An East Tennessee man pled guilty Friday (May 17, 2024) to criminally negligent homicide in the death of his adopted brother and felony child abuse of his adopted sister. Michael Gray, Jr. was sentenced to a year in prison and 7 years of supervised probation.
Gray Jr.’s biological parents Michael Gray, Sr. and Shirley Gray both pled guilty to felony murder this week and received consecutive life sentences.
The investigation into the Grays began in May 2020 when a little boy was seen walking alone on a road in Roane County. That led Deputies to a home in Ten Mile where they discovered a teenage boy confined to an unfinished, partially flooded basement with no electricity, no running water and no bathroom. The teen was fed only bread and water as punishment for stealing food. The three adopted children rescued from the home had reportedly all endured similar punishment. The skeletal remains of the couples’ 11-year-old adopted daughter Sophia Gray were found buried in the back yard. She reportedly died after being confined to the basement and given little food as punishment.
Shortly after, the remains of the couple’s adopted son, 6-year-old Jonathan Gray, were found buried at a Knox County home that was previously owned by Michael Gray, Jr.
The husband and wife reportedly continued to collect state benefits on the deceased children. Their son Gray, Jr. claimed two of his adopted siblings as dependents even after one of them died.