the AJC.
(Marcee Gray attempted to warn officials at Apalachee High School the morning of the shooting that left four people dead.)

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