Colt Gray Pleads Guilty to All 55 Counts in Deadly Apalachee High School Shooting

Colt Gray, 16, officially entered a non-negotiated guilty plea on Friday morning for all 55 counts related to the September 2024 mass shooting at Apalachee High School. The decision allows the teenager to avoid a full criminal trial, shifting the focus to the sentencing phase. Judge Nicholas Primm confirmed that Gray entered the plea of his own free will, facing a minimum sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole and a maximum of life without parole. The shooting, which occurred when Gray was 14, resulted in the deaths of two students and two teachers. Following the plea, the court heard emotional victim impact statements from survivors and family members. Breonna Schermerhorn, the mother of one of the deceased students, emphasized that Gray’s actions were his own. Prosecutors also presented evidence of Gray’s mental state, including a notebook detailing his step-by-step plans and a shrine dedicated to Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz. The hearing will resume Monday as the judge weighs the final sentence.

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