A Georgia teenager who killed four people at Apalachee High School on September 4, 2024, idolized mass shooters and left behind "Easter eggs" as tributes to them, a court heard Monday during his sentencing hearing. Colt Gray, 16, pleaded guilty Friday to 55 counts, including murder, for the rampage that claimed the lives of teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53, and students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14. Seven other students and one teacher were injured.
Prosecutors presented evidence that Gray, who was 14 at the time of the shooting, had a particular fascination with Nikolas Cruz, the Parkland, Florida, school shooter. Forensic psychologist Dr. Kevin Richards testified that Gray had initially focused on Adam Lanza, the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooter, and James Holmes, the Aurora, Colorado, movie theater shooter, but developed an intense interest in Cruz. Gray's online messages on a "True Crime Community" Discord group sometimes became sexual in nature when discussing Cruz, the court was told. Gray closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose as some of these messages were read aloud.
Investigators testified that Gray had amassed over 2,000 photos of Cruz on his phone and had 16 printed photos of the Parkland shooter displayed on his bedroom wall. He also saved photos of other mass shooters and researched their crimes. The day before the shooting, Gray took a selfie with a shrine dedicated to Cruz in the background. He had also attempted to contact Cruz through a jail messaging app, warning that an event would occur on September 4, 2024, and urging Cruz to stay in touch.
Prosecutors stated that after the shooting, Gray mimicked the behavior of other school shooters in interviews with investigators, "planting Easter eggs" for the online true-crime community. He disassembled his computer and laid it out on his bedroom floor in a manner similar to Adam Lanza. Gray also claimed to have experienced hallucinations and blacked out during the shooting, mirroring statements made by Cruz. He further lied about calling a suicide hotline before the shooting, a detail that James Holmes had also shared with investigators. Prosecutor Brad Smith suggested these were deliberate actions by Gray to "gain fame and status" within communities that fetishized these killings. An extremism researcher testified that individuals carrying out such attacks often tailor what they leave behind for media and researchers.
Richards described Gray as having a "chaotic" upbringing, with frequent school changes and periods of neglect from parents who struggled with substance abuse and financial difficulties, leading to isolation. Gray "disappeared into Discord and disappeared into the true crime community."
During his court appearance on Monday, Gray was seen with his head down and pinching the bridge of his nose as his Discord messages were read. In conversations with a user named 'Mandy,' he expressed his affection for Cruz, referencing September 4 as "something i have for nik!" and noting it was a Wednesday, like the Parkland shooting. He stated the shooting was his way "to prove my love and affection" for Cruz. Gray admitted to investigators that his obsession with Cruz was "on an emotional level I could understand the trauma and stuff that he went through."
Gray used a SIG Sauer M400 rifle in the attack, telling police he "just grabbed whatever was closest." He revealed that he had asked his father to hide his guns days before the shooting. Investigator Jason Smith expressed skepticism about the sincerity of Gray's interview and subsequent apology letters to victims' families, calling them "performative" and "for attention." Smith noted that while in custody, Gray asked his mother to search for mentions of his name in the "true crime community" and became excited when she found "fan art" drawings of him. Simultaneously, Gray discussed with his mother the possibility of an insanity plea. However, Richards testified that he did not believe Gray was "anywhere in the neighborhood of insanity" and that the teen planned the shooting, despite potentially suffering from stunted emotional development, paranoia, PTSD, depression, and anxiety.
The sentencing hearing is ongoing, and the judge will hear testimony from Gray himself. Gray's father, Colin Gray, is also awaiting sentencing after being convicted of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter, with prosecutors alleging he supplied his son with the rifle used in the shooting.
