The last time we checked in on this case, the big news was a change of venue. Colt Gray’s trial was getting shipped two hours southeast to Columbia County because the judge figured you couldn’t find twelve unbiased jurors left in Barrow County after two years of wall-to-wall coverage.

Jury selection was supposed to start October 13th, and I said his defense team could look at how well the “let’s move it and hope for the best” strategy worked for dear old dad, who got convicted on all 27 charges in under two hours despite bused-in jurors of his own. Apparently somebody on Team Colt was paying attention, because none of that is happening now.

Court documents filed Friday in Barrow County Superior Court confirm Gray is set to appear on July 24th at 9 a.m. for what’s being called a “non-negotiated plea and sentencing hearing.” Translation: The kid is changing his plea from not guilty to guilty, and he’s doing it without the state cutting him a deal in return.

A negotiated plea usually means prosecutors agree to drop some charges, recommend a lighter sentence, or otherwise soften the landing in exchange for skipping a trial. Non-negotiated means none of that horse trading happened. Gray is walking in, pleading guilty to whatever’s still on the table, and letting the judge decide the punishment with no promises attached.

His attorneys reportedly started negotiating a plea deal back in late 2025, so this has clearly been building for a while; it just didn’t produce the kind of arrangement that usually comes with the word “deal.”

The hearing is expected to stretch into the following week, so we’re not getting a tidy one-day resolution here. But barring some last-minute surprise, Colt Gray is about to admit, on the record, that he did this. Malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, cruelty to children, take your pick from the 55 counts, and he’s likely owning most of them.

Two students and two teachers went to school in September of 2024 and didn’t come home. If whatever sentence comes out of that Barrow County courtroom doesn’t keep Colt Gray behind bars for the rest of his life, it’s an insult to every single one of them.

(Sources)

• Court documents indicate teen in Apalachee High School mass shooting to change plea later this month
• Apalachee High School shooting suspect set to change plea, court documents show
• Accused Apalachee High School shooter Colt Gray to appear for plea, sentencing