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Judge Set to Decide Whether Apalachee Shooter Gets Life With or Without Parole

The sentence will hinge on competing evidence of careful planning and the defendant’s traumatic upbringing as the court weighs final testimony and victim impact.

Overview

  • Prosecutors rested Tuesday after presenting Discord messages, journal entries and recorded jail calls they say show Colt Gray wanted notoriety and studied past mass shooters.
  • The defense called forensic psychologist Dr. Kevin Richards to describe a chaotic, neglectful childhood and symptoms of anxiety, depression and paranoia that it says should mitigate punishment.
  • Gray pleaded guilty last Friday to 55 counts including four counts of malice murder in the Sept. 4, 2024 attack that killed two teachers and two students and wounded several others.
  • Because Gray was 14 at the time he is ineligible for the death penalty and his open guilty plea means Judge Nicholas Primm alone will decide between life with or without parole.
  • Colt’s father, Colin Gray, who was convicted in March of charges tied to supplying the AR-style rifle, faces his separate sentencing this Thursday, a development that keeps parental liability and school-safety debates in focus.