Overview
- Court filings show 16-year-old Colt Gray will appear for a non-negotiated plea and sentencing hearing on July 24 that signals he intends to change his original not-guilty plea.
- Gray faces 55 counts including malice murder, felony murder and aggravated assault for each of the four victims and faces aggregate prison exposure reported by prosecutors.
- The charges arise from the September 2024 attack at Apalachee High School in which investigators say the then-14-year-old brought an assault-style rifle, prepared it in a bathroom, opened fire in a classroom and hallways, and then surrendered.
- In a related case, Colt’s father, Colin Gray, was convicted in March 2026 on multiple counts including second-degree murder and cruelty to children for buying and leaving the rifle accessible and is due to be sentenced later this month.
- Reporting and trial testimony detailed prior child welfare involvement, warnings about Colt’s behavior, a mistaken identity mix-up by school staff before the shooting, and a previous judge-approved venue change to Columbia County, all of which shaped both prosecution strategy and community concern.