Colt Gray, the 16-year-old shooter who killed four people at Apalachee High School in Georgia, formally pleaded guilty to all 55 charges against him during a court hearing on Friday, July 24, 2026.
Gray was 14 when he opened fire with an AR-15 style rifle at the school in September 2024, killing students Mason Schermerhorn, 14, and Christian Angulo, 14, as well as teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53. Nine other people were injured in the attack.
By pleading guilty to murder charges without a plea deal, Gray faces a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison.
Barrow County Superior Court Judge Nicholas Primm is currently presiding over a multi-day hearing to determine whether Gray will be eligible for parole.
Colt Grag laughs in the courtroom
During emotional victim impact statements, courtroom tension flared when survivor Natalie Griffith described losing the use of her left hand after being shot in the wrist and upper arm.
When Judge Primm asked Griffith to slow down so the court reporter could keep up with her fast-paced reading, members of the courtroom laughed at the interruption. Gray joined in the laughter while seated chained at the defense table.
Griffith went on to recount the harrowing aftermath of the shooting, telling the court: “After the shooting, I lost my independence. I could not put on my own clothes or do my own hair—things that were easy for me became a challenge.”
Victims and families demand life without parole
Several survivors and relatives of the deceased delivered tearful statements directly addressing Gray, with many urging the judge to deny him any chance of parole.
Nautica Walton, a classmate injured in the attack, confronted Gray directly: “I hate the scars you left on my body. I hate that you took innocent lives in front of innocent people. Most of all, I hate that I let you live in my mind.”
Breanna Schermerhorn, mother of 14-year-old victim Mason Schermerhorn, told the court that while adults failed Gray leading up to the shooting, the violence remained his choice alone.
“I have no doubt in my mind that if Colt had actually attended school as he should have, Mason would have befriended him,” Schermerhorn said through tears, adding that she does not forgive the shooter.
Father also convicted
The sentencing proceedings have highlighted Gray’s troubled home life and severe mental health warning signs that went unaddressed before the massacre.
His father, Colin Gray, was convicted earlier this year on 29 counts—including second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter—after prosecutors proved he gifted his son the assault rifle used in the massacre despite knowing the teenager posed a threat to others. Colin Gray is scheduled to be sentenced next week.
The court heard audio recordings from the day of the shooting in which a sobbing Colt Gray told investigators he felt “uncontrollable urges” before carrying out the attack. However, evidence presented by law enforcement showed detailed notebook sketches proving the shooting was planned in advance.
The sentencing hearing is set to continue as the defence presents mitigating psychological testimony.
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