A teenager accused of killing four people at Apalachee High School in Georgia is scheduled to appear in court Friday for a plea and sentencing hearing.
Colt Gray, 16, who previously pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges, faces a "Non-Negotiated Plea and Sentencing Hearing" set to begin Friday. The shooting on Sept. 4, 2022, resulted in the deaths of two students and two teachers, and wounded several others at the high school located approximately 45 miles northeast of Atlanta.
Gray's trial had been scheduled for mid-October in Columbia County, about 100 miles from the shooting's location, after a judge granted a defense request for a change of venue. The non-negotiated plea means the state and defense have not reached an agreement on a sentence. In such cases, the judge determines the sentence after hearing arguments from both sides.
Prosecutors have indicated their intention to present testimony from teenage victims and witnesses. They also plan to show surveillance video, crime scene photos, 911 call recordings, and records related to Colt Gray's school, medical history, and social media activity during the hearing. The defense attorney intends to call a psychologist, an employee from the juvenile detention center where Gray has been held, and his grandmother to testify.
Gray, who was 14 at the time of the shooting, was charged as an adult with 55 counts, including murder in the four deaths and 25 counts of aggravated assault. Investigators testified that the teenager brought an assault-style rifle onto a school bus concealed within a poster board. He reportedly left his second-period class, emerged from a bathroom with the rifle, and began shooting individuals in a classroom and hallway.
Investigators stated that Colt Gray meticulously planned the attack at the high school, which has an enrollment of 1,900 students. A Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent testified that the teen left a notebook detailing step-by-step instructions and a diagram for the assault, with projections of potentially killing up to 26 people and wounding 13 others. Authorities had interviewed Colt and his father, Colin Gray, in May 2023 regarding an online threat linked to the son, which Colt Gray denied making. He had a history of inconsistent attendance at Apalachee High School.
Investigators discovered a shrine in Colt Gray's bedroom dedicated to Nikolas Cruz, the perpetrator of the 2018 massacre at Florida's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, 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 counseling services weeks prior to the shooting, citing anger, anxiety, and volatility. However, the father reportedly did not follow through with obtaining help for his son. Colt Gray's mother told investigators that she had urged Colin Gray to secure his firearms and restrict their son's access to them in the weeks leading up to the shooting. Records indicate that Colin Gray subsequently purchased ammunition, a gun sight, and other shooting accessories for his son.
Teachers Richard “Ricky” Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53, along with students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, died in the incident. Another teacher and eight students were wounded, seven of whom sustained gunshot injuries. Colin Gray, Colt Gray's father, was convicted in March on charges including second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. He is scheduled for sentencing next week. Prosecutors asserted that the elder Gray provided his son with the rifle used in the attack.