Georgia teen to plead guilty at July 24 shooting hearing

A Georgia teenager accused of killing four people in a 2024 high school shooting is scheduled to appear in court later this month for a plea and sentencing hearing. Colt Gray, now 16, is expected to change his plea during a hearing set to begin on July 24 in Barrow County Superior Court.

The hearing will be a non-negotiated plea, meaning Gray intends to plead guilty without a prior agreement with prosecutors on a sentence. This leaves the final sentencing decision entirely to the judge after both sides present summaries of the case and their sentencing recommendations. Gray had pleaded not guilty to 55 total counts, including murder, aggravated assault, and cruelty to children. His trial had been scheduled to begin in mid-October in Columbia County after a judge granted a defense request for a change of venue.

The charges stem from the shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on September 4, 2024. The attack killed two students, Christian Angulo and Mason Schermerhorn, both 14, and two teachers, Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53. Seven other people were injured by gunfire, and another teacher was among the wounded.

According to investigators, Gray, who...