WINDER, Ga., July 25, 2026 — A teenager has pleaded guilty to all 55 counts, including murder, stemming from a 2024 shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia that killed two students and two teachers.

Colt Gray, 16, entered the guilty plea Friday without reaching an agreement with prosecutors. The shooting took place on Sept. 4, 2024, at the school in Winder, about 45 miles (73 kilometers) northeast of Atlanta. Several other people were wounded.

Gray was 14 when the shooting occurred and was charged as an adult. His trial had been scheduled to begin in October before he entered his plea.

The victims were teachers Richard “Ricky” Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53, along with students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14. Another teacher and eight students were wounded, including seven who were struck by gunfire.

Murder carries a minimum sentence of life imprisonment in Georgia. Barrow County Superior Court Judge Nicholas Primm must determine whether Gray will be eligible for parole after hearing statements from victims’ families, reviewing evidence and listening to arguments from both sides.

During the hearing, families of the victims and students who survived the shooting described their grief and the lasting effects of the attack. Most asked the judge to sentence Gray to life without parole.

Breanna Schermerhorn, whose son Mason was killed, said she did not forgive Gray. She acknowledged that adults around him had missed warning signs but said the decision to bring the gun and open fire ultimately belonged to him.

Shayna Aspinwall, the wife of teacher Richard Aspinwall, spoke about the impact of his death on their two daughters, who were 2 and 5 years old when their father was killed. She described the loss as a lifelong source of grief and trauma for the family.

A teenage student who survived the shooting told the court that she remembered seeing Gray standing in a doorway with a gun. After realizing she had been shot, she asked a friend to hold her hand and contact her brother.

The student underwent multiple surgeries and was unable to walk for about a year. She said she later struggled with severe anxiety and felt as though her life had been permanently changed.

School principal Jessica Rehberg said Gray’s actions deserved the harshest consequences.

The sentencing hearing is expected to continue Monday. Gray’s defense attorney said in a court filing that the defense plans to present testimony from a psychologist, a counselor who worked at the juvenile detention center and Gray’s grandmother.

During the hearing, Barrow County Sheriff’s Office investigator Jason Smith described evidence that prosecutors said showed the shooting had been carefully planned.

Smith testified that Gray told a teacher shortly before 10 a.m. on the morning of the shooting that he needed to see a crisis counselor. Instead, investigators said, he went to a bathroom to prepare.

According to Smith, Gray left the bathroom at about 10:21 a.m. When he could not reenter his classroom, he went to another classroom and opened fire before shooting people in the hallway. He eventually surrendered to law enforcement.

Investigators also found a notebook containing what Smith described as a detailed plan for carrying out the attack. The notes included instructions about preparing in the bathroom, along with statements expressing fear and uncertainty about what he was about to do.

Gray told investigators that he had experienced what he described as uncontrollable urges and voices telling him to do things. He also said he believed teachers and possibly students were plotting against him.

However, Smith testified that the investigation indicated the shooting had been planned in detail rather than being entirely spontaneous.

Investigators had previously interviewed Gray and his father, Colin Gray, in May 2023 about an online threat connected to the teenager. Gray denied making the threat.

Prosecutors also said investigators found a shrine in Gray’s bedroom dedicated to Nikolas Cruz, who carried out the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida. Gray told investigators that he had become emotionally obsessed with Cruz.

Colin Gray was convicted by a jury in March on charges including second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. Prosecutors said he provided his son with the assault-style rifle used in the school shooting. He is scheduled to be sentenced separately.

Investigators also said Gray’s mother, Marcee Gray, had urged Colin Gray before the shooting to secure his firearms and restrict their son’s access to them. Court records indicated that Colin Gray instead purchased ammunition, a gun sight and other shooting-related accessories for the teenager.

SOURCE: Associated Press (AP), Kate Brumback, July 25, 2026.