Colt Gray expected to plead guilty in Apalachee High School shooting

Colt Gray to enter negotiated plea

Colt Gray, the teen accuse of opening fire inside of Apalachee High School killing two teachers and two students, is expected in court of Friday to enter a negotiated plea.

BARROW COUNTY, Ga. - Accused Apalachee High School gunman Colt Gray is scheduled to enter a non-negotiated guilty plea Friday morning in Barrow County court over a deadly 2024 campus attack.

Barrow County court hearing details

What we know:

Colt Gray faces 55 charges after a shooting almost two years ago that killed students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, along with teachers Cristina Irimie and Richard Aspinwall. Nine other people were injured in the campus attack shortly after the start of the school year. 

Court proceedings are set to begin Friday at 9 a.m. in Barrow County. The teen did not face the death penalty, and defense lawyers signaled two months after asking for a change of venue that Gray chose to skip a trial and plead guilty. 

A Barrow County jury previously convicted the teen's father, Colin Gray, of 27 counts, including murder, for supplying the gun used in the attack. Jurors in that trial watched video footage of the teen walking through school hallways and opening fire, and Colin Gray will be sentenced next week. 

Apalachee High School plea strategy

What they're saying:

Criminal defense attorney Joshua Schiffer, an independent legal analyst with no ties to the case, discussed what to expect during an appearance on FOX Local Atlanta. "So I believe tomorrow we're going to see a very emotional presentation by the victims families and the state during victim impact statements," Schiffer said. 

Schiffer explained that defense attorneys will present details about the teenager's upbringing during the hearing. "We're going to see some wonderful mitigation from the defense delving into young Mr. Gray's lifestyle, what happened when he was being raised, how we got to this point where he committed such a violent act," Schiffer said. 

Schiffer emphasized that deciding against a trial was the teenager's choice. "Mr Gray indicated through his lawyers that he wanted to change his plea and proceed with this non-negotiated process where he is going to plead guilty and then the non-negotiated portion will be related to the sentencing involved on those 55 charges," Schiffer said. 

Teenager parole eligibility questions

What we don't know:

Judges have not yet determined how long Gray will remain behind bars or whether he will ever be eligible for release. "So the question moves more from how long is the sentence to whether he's ever going to qualify for parole," Schiffer noted. 

Legal experts note that youth sentencing guidelines continue to spark intense discussion across the country. "And life without parole for teenagers has been a hot topic nationally for going on a couple of decades," Schiffer said.