Colt Gray Pleads Guilty in Georgia School Shooting, Faces Life

A 16-year-old accused of carrying out the deadly 2024 Apalachee High School shooting in Georgia is now looking at a possible life sentence after pleading guilty in court on Friday.

Colt Gray, who had initially entered a not guilty plea last October, changed course Friday without securing any plea agreement with prosecutors. Gray was 14 when the shooting happened, but he was prosecuted as an adult on 55 charges, including murder counts tied to the four people killed and 25 counts of aggravated assault. His trial had been set to begin in mid-October.

The September 2024 attack in Barrow County, roughly 45 miles northeast of Atlanta, claimed the lives of teachers Richard “Ricky” Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53, along with 14-year-old students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo. One other teacher and eight additional students were injured, with seven of those victims struck by gunfire.

Speaking in court Friday, Shayna Aspinwall, the wife of Richard Aspinwall, told the judge that the pain of losing her husband “is constant.” She said their daughters, who were just 2 and 5 years old when he was killed, will have lives “forever marked by his absence.”

Breanna Schermerhorn, the mother of slain student Mason Schermerhorn, told the court she does not forgive Gray. She acknowledged that adults in his life had missed repeated warning signs, but said the responsibility for bringing a firearm to school and opening fire rested with him.

“Those decisions were his and his alone,” she said.

Remembering her son, Schermerhorn said Mason had a gift for helping people who often felt overlooked feel noticed, welcomed and safe. She added that she believed he would have shown that same kindness to Colt Gray if given the opportunity.

“Mason deserved a future and we all deserved a future with Mason in it, and Colt took that from Mason and everyone who loved him,” she said. She and two of Mason’s sisters asked the judge for a sentence of life without parole.

Before accepting the plea, Barrow County Superior Court Judge Nicholas Primm asked Gray a series of questions meant to ensure that the teenager was aware of the consequences of his plea and was entering it voluntarily. To each question, Gray responded, “Yes, your honor.”

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Because he pleaded guilty to murder, Gray faces a minimum sentence of life in prison, according to The Associated Press. The judge must decide whether he should be eligible for parole after hearing victim statements, evidence and each side’s summary of the case.

Gray sat at a table in the courtroom with his feet chained together next to his attorney. Members of the community, including some victims and family members, were present in the courtroom.

A jury in March convicted his father, Colin Gray, of charges including second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter, and he is scheduled to be sentenced next week.

Prosecutors successfully argued that Colin Gray provided his son with the AR-15-style rifle used in the attack as a Christmas gift, continued buying him ammunition, despite being aware of his mental health deterioration and prior school shooting threats investigated by law enforcement.

The prosecution told jurors that despite those concerns, Gray did not pursue inpatient treatment for his son.