The Brief Colt Gray, 16, was sentenced Tuesday to life without parole for the September 2024 Apalachee High School mass shooting. A Barrow County judge ruled Gray showed permanent incorrigibility, citing his extensive online obsession with mass shooters. The teen previously pleaded guilty to 55 counts after killing two students and two teachers in Winder.



Colt Gray, the 16-year-old accused of opening fire inside Apalachee High School in September 2024, killing four people and wounding multiple others, was sentenced on Tuesday by a Barrow County Superior Court judge to life without parole after entering a non-negotiated plea.

Apalachee High School sentencing

What we know:

A Barrow County judge sentenced 16-year-old Colt Gray to life in prison without parole Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to 55 counts for killing four people and injuring 11 others at Apalachee High School.

Barrow County Superior Court Judge Nicholas Primm sentenced 16-year-old Colt Gray to serve life in prison without the possibility of parole. Gray pleaded guilty on Friday to 55 counts, including murder, stemming from the Sept. 4, 2024, attack about 45 miles northeast of Atlanta.

A memorial for Cristina Irimie, Mason Schermerhorn, Richard Aspinwall and Christian Angulo in front of Apalachee High School in Winder on Sept. 11, 2024 (FOX 5)

The shooting claimed the lives of 14-year-old students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, along with teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53. Seven people sustained gunshot wounds, while four others were injured in the chaos, according to court testimony.

PREVIOUS STORY: What testimony revealed during day two of Colt Gray's sentencing

Courtroom testimony and ruling

What they're saying:

Judge Primm stated that while Gray was failed by his parents and family, those failures did not absolve him of who he chose to become. Primm ruled that Gray's actions reflected permanent incorrigibility rather than the transient immaturity of youth, noting Gray studied past trial transcripts and critiqued victim impact statements before acting.

Defense attorney W. Charlto

#fox5atlanta   #crimewatchatlanta