Developing·Case the developing record
#DC-0009

Colt Gray

Teen charged as an adult in the 2024 Apalachee High School shooting case.

Convicted
last updated 27 August 2026 · 11 sources
Confirmed facts
21
Open questions
4
Next hearing
None reported
Counts
55
Current plea
Guilty
This case is still developing. Get an email when the file updates.
Audio brief · automated narration of the sourced record
Transcript

Case file Colt Gray, reference D C zero zero zero nine. CBS News reported that court documents in Barrow County Superior Court indicated Gray was set to change his plea at a July twenty-fourth, twenty twenty-six plea and sentencing hearing. AP reported that a judge set a non-negotiated plea and sentencing hearing for Colt Gray to begin that same day. AP reported that Gray, sixteen, had previously pleaded not guilty. AP reported that he was charged as an adult with fifty-five total counts, including murder, cruelty to children, and twenty-five counts of aggravated assault. AP reported that on July twenty-fourth, Gray pleaded guilty to all fifty-five counts, including murder, without a deal with prosecutors. The Guardian reported that the plea removed the need for the October twenty twenty-six trial. AP reported that on July twenty-eighth, Judge Nicholas Primm sentenced Gray to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The file’s open questions include what the court will decide on Colin Gray’s request for a new trial, and what happens next in the federal threat case tied to the proceedings. This has been an automated reading of case file D C zero zero zero nine at developing case dot com. Every fact you heard names a public source.

Timeline of what's confirmed21 entries
3 March 2026
AP reported that Colin Gray, Colt Gray’s father, was convicted of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter in a related case; that conviction does not determine Colt Gray’s guilt or resolve the pending charges against him.
AP
10 June 2026
CBS News Atlanta reported that Barrow County Superior Court Judge Nicholas Primm granted Gray’s motion for a change of venue, citing extensive coverage and difficulty seating a fair and impartial local jury.
CBS News Atlanta
10 June 2026
CBS News Atlanta reported that the case was tentatively scheduled for trial on 12 October 2026.
CBS News Atlanta
11 July 2026
CBS News reported that court documents filed Friday in Barrow County Superior Court in Winder, Georgia, indicate Gray is set to change his plea when the parties appear on 24 July 2026 for a plea and sentencing hearing.
CBS News
11 July 2026
CBS News reported that Gray faces a total of 55 counts, including malice murder, aggravated battery and aggravated assault.
CBS News
12 July 2026
AP reported that a judge set a “Non-Negotiated Plea and Sentencing Hearing” for Colt Gray to begin on 24 July 2026.
AP
12 July 2026
AP reported that Gray, 16, had previously pleaded not guilty to charges including murder.
AP
12 July 2026
AP reported that Gray was charged as an adult with 55 total counts, including murder, cruelty to children and 25 counts of aggravated assault; the charges are unproven allegations in Gray’s case.
AP
12 July 2026
AP reported that a non-negotiated plea means the state and defense have not reached an agreement on a sentence and sentencing is left to the judge after each side may present a summary and recommendation.
AP
12 July 2026
AP reported that Gray’s trial had been set to begin in mid-October in Columbia County after the judge agreed to a defense request to change venue.
AP
12 July 2026
AP reported that the 4 September 2024 shooting at Apalachee High School killed teachers Richard “Ricky” Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53, and students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14.
AP
12 July 2026
AP reported that another teacher and eight more students were wounded in the 4 September 2024 shooting, with seven of them hit by gunfire.
AP
24 July 2026
AP reported that Colt Gray, 16, pleaded guilty to all 55 counts, including murder, without having reached a deal with prosecutors.
AP · added 3 Aug 2026
24 July 2026
The Guardian reported that Gray's non-negotiated plea meant no sentence was agreed and that Judge Nicholas Primm would determine the punishment after hearing case summaries and evidence.
The Guardian · added 3 Aug 2026
24 July 2026
The Guardian reported that Gray's plea removed the need for the October 2026 trial that had been scheduled.
The Guardian · added 3 Aug 2026
27 July 2026
AP reported that forensic psychologist Kevin Richards testified that Gray had a chaotic and lonely upbringing and had immersed himself in an online community interested in mass shootings.
AP · added 3 Aug 2026
28 July 2026
AP reported that Barrow County Superior Court Judge Nicholas Primm sentenced Gray to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
AP · added 3 Aug 2026
28 July 2026
CBS News Atlanta reported that Gray was taken away by officers after Judge Nicholas Primm informed him of his rights to appeal.
CBS News Atlanta · added 3 Aug 2026
30 July 2026
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia said Brandon Dontrail Scroggins allegedly made threat calls to the Barrow County District Attorney's Office and Judge Nicholas Primm's chambers on the morning of Colin Gray's sentencing; the allegations are unproven charges.
U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia · added 27 Aug 2026
5 August 2026
AP reported that Colin Gray's attorneys filed a request for a new trial, arguing that the jury's verdict was not supported by the evidence and was contrary to law and principles of justice and equity.
AP · added 27 Aug 2026
7 August 2026
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia said Brandon Dontrail Scroggins was charged in a federal criminal complaint with transmitting interstate communications containing threats to injure another person; DOJ said the complaint contains only charges and the defendant is presumed innocent.
U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia · added 27 Aug 2026
Open questionsunconfirmed · not conclusions
Will prosecutors or defense attorneys make any new filings before 24 July 2026?unconfirmed; no trusted-source report reviewed here confirms additional filings · unconfirmed
Will any appeal or post-hearing motion follow the scheduled 24 July 2026 proceeding?unconfirmed; no trusted-source report reviewed here confirms a post-hearing plan · unconfirmed
What will the court decide on Colin Gray's request for a new trial?unconfirmed; AP reported the request but no trusted-source ruling was reviewed here · unconfirmed
What will happen next in the federal threat case tied to the Apalachee proceedings?unconfirmed; DOJ reported the charge and custody status but no next proceeding date was reviewed here · unconfirmed
🔒
Members get the full evidence view

Source-by-source breakdown, contradictions log, and every update as it lands.

See membership