Teen Pleads Guilty to All 55 Charges in 2024 Georgia School Shooting

Sixteen-year-old Colt Gray entered a guilty plea on Friday to all 55 charges stemming from the September 4, 2024 shooting at Apalachee High School, located about 45 miles northeast of Atlanta. The plea was entered without a negotiated agreement with prosecutors, and the Barrow County Superior Court judge confirmed Gray understood the consequences before accepting it.

"Yes, your honor," Gray responded to the judge’s questions.

Gray, who was 14 at the time of the attack, faces a mandatory minimum sentence of life imprisonment, with the court yet to decide on parole eligibility. The hearing will include victim-impact statements, evidence summaries, and sentencing recommendations before the judge rules.

The shooting left four victims dead—teachers Richard “Ricky” Aspinwall and Cristina Irimie, and students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo—while injuring nine others, including another teacher. Prosecutors plan to present surveillance footage, crime-scene photos, 911 calls, and the teenager’s school, medical and social-media records during sentencing.

Gray’s defense indicated it will call a psychologist, a detention-center counselor, and his grandmother to testify. The case follows a recent conviction of his father, Colin Gray, on second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter charges for providing the assault-style rifle used in the attack.

Investigators described how Gray transported the rifle onto a school bus wrapped in poster board, left class, and opened fire from a bathroom onto a classroom and hallway. A notebook found in his classroom contained a detailed plan, estimating up to 26 potential fatalities and 13 injuries. Evidence also showed a shrine to former school shooter Nikolas Cruz in Gray’s bedroom.

Family testimony revealed that Gray’s mother had urged his father to secure firearms weeks before the incident, but the father continued to purchase ammunition and accessories for his son. The sentencing hearing is expected to address these factors before a final decision is rendered.