Apalachee High shooting: Colt Gray's judge rescues himself from case

By FOX 5 Atlanta Digital Team
Published  November 6, 2024 9:18pm EST
FOX 5 Atlanta

Colt Gray in court

The Brief

    • Judge Currie M. Mingledorff II has recused himself from the Colt Gray case due to retirement and the appointment of his successor from within the prosecutorial office.
    • The case of Colt Gray, charged with a school shooting at Apalachee High School resulting in four deaths, has been reassigned to Judge Sarah Griffie.
    • On September 4, Colt Gray allegedly used an AR-15 style rifle to kill two teachers and two students during class, also injuring nine others.
    • Colt Gray is facing 55 charges, which includes multiple counts of murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, and cruelty to children in the first degree.
    • The alleged shooter Colt Gray, and his father Colin Gray, are pushing for separate trials with the arraignment scheduled for Nov. 21.

BARROW COUNTY, Ga. - The judge in the trial of Colt Gray, the teenager accused of killing four people at Apalachee High School, has ordered his recusal from the case citing "the interest of efficient administration of justice."

Judge Currie M. Mingledorff II is retiring from the bench and, with his successor currently being an assistant district attorney on the Piedmont Judicial Circuit, he took the step to recuse himself from the case.

The case has been reassigned to Judge Sarah Griffie.

Colt Gray is accused of opening fire using a "black semi-automatic AR-15 style rifle" inside the high school’s J hall during the second period of class on Sept. 4. Two teachers, 39-year-old Richard Aspinwall and 53-year-old Cristina Irimie, and two students, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, were killed. Nine others were injured.

Colt Gray faces 55 charges, including four counts of murder, four counts of felony murder, four counts of aggravated battery, 25 counts of aggravated assault, and 18 counts of cruelty to children in the first degree.

Colt Gray’s father, Colin Gray, appears in a Barrow County courtroom for an arraignment hearing on Oct. 16, 2024.  (FOX 5)

Colt’s father, Colin Gray, faces 29 charges, including second-degree murder, second-degree cruelty to children, involuntary manslaughter, and reckless conduct. Prosecutors allege that he saw warning signs of his son’s behavior but took no action and even purchased the firearm used in the shooting as a Christmas gift.  

Colt Gray, the alleged gunman, and his father, Colin Gray, have sought separate trials. The arraignment for both is set for Nov. 21.