BRANDON, Miss. (Court TV) — A young girl was sentenced to life in prison without parole after a jury found her guilty of murdering her mother, shooting her stepfather and inviting a friend to see the bodies.
Carly Gregg cried as the verdict was read in court on Sept. 20, 2024. (Court TV)
Carly Gregg, now 15, was 14 when she was charged with murder, attempted murder and tampering with evidence for shooting her mother, Ashley Smylie, and her stepfather, Heath Smylie.
The jury took approximately two hours to find her guilty on all counts. The judge immediately began the sentencing phase of the trial. The jury took less than an hour to return its decision to sentence Gregg to life in prison. She was sentenced to life in prison for murder and attempted murder, plus 10 years for tampering with evidence.
Prosecutors said that on March 19, 2024, Gregg shot her mother in the neck, killing her. At a preliminary hearing, a detective testified that video inside the home showed Gregg playing with her dogs after the shooting.
Then, Gregg allegedly texted her friend, identified as B.W. in court documents, saying she had an emergency and needed her to come over. B.W. told police that when she got there, Gregg asked if she’d ever seen a dead body before. When she said no, Gregg proceeded to show her Ashley’s body. Gregg allegedly told B.W. to wait outside because her stepfather was about to come home.
When Heath arrived, B.W. heard three gunshots before Gregg ran out of the house. Heath told officers he was able to wrestle the gun away from his stepdaughter. Gregg was taken into custody approximately half a mile away.
Gregg turned down a plea agreement offered by prosecutors that would have sent her to prison for 40 years. She was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole.
Gregg’s defense argued she was insane at her trial and retained an expert who testified that she suffered from severe undiagnosed mental illness. At her preliminary hearing, her attorneys described her as an “exceptional student” who had skipped the fourth grade and had no prior history of violence.
DAILY TRIAL UPDATES
DAY 5 – 9/20/24
- The defense and prosecution delivered closing arguments.
- The jury reached a verdict.
- Carly Gregg was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
DAY 4 – 9/19/24
- During the state’s rebuttal case, the jury heard testimony from mental health experts that treated Gregg.
- Forensic psychiatrist Dr. Jason C. Pickett, disagreed with the defense that she was legally insane when she shot her mom and stepdad.
- Gregg’s therapist testified the teen seemed emotionally stable at her last session, the day before she shot her mother.
- WATCH: Carly Gregg’s Mental Health Claims Come Into Question
DAY 3 – 9/18/24
- Psychiatrist Dr. Andrew Clark testified about Gregg’s mental state at the time of the offense and her resulting level of criminal culpability under Mississippi law
- A 16-year-old friend of the defendant testified that Gregg told them she heard voices in her head
DAY 2 – 9/17/24
- A 16-year-old friend of the defendant testified that Gregg asked her to come over on March 19 because she needed help.
- The witness said Gregg asked her if she had ever seen a dead body before showing her Ashley Smylie’s body.
- The witness said Gregg was carrying a gun and admitted to shooting her mother three times.
- Gregg’s stepfather, Heath Smylie, testified to finding his wife’s body.
- WATCH: Carly Gregg’s Stepfather Takes Stand, Describes Finding Wife’s Body
- The jury saw surveillance video, which picked up audio of Carly Gregg’s screams after she shot at her stepfather inside the house.
- Heath testified that Carly Gregg was “terrified out of her mind” after she shot him and ran away.
- Prosecutors rested their case-in-chief.
DAY 1 – 9/16/24
- Prosecutors said that Carly Gregg was leading a “secret life” before she murdered her mother and tried to kill her stepfather.
- Defense attorney Bridget Todd said that Carly Gregg was suffering from undiagnosed mental illness and never had a desire to hurt her mother or stepfather.
- Heath Smylie, Gregg’s stepfather, screamed hysterically in a call to 911 where he reported that his stepdaughter shot him and his wife.
- During the testimony of Rankin County Sheriff’s Deputy Hunter Lewis, the jury saw the first 20 minutes of Lewis’ body-worn camera when he responded to the scene.
- The last witness of the day was a 16-year-old male classmate and friend of Gregg, who had developed concerns about Gregg’s well-being in the days leading up to the deadly double shooting.
- The teen described Gregg as a “genius.”
- The teen testified Gregg would self-harm/cutting when she was in trouble at home.
