Several common themes emerged from the dozen or so victim statements at Colt Gray’s sentencing hearing:
Colt could have had friends: The teenager attended Apalachee High School for only a few days before he went on a shooting spree in September 2024. Some speakers said he could make friends if he just gave the school a chance.
“I have no doubt that if Colt had actually attended school like he should have, Mason would have become friends with him,” said Brianna Schermerhorn, mother of victim Mason Schermerhorn.
Sympathy for him: The trial of Colt’s father, Colin Gray, revealed the teenager’s tumultuous upbringing, which included several moves and evictions, his mother’s struggle with drug addiction and his father’s failure to enroll him in school. Some speakers expressed sympathy for his difficult childhood.
“He is the product of two people who did not deserve the privilege of bringing life into this world,” said Mason Schermerhorn’s older sister Liliana Ahmed.
Grieving for what was lost: Most of all, families mourned the loss of their loved ones, and survivors mourned the loss of innocence.
“He brought kindness, laughter and strength into our lives and his absence is felt every single day,” said Shaina Aspinwall, wife of victim Richard Aspinwall. “The grief of losing him is constant.”