Cray was the Head Peacekeeper of District 12 before he was replaced by Romulus Thread. He is described to be an older Peacekeeper, much unlike other Peacekeepers Darius or Purnia, with a few strands of silvery hair combed sideways over his unusually red face. He is infamous for paying young women to sleep with him. Katniss sees him in the Hob after she buys white liquor for Haymitch. Cray, a heavy drinker, warns her of how strong the alcohol is, saying that it could probably kill her. Only seconds later did Cray buy a bottle of the same alcohol. He was Gale's best customer when it came to poached wild turkeys, but Gale is surprised one day when he knocks on his door to find Cray replaced as Head Peacekeeper by Romulus. Romulus sees the dead turkey hanging from his belt, and drags him to the square, where he is forced to plead guilty to his crime, and forced to withstand a public whipping. He was whipped at least 40 times, and fell unconscious around 30, before Katniss stepped in to stop the torture. Katniss later states that Cray was disliked in District 12 because of his soliciting prostitution from impoverished, starving women of the Seam. However, she also concedes that he is kinder than Thread. Cray was later turned into an Avox, a servant for the Capitol, as punishment for dereliction of duty for being aware of Katniss' hunting in the woods without doing anything about it. He was then replaced with a more efficient Peacekeeper.