A teenager has pleaded guilty to all 55 counts stemming from a deadly shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia nearly two years ago. Colt Gray, 16, entered the plea Friday in Barrow County Superior Court without a deal with prosecutors.
The Sept. 4, 2024, shooting resulted in the deaths of two students and two teachers, and wounded several others. Gray was 14 at the time of the incident and was charged as an adult.
During the hearing, Judge Nicholas Primm questioned Gray to ensure his plea was voluntary and that he understood the consequences. Gray responded affirmatively to each question.
Because he pleaded guilty to murder, Gray faces a minimum sentence of life in prison. The judge will determine his eligibility for parole.
Victim family members began offering testimony about their losses after the plea was entered. The judge is expected to hear summaries of the case, evidence, and sentencing recommendations from both sides before issuing a sentence.
Gray's trial had been scheduled for mid-October in Columbia County. A jury previously convicted his father, Colin Gray, on charges including second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. Prosecutors alleged that Colin Gray provided his son with the assault-style rifle used in the attack.
The victims of the shooting were teachers Richard “Ricky” Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53, and students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14. Another teacher and eight students were injured, seven by gunfire.
Investigators testified that the teenager carried the rifle onto a school bus wrapped in poster board. He reportedly left his second-period class, emerged from a bathroom with the rifle, and began shooting in a classroom and hallway.
According to investigators, Colt Gray meticulously planned the assault at the school, which has approximately 1,900 students. A Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent testified that Gray left a notebook in his classroom detailing step-by-step instructions and a diagram for the attack, estimating he could kill up to 26 people and wound up to 13 others.
Records show that sheriff’s deputies interviewed Colt and Colin Gray in May 2023 regarding an online threat linked to the son, which Colt Gray denied making. Colt Gray skipped eighth grade and had a sporadic attendance record after enrolling as a freshman at Apalachee High School.
Investigators discovered a shrine to Nikolas Cruz, the perpetrator of the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre, in Colt Gray's bedroom, according to prosecutors.
During Colin Gray’s trial, an investigator testified that the father was aware of his son’s deteriorating mental health and had sought help from a counseling service weeks before the shooting, citing anger, anxiety, and volatility. However, the investigator stated that Colin Gray did not follow through with securing help for his son. Colt Gray's mother, Marcee Gray, who was separated from Colin Gray, reportedly urged her ex-husband weeks before the shooting to secure his firearms and restrict their son's access to them. Despite this, records indicate that Colin Gray eventually purchased ammunition, a gun sight, and other shooting accessories for his son.