The suspected Apalachee high school shooter made his first appearance in court on Thursday following his father Colin Gray’s historic conviction for second-degree murder.
Colt Gray appeared in Barrow County Superior Court for a hearing that outlined what a future jury trial would look like in this case.
He wore glasses and had brown, combed-over hair, cut down from the long, dyed hair seen after he was arrested in September 2024. He looked down at his hands and fidgeted during the hearing.
Lawyers had a discussion with the judge on moving the trial to Columbia County to avoid the Atlanta media market, which has provided extensive coverage of the shooting.
Judge Nicholas Primm set a deadline for prosecutors and Gray’s defense to consider a plea agreement, skipping any public trial.
“I want to avoid a situation where we burden another jurisdiction to make all these arrangements,” he said, “to clear out their courtroom, summon their jurors early, and then, the eve of, a guilty plea is entered.”
Attorneys say they expect the trial to start in mid-October and last two to three weeks. Sentencing for Colin Gray is set for July.
