Guilty plea entered without deal; judge to decide parole eligibility
The sentencing hearing for Colt Gray began Monday in Barrow County Superior Court with testimony from a psychologist, days after the 16-year-old pleaded guilty to 55 counts in the September 2024 Apalachee High School shooting that killed four people and left several others wounded.
A psychologist testified that Gray’s upbringing was chaotic and lonely, and that he had immersed himself in an online community of people interested in mass shootings.
Gray entered his guilty plea Friday without reaching a plea deal with prosecutors. Under Georgia law, murder carries a minimum sentence of life in prison. Judge Nicholas Primm will decide, after hearing testimony and considering evidence, whether Gray will have the possibility of parole.
The four people killed were teachers Richard “Ricky” Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53, and students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14. Another teacher and eight students were wounded, seven of them hit by gunfire.
The shooting occurred on Sept. 4, 2024, at the school, located about 45 miles (73 kilometers) northeast of Atlanta.