ATLANTA – A judge has scheduled a plea and sentencing hearing for Colt Gray, a teenager accused of committing a tragic shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia, where four people lost their lives in September 2024.
Colt, who is currently 16 years old, has pleaded not guilty to serious charges, including murder, following the shooting that resulted in the deaths of two students and two teachers, and left several others injured.
According to a court filing, the hearing is set to begin on July 24. Previously, the judge indicated that if Colt wished to plead guilty before the trial, he needed to inform the court by the upcoming Wednesday.
A “non-negotiated plea” means that Colt’s defense and the prosecution have not reached an agreement on a potential sentence. This would allow the judge to determine the sentence after hearing arguments from both sides.
Colt’s trial was originally set for mid-October in Columbia County, which is about 100 miles from where the shooting occurred. The judge approved a request to change the trial’s venue.
In March, Colt’s father, Colin Gray, was found guilty of charges including second-degree murder for allegedly providing Colt with the assault-style rifle used in the school shooting. He is also facing sentencing later this month.
The shooting, which took place on September 4, 2024, claimed the lives of two beloved teachers, Richard “Ricky” Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53, along with two 14-year-old students, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo. In addition to the fatalities, several others were injured, with seven students suffering gunshot wounds.
Investigators revealed that Colt had brought the rifle onto the school bus with the barrel concealed. He reportedly left a classroom and emerged from a bathroom with the weapon, starting the shooting in a classroom and a hallway.
Evidence suggests that Colt had meticulously planned the attack. A Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent testified that Colt left behind a notebook containing detailed plans for the assault, including a diagram and an estimate of potential casualties.
Prior to the incident, Colt and his father were questioned by authorities regarding an online threat attributed to Colt. Despite concerns about his behavior, Colt had skipped multiple days of school and was struggling academically.
Colt’s family sought psychological support for him before the shooting, but it appears he never engaged with any counseling services. His mother, Marcee Gray, expressed concerns about Colt’s access to firearms and had urged Colin to secure them, but those requests were not heeded. Instead, Colin allegedly continued to provide Colt with ammunition and shooting gear.
In troubling revelations, prosecutors noted that Colt had even created a shrine to Nikolas Cruz, the perpetrator of the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Florida.
