Story perspectives

16-Year-Old Pleads Guilty to Four School Murders

7/28/2026

Summary

Colt Gray Guilty

Colt Gray, 16, pleaded guilty on July 24, 2026 to 55 charges, including four murders, for the September 4, 2024 Apalachee High School shooting.
The attack killed students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo and teacher Richard Aspinwall, prompting families to urge Judge Nicholas Primm to impose life without parole.
Prosecutors presented notebooks, a cellphone and a shrine indicating pre-planning, leading to Colin Gray’s conviction on 27 counts for providing the rifle.

Summary

Barrow County Approves

Barrow County approved placing 25 school resource officers after the September 4, 2024 shooting.
Notebook pages showed a Nikolas Cruz shrine and firearm sketches, evidencing Gray’s fixation on past shooters.
An audio clip recorded an hour after the attack captured Gray sobbing hysterically while describing urges and hearing voices.
Prosecutors said Gray planted “easter egg” clues, like damaging his computer similar to Adam Lanza, to seek notoriety in a true-crime community.

History

Historical Context

On April 20 1999, seniors Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 13 students and a teacher at Columbine High School, an attack that sparked the “Columbine effect” and more than 70 copycat incidents by 2025. On September 4 2024, 16-year-old Colt Gray in Barrow County, Georgia, left notebook sketches echoing Columbine and Nikolas Cruz, prompting the district to assign 25 resource officers to schools.

1 of 3

Colt Gray Guilty

Colt Gray, 16, pleaded guilty on July 24, 2026 to 55 charges, including four murders, for the September 4, 2024 Apalachee High School shooting.
The attack killed students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo and teacher Richard Aspinwall, prompting families to urge Judge Nicholas Primm to impose life without parole.
Prosecutors presented notebooks, a cellphone and a shrine indicating pre-planning, leading to Colin Gray’s conviction on 27 counts for providing the rifle.

1 / 3