Georgia teen charged in Apalachee High School shooting to appear in court for plea and sentencing
ATLANTA (AP) — A judge held a plea and sentencing hearing for an accused teenager later this month. killing four people Shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia in September 2024.
16-year-old Colt Gray pleaded not guilty to charges including murder in the shooting that killed two students and two teachers and injured several others at the high school in northeast Atlanta.
At a hearing Friday, the judge overseeing his case scheduled a “Non-Bargaining Plea and Sentencing Hearing” to begin July 24. The judge had previously said that if Gray wants to plead guilty before trial, he must notify the state and the court by next Wednesday.
A non-negotiated plea means the state and defense have not agreed on sentencing. Unlike a negotiated plea or plea agreement, in which the defendant reaches an agreement with prosecutors to plead guilty in exchange for an agreed-upon sentence and possibly reduced charges, this leaves sentencing entirely to the judge, who makes the decision after giving both parties a chance to present a summary of the case and sentencing recommendation.
Colt Gray’s attorney did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Sunday.
Gray’s trial was set to begin in mid-October in Columbia County, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) from Barrow County, where the shooting occurred, after the judge granted the defense’s motion to change venue.
Gray’s father, Colin Gray, convicted by jury He was indicted in March on charges including second-degree murder and manslaughter after prosecutors said he gave his teenage son the assault-style rifle used in the school shooting. The elder Gray is scheduled to be sentenced later this month.
September 4, 2024, killed in a shooting 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 of whom had gunshot wounds. Colt Gray, who was 14 at the time of the shooting, was charged as an adult with a total of 55 felonies, including murder, cruelty to children and 25 counts of aggravated assault.
Investigators testified that Colt Gray carried the rifle his father had given him to the school bus, with the barrel wrapped in poster board. They said the teenager left his second period class and came out of the bathroom with a rifle, shooting people in the classroom and in the hallway.
Investigators said the teenager carefully planned the attack on the high school of 1,900 students. An agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation testified that the boy left a notebook in the classroom with step-by-step instructions and a diagram to prepare for the attack; The note also included a prediction that it could kill as many as 26 people and injure as many as 13.
Colt and Colin Gray were interviewed by sheriff’s deputies in May 2023 about an online threat linked to Colt Gray. Colt Gray denied making the threat at the time. He skipped 8th grade, enrolled as a freshman at Apalachee after the academic year started, and then skipped a few days of school.
Family members were seeking psychological help for Colt Gray before the shooting, but he apparently never met with a counselor.
Colt’s mother, Marcee Gray, who is separated from Colin Gray, told investigators that she had argued with Colin Gray weeks before the shooting, asking him to secure his guns and restrict Colt’s access. Over time, he instead bought the boy ammunition, gun sights and other shooting accessories, records show.
Colt Gray even created a shrine in his bedroom. Nikolas CruzProsecutors said he was the shooter in the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida.
