Gray told Judge Nicholas Primm that he understood the consequences of his plea, including the loss of his rights to a jury trial or appeal and the likelihood of a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

He also told the judge he suffered from mental health issues for which he was taking medication.

The victims’ families said they hoped the judge would hand down a life sentence without parole.

Shayna Aspinwall opened up about the loss of her husband.

“The future we planned together no longer exists,” he said. “Now our daughters, who were five and two at the time, must grow up without their father… I ask that Ricky’s killer not be given the opportunity for parole.”

Ismael Angulo, Christian’s brother, told the court that the shooting “destroyed thousands of lives in a single instant.”

“While the law exempts him from the maximum sentence due to his age, it does not require this court to grant him his freedom again.”

The court also heard from several of the surviving teenagers, who read statements recounting the impacts on their lives.

“After the shooting, I struggled with a lot of anxiety and felt like my life was completely over,” said Taylor Jones, who was shot and wounded. “I couldn’t do anything a normal 14-year-old should do.”

Testimony was heard from police officer Jason Smith, who interviewed Gray after the shooting.

He seemed visibly excited as he talked about a map of the school and the evidence investigators found on Gray’s cell phone and in a notebook, indicating months of planning.

Gray had drawn pictures of his classroom, written a step-by-step guide of how he was going to carry out the shooting, and had listed the number of casualties he anticipated. Gray’s attorneys do not dispute the evidence.

The shooting shocked the state and renewed discussions about gun violence in American schools. The prosecution and subsequent conviction of Gray’s father, Colin Gray, marked the third time an American father was held responsible for a shooting carried out by his son. His sentencing is scheduled for next week.

Prosecutors had argued that the father was “the only person who could have prevented” the shooting and that he knew his son “was a bomb waiting to go off” when he gave him the gun.