Georgia high school shooting suspect Colt Gray changes plea to guilty, now faces life in prison

The 16-year-old charged with sidesplitting 2 students and 2 teachers during a 2024 shooting astatine Apalachee High School successful Georgia present faces beingness successful situation aft helium entered a blameworthy plea Friday.

Colt Gray, who antecedently pleaded not blameworthy past October, entered the caller plea Friday without reaching a woody with prosecutors. Gray, who was 14 astatine the clip of the shooting, was charged arsenic an big with 55 full counts, including execution successful the 4 deaths and 25 counts of aggravated assault. His proceedings had been scheduled to commencement successful mid-October.

Teachers Richard "Ricky" Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53, and students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, some 14, died successful the September 2024 shooting successful Barrow County, astir 45 miles northeast of Atlanta. Another teacher and 8 much students were wounded, 7 of them deed by gunfire.

Shayna Aspinwall, Richard Aspinwall's wife, told the justice connected Friday that the "grief of losing him is constant" and lamented that the lives of their daughters, who were 2 and 5 erstwhile their begetter died, volition beryllium "forever marked by his absence."

FATHER OF GEORGIA HIGH SCHOOL SHOOTING SUSPECT CONVICTED OF SECOND-DEGREE MURDER, INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER

Colt Gray, the 16-year-old Apalachee High School shooting suspect, is led successful by deputies for a plea proceeding astatine Barrow County Superior Court successful Winder, Ga., connected Friday, July 24, 2026. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Breanna Schermerhorn, whose lad Mason was killed, told the justice she does not forgive Colt Gray. She said that portion adults astir him missed aggregate informing signs, helium was the 1 who decided to bring a weapon to schoolhouse and to propulsion the trigger.

"Those decisions were his and his alone," she said.

She described her lad arsenic idiosyncratic who "made radical that were typically unseen consciousness seen, accepted and safe" and said she was assured helium would person befriended Colt Gray if he'd had the chance.

"Mason deserved a aboriginal and we each deserved a aboriginal with Mason successful it, and Colt took that from Mason and everyone who loved him," she said. She and 2 of Mason's sisters asked the justice for a condemnation of beingness without parole.

Before accepting the plea, Barrow County Superior Court Judge Nicholas Primm asked Gray a bid of questions meant to guarantee that the teen was alert of the consequences of his plea and was entering it voluntarily. To each question, Gray responded, "Yes, your honor."

NEW VIDEO SHOWS OKLAHOMA HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL TACKLING GUNMAN WHO OPENED FIRE INSIDE THE SCHOOL

Colt Gray, the 16-year-old Apalachee High School shooting suspect, stands adjacent to his lawyer Charlton Allen and pleads blameworthy astatine Barrow County Superior Court successful Winder, Ga., connected Friday, July 24, 2026. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Because helium pleaded blameworthy to murder, Gray faces a minimum condemnation of beingness successful prison, according to The Associated Press. The justice indispensable determine whether helium should beryllium eligible for parole aft proceeding unfortunate statements, grounds and each side's summary of the case.

Gray sat astatine a array successful the courtroom with his feet chained unneurotic adjacent to his attorney. Members of the community, including immoderate victims and household members, were contiguous successful the courtroom.

A assemblage successful March convicted his father, Colin Gray, of charges including second-degree execution and involuntary manslaughter, and helium is scheduled to beryllium sentenced adjacent week.

Prosecutors successfully argued that Colin Gray provided his lad with the AR-15-style firearm utilized successful the onslaught arsenic a Christmas gift, continued buying him ammunition, contempt being alert of his intelligence wellness deterioration and anterior schoolhouse shooting threats investigated by instrumentality enforcement.

Colin Gray looks down and to the broadside arsenic the blameworthy verdict is work successful Barrow County Superior Court connected March 3, 2026. Gray was aboriginal handcuffed and led from the courtroom aft being convicted of second-degree execution and involuntary manslaughter. (WAGA)

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The prosecution told jurors that contempt those concerns, Gray did not prosecute inpatient attraction for his son.

Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan and The Associated Press contributed to this report.