Teen suspect in Georgia school shooting to change plea at July hearing

Colt Gray, the 14-year-old accused of killing two students and two teachers at Apalachee High School in Georgia, will appear before Barrow County Superior Court on July 24 for a non-negotiated plea and sentencing hearing, court documents show. Gray, who has been held in a juvenile detention facility since his arrest, previously entered a not-guilty plea and faces 55 counts, including malice murder, aggravated battery and aggravated assault, carrying potential sentences of up to 30 years for second-degree murder and a cumulative maximum of 180 years.

The court filing indicates Gray intends to change his plea at the upcoming hearing. His attorneys had indicated in late 2025 that plea-deal discussions were underway, prompting the judge to set a deadline for resolution.

Gray’s father, Colin Gray, was convicted in March of second-degree murder and related charges, marking the first instance in Georgia of a parent being charged in connection with a school shooting carried out by their child. Prosecutors said the father supplied the rifle used in the attack, claiming he did so to bond with his son while hunting and at a gun range.

According to the indictment, Gray brought a semiautomatic assault-style rifle onto a school bus in September 2024, concealed in a book bag and later retrieved from a bathroom before opening fire in a classroom and hallway. He is also alleged to have left a notebook containing handwritten instructions and a classroom diagram outlining his planned actions.