Georgia School Shooter Was ‘obsessed’ With Mass Killings, Psychologist Says

A scientist testified Monday that nan teen who killed 2 students and 2 teachers successful a 2024 shooting at Georgia’s Apalachee High School had a chaotic and lonely upbringing and became progressive successful an online organization focused connected mass shootings.

Colt Gray, 16, pleaded guilty Friday to 55 charges, including murder, stemming from nan Sept. 4, 2024, onslaught that killed 4 group and injured respective others astatine nan school, located astir 45 miles (73 kilometers) northeast of Atlanta.

Gray entered nan plea without reaching a woody pinch prosecutors. Murder carries a minimum condemnation of life successful prison, and Barrow County Superior Court Judge Nicholas Primm will determine whether Gray will person nan anticipation of parole aft reviewing grounds and evidence.

The shooting killed teachers Richard “Ricky” Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53, on pinch students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, some 14. Another coach and 8 students were wounded, pinch 7 suffering gunshot injuries.

Psychologist says Colt Gray had a ‘chaotic’ childhood

A forensic scientist who evaluated Gray aft nan shooting astatine nan petition of nan teen's lawyer testified that during their first gathering successful May 2025, Gray asked if he could propulsion his arms wrong his sweatshirt to wrap them astir himself.

“I thought he was benignant of an overseas kid," Kevin Richards said. The scientist said he did 4 interviews pinch Gray for a full of astir 15 hours and besides said to Gray's mother doubly for a full of astir 3 hours.

“It was beautiful chaotic,” nan scientist said of Gray's upbringing, noting that nan family had financial problems and moved astir a lot, truthful he wasn’t enrolled successful schoolhouse for agelong stretches. His parents utilized narcotics and fought a lot, and Gray had a lonely and neglected childhood, Richards testified.

Colt Gray discussed schoolhouse shootings online

Gray was paranoid, Richards said. He talked astir fearing that teachers were plotting against him, and that group successful nationalist were whispering astir him. The teen said he thought his location machine had been infiltrated, prompting him to support changing usernames and destroying outer retention devices, nan scientist said.

Richards said that while he believes Gray knowledgeable paranoia and anxiety, he doubts that motivated nan attack.

“I don’t deliberation he was driven by hallucinations aliases delusions to do what he did. I deliberation he planned it out,” Richards said.

Most of nan teen's societal life was online, Richards said. He was a gamer but besides became immersed successful a organization of young existent crime enthusiasts who were peculiarly fascinated by wide shootings. Initially, Gray focused connected Adam Lanza, who killed 26 group astatine Sandy Hook Elementary School successful Connecticut, arsenic good arsenic James Holmes, who killed 12 group successful a Colorado movie theater. Richards said Gray was peculiarly willing successful Nikolas Cruz, nan shooter successful nan 2018 massacre astatine Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

“He had conscionable benignant of vanished into Discord and vanished into nan existent crime community,” Richards said.

District Attorney Brad Smith showed Richards immoderate of Gray's online conversations connected Discord, an online connection platform. They established that Gray would sometimes dishonesty astir his ain intelligence wellness symptoms erstwhile talking to group online to found communal crushed pinch them and get attention.

When asked by Smith if Gray studied and emulated schoolhouse shooters, Richards responded that Gray was “kind of obsessed” pinch them.

In interviews pinch investigators, Gray lied astir having called a termination hotline correct earlier nan shooting, which Holmes had done, Smith said. He besides told investigators he had damaged his machine nan greeting of nan shooting and near it successful nan mediate of his room, arsenic Lanza had done. Smith called these “easter eggs” that Gray was planting to “gain fame and status” wrong nan online organization that fetishized those killings.

In an online speech conscionable days earlier nan shooting, Gray mentioned Sept. 4. When nan personification he was chatting pinch asked what was happening that day, he wrote, “something one person for nik!” — an evident reference to nan Parkland shooter's first name. He besides noted that time was a Wednesday, conscionable for illustration nan Parkland shooting.

The judge besides heard from victims and nan lead investigator

After Gray entered his plea Friday, nan judge heard from family members of those killed and victims of nan shooting. Most asked nan judge to condemnation Gray to life without nan anticipation of parole.

Prosecutors besides played recordings of 2 interviews nan lead interrogator did pinch Gray, 1 that took spot little than an hr aft nan shooting astatine nan schoolhouse and different that was done respective hours later astatine nan sheriff's office. Though nan teen seemed hysterical, many times apologized and described what had happened arsenic “horrible” during nan question and reply astatine nan school, Barrow County Sheriff's Office Investigator Jason Smith said Monday that he believed "a mostly of that question and reply to beryllium performative.”

A assemblage successful March convicted his father, Colin Gray, connected charges including second-degree execution and involuntary manslaughter. He is scheduled to beryllium sentenced later this week. Prosecutors said he gave his boy nan assault-style firearm utilized to unfastened occurrence astatine nan school.