A teenage boy who carried out a mass shooting at his Georgia high school has pleaded guilty to all 55 counts against him. Colt Gray, 16, agreed to a non-negotiated guilty plea, the judge said, meaning there is no plea deal; the state will present its argument for an appropriate sentence, and the defense will do the same. He faces a minimum sentence of life with parole and a maximum of life without parole.
In March, Colin Gray, Colt’s father, was found guilty of 27 counts, including second-degree murder and manslaughter, related to the shooting. At his trial, prosecutors presented evidence that Colin Gray had been warned that his son had an affinity for mass shooters and was aware that Colt kept a shrine in his bedroom dedicated to the shooter in the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. Instead of getting his son psychological help, Colin Gray gave Colt—as a Christmas present—the AR-15-style rifle that the boy ultimately used to carry out the school shooting.
Colin Gray is the first parent in the United States convicted of murder due to the alleged acts of their child. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison on July 30.