COLT GRAY TO APPEAR FOR PLEA HEARING OVER APALACHEE SCHOOL SHOOTING

Colt Gray, 16, is scheduled to appear in Barrow County Superior Court in Winder, Georgia on 24 July for a plea and sentencing hearing relating to a 2024 shooting at Apalachee Secondary school. Court documents filed on Friday indicate that Gray is expected to change his plea from not guilty. Gray was 14 when he was accused of killing two students and two teachers during the shooting. He faces 55 criminal counts, including malice murder, aggravated battery and aggravated assault.

The hearing has been designated a "non-negotiated" plea and sentencing proceeding, meaning prosecutors and the defence have not agreed on a sentence. In a non-negotiated plea, the defendant agrees to plead guilty whilst the judge retains full authority over sentencing after hearing arguments from both sides. The judge had previously instructed Gray to notify the court and prosecutors by 15 July if he intended to plead guilty before trial. Plea negotiations were reported to be under way in late 2025, after which the judge imposed this deadline.

Gray faces a potential sentence of up to 30 years on second-degree murder charges alone, with a maximum of 180 years across all counts. Gray has remained in juvenile detention since his arrest. In March, Colin Gray, his father, was found guilty of second-degree murder in connection with the shooting.