Judge moves Colt Gray murder trial to Columbia County ahead of October selection
Colt Gray’s murder trial was moved to Columbia County, with juror sequestration off the table and selection set for Oct. 13.
Judge Nicholas Primm moved Colt Gray’s murder trial from Barrow County to Columbia County and ordered that jurors will not be sequestered. Jury selection is set to begin on October 13, with the trial expected to last no more than three weeks.
The venue shift followed an unopposed defense request in the high-profile case tied to the Apalachee High School shooting. Barrow County will reimburse the county that provides trial services, and the jurors will be drawn from Columbia County. The move places the proceedings farther from the Winder courtroom environment that has been under intense scrutiny since the shooting.
Gray was 14 when prosecutors say he opened fire at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on September 4, 2024. Prosecutors say the shooting killed teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Christina Irimie, 53, along with students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14. Nine others were injured. Gray, now 16, has pleaded not guilty to 55 felony charges, including murder.
The court schedule around the case is already filling in around the trial date. Gray is set to appear for a plea and sentencing hearing on July 24, a separate proceeding that could add another major moment before jurors are brought in this fall.
The case has also been shaped by the separate prosecution of Colin Gray, Colt Gray’s father. Colin Gray was convicted of 29 charges, including two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of involuntary manslaughter, after prosecutors argued that he gave his son access to the weapon used in the attack and ignored warning signs. That verdict sharpened the focus on the family as the state pursues its broader criminal case over the shooting.
Primm had previously identified Columbia County as a leading contender for the trial site and indicated that the case should be heard sometime in the fall. With the Columbia County order now in place and no sequestration planned, the next major turning point is the October 13 jury selection date, which will begin the first direct test of the case against Gray in open court.
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