Barrow County Superior Court Judge Nicholas Primm on Tuesday sentenced 16-year-old Colt Gray to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the Sept. 4, 2024, shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, about 45 miles northeast of Atlanta. Gray had pleaded guilty Friday to 55 counts, including murder, in the attack that killed two teachers and two students.

The four victims were math teacher and football coach Richard "Ricky" Aspinwall, 39; teacher Cristina Irimie, 53; and students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14. One additional teacher and eight students were wounded, seven of them by gunfire. Shayna Aspinwall, widow of Richard Aspinwall, told the court the shooting had left survivors with "a life sentence of grief and trauma."

In handing down the sentence, Judge Primm rejected defense arguments that Gray retained the capacity for rehabilitation. "You do not seem to be tormented by what you did. You seem to relish following in the footsteps of the murderers you idolize. You aren't wracked with guilt. You're proud of yourself," Primm said. District Attorney Brad Smith argued there was "no evidence" Gray could develop a conscience, while defense attorney W. Charlton Allen contended his client was "not irretrievably broken" and that parole eligibility would provide "an opportunity of hope."

Investigators testified during the three-day sentencing hearing that Gray had idolized mass shooters and discussed gaining notoriety through a school attack in online conversations with members of what authorities described as a "true crime community." Prosecutors also played recorded phone calls Gray made to his mother, Marcee Gray, from a youth detention facility in the months following the shooting, during which he directed her to search for public commentary about him online and expressed excitement over "fan art" and attention he was receiving.

Because murder carries a mandatory life sentence under Georgia law, the sole question before Judge Primm was whether Gray would ever be eligible for parole; the judge ruled he would not. Smith told reporters after the sentencing that while it was not "a happy day," it was "a relief day," adding that he hoped his office had done honor to the victims and their families. Gray's father, Colin Gray, was previously convicted on charges of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter in connection with the shooting.