Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Michael Gray Jr., the son involved in a multi-county child abuse and murder case that involved his parents, will not see jail time despite pleading guilty Friday in a Knox County courtroom.
Gray Jr. plead guilty to two felonies and two misdemeanors, including criminally negligent homicide, and was sentenced to just under eight years of supervised probation.
His case was closely tied with his parents Michael and Shirley Gray who are headed to prison for the rest of their lives after killing two of their adopted children and abusing others.
Gray Jr. was charged after the body of a six-year-old boy was found buried at his Knox County home in 2020. He was also found to have, along with his parents, abused an 11-year-old who was found dead on his parent’s property in Roane County.
Investigators also said Michael Gray Jr. and his parents would place the four children in “punishment rooms” at his home, which were described as filthy animal cages and closets. While in these “punishment rooms,” the children would not receive medical care and were often only fed bread and water, investigators said.
While this was happening, Michael Gray Jr. also claimed two of the children as dependents. That continued during a time when at least one of those children was dead, according to investigators.
During the hearing, Michael Gray Jr.’s attorney argued that he was not the main abuser in the case.
Michael Gray Jr. was sentenced to 7 years, 11 months and 28 days of supervised probation.
