Apalachee High School shooting: Judge considers possible venue and date for Colt Gray’s trial

School shooting suspect Colt Gray enters the Barrow County Courthouse, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, in Winder, Georgia. \ CBS

Colt Gray, the suspected gunman in the shooting at Apalachee High School that left four dead and nine others injured, returned to court on Thursday morning for a status hearing.

During the hearing, Judge Nicholas Primm said that they were proceeding as if there would be a trial, indicating that he believes it could begin in mid-October or November of this year.

The teen is facing a total of 55 counts, including malice murder, aggravated battery, and aggravated assault. He faces up to 30 years in prison for the second-degree murder charges and up to 180 years in total.

Colt Gray has previously pleaded not guilty to all charges. In late 2025, Gray’s attorneys indicated he was negotiating a plea deal. On Thursday, Primm decided that the last week of July would a deadline for a possible plea. While the defense objected to such a deadly, Primm said that is was standard in his courtroom, and that he would prefer to only have one set of victim impact statements.

Also up for discussion during the hearing was the location of the possible trial. Gray’s defense team has argued to get the case out of the Atlanta media market, saying that they are worried about potential bias. Primm indicated he is leaning toward having the trial in Columbia County, a suburb of Augusta.

If the trial takes place, prosecutors say they anticipate needing around two weeks to present their case. Gray’s attorneys told the judge that they plan to have three to five witnesses and will need around two and a half weeks for their side of the case.

The hearing comes months after a jury found Colt’s father, Colin Gray, guilty on 27 counts, including second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, and cruelty to children in connection with the shooting at the Barrow County school.

Investigators claim the then-14-year-old carefully planned the Sept. 4, 2024, shooting, boarding his school bus with a semiautomatic, assault-style rifle in his book bag. He left his second-period class and emerged from a bathroom with the gun and shot people in a classroom and hallways, investigators say.

Gray surrendered to school resource officers within minutes after a report of shots fired went out, and was taken into custody, where he has remained ever since.

The last hearing in the case was in December, where Gray’s attorney told the judge they were waiting on the results of a medical evaluation to determine whether they would file additional motions.

Colin Gray’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 28 and 29. A judge has banned media outlets from recording or broadcasting any of the victim testimony during the hearings.