BARROW COUNTY, Ga. — A Barrow County judge will decide if the Apalachee High School shooter will receive a sentence of life in prison with or without the possibility of parole.
Colt Gray pleaded guilty to all 55 counts in the deadly 2024 Apalachee High School shooting.
Four people died in the shooting: teachers Ricky Aspinwall and Cristina Irimie and students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo. Several others were injured, both physically and mentally.
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Judge Nicholas Primm has heard witness testimony and evidence over the course of three days since Gray pleaded guilty on Friday.
On Monday, the prosecution played calls that Gray made from jail call to his mother, Marcee Gray.
In the calls, Gray and his mother talked about his obsession with Sandy Hook Elementary and Aurora, Colorado theater mass shootings and comments from message boards. A psychologist testified that Gray was involved in an online community of people interested in mass shootings.
Gray also discussed his father, Colin Gray, who was found guilty on his own charges connected to the shooting,
This is a transcription of the calls played in the courtroom on Monday.
Call made October 13, 2024: Discussing Sandy Hook shooter Adam Lanza
Marcee Gray: “Here’s one from six hours ago and it says, it says ‘Anonymous asked can you draw Adam on a couch telling Colt to go him another beer?’ (laughing). There’s just there’s just like a pencil drawing of y’all and it says he’s saying go get me another beer and it looks like you’re crying.”
Colt Gray: “Save that one please. (inaudible) God if they find that Adam obsession? Remember.”
Marcee Gray: “There’s not any no comments yet on that one.”
Colt Gray: Did you ever think your son would be like drawn with like a (beep) Adam Lanza? (laughing)"
Marcee Gray: “No. I’ve never imagined it in my life. Yeah I think I’m printing out like all of these pictures because they’re seriously they are extremely cute.”
Call made October 12, 2024: Talking more about Adam Lanza
Marcee Gray: “Next comment, how could anyone look at this kid twice and think that he was just like Lanza, in quotes? I guess, I guess people have been saying that.
Colt Gray: “Wait till my room pictures get released and they see the computer on the floor.
Marcee Gray: “Oh, (beep) Um..”
Call made November 6, 2024: Talking about Aurora theater shooter James Holmes
Colt Gray: “Oh, I see. Oh, yeah, also, also tell, uh, also tell um, Caitlin about, um, infatuation with Holmes. I’ve been looking into his case a lot recently, and I’ve found a lot of things that connect with me and him.”
Marcee Gray: “Someone? Yeah. Okay.”
Colt Gray: “Do you have something to write down, just so you know what to bring up.?”
Marcee Gray: “I’m typing it.”
Colt Gray: “Alright, and also that, um, in the past, in the past, I had switched a bunch, um, but I feel like this one’s kind of permanent, like with him, like I haven’t felt this kind of way before.”
Call made on December 3, 2024 - talking about Aurora theater shooter James Holmes
Marcee Gray: “There’s a couple, here’s one of him, (inaudible), um, like some kind of little, like a computer screen or something, like an old school screen behind him.”
Colt Gray: “I like that one, yeah, yeah, I want that one. Yeah, that one.”
Marcee Gray: “And he’s got like black, blacked out eyes.”
Colt Gray: “Fun fact. He took that one right the night, right before he left for the theater.”
Marcee Gray: “Okay. Um, but wearing like some crazy contacts or something?”
Colt Gray: “No, no, no. Do you like his red contacts, by the way? I think they look cool.
Marcee Gray: “Do what?”
Colt Gray: “Do you like his contacts, by the way? I think they’re really cool.”
Marcee Gray: “Yeah, I think they’re really cool. Kind of freaky, but I think they look cool. Um, okay. Just looking for any other ones that would not, would not set off the alarm bells.”
Colt Gray: “I think those are the main kind of secluded ones that weren’t, that weren’t mainstreamed.”
Call made on December 3, 2024 - talking about Aurora theater shooter James Holmes
Marcee Gray: “Oh here’s one here’s one of him with his orange hair and it looks like he’s laying in a bed. And he’s got (inaudible)”
Colt Gray: “Yeah, alright I want that one yeah.”
Marcee Gray: “With the tongue sticking out?"
Colt Gray: “Fun fact, that image was actually what inspired me to get my red sheets.
Marcee Gray: “Really?”
Colt Gray: “Yeah. If you look at his apartment crime scene photos he still has them too so that’s why.”
Call made on December 7, 2024
Colt Gray: “All the, like, all the abuse and neglect and (beep), that he put us through and all the blatant mental health (beep), that I’ve told him about, you know, and him not talking the guns away, like.
Marcee Gray: “It’s more than enough.”
Colt Gray: “Maybe I should say they weren’t even put up. They were, like, that rifle was in my room that morning. And it had stayed in my room. Every single magazine, box of ammo, shotgun was all in my room that morning. And I actually went to his room and planted most of it there because I felt so bad about him possibly getting locked up.”
Marcee Gray: “Did you not tell them that?
Colt Gray: “No, I haven’t told them that.”
Marcee Gray: “I can give you a big piece of advice on that stuff. You have to. That’s what I told them. I told them that you had, that it was, your dad didn’t put anything away. And the reason I told him that is because it pissed me off because I had been telling him needed to put all that (beep) in his truck for weeks. But, anyways, we can’t change it now.”
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