In a chilling case that has gripped Mississippi, 15-year-old Carly Madison Gregg has been handed a life sentence without parole after being convicted of the murder of her mother and the attempted murder of her stepfather. The Carly Gregg Verdict was delivered after a jury was presented with disturbing evidence, including surveillance footage that captured the horrific events unfolding.
The courtroom was filled with emotion as Gregg, visibly distraught, learned her fate. Rankin County District Attorney Bubba Bramlett delivered a stark assessment, stating, “Carly Gregg is evil, and that’s not easy to say, but the truth of the matter is that sometimes evil comes in young packages.” This statement underscored the gravity of the crime and the jury’s decisive conclusion in the Carly Gregg verdict.
Alt text: A somber Carly Gregg reacts in court after the verdict is announced in her murder trial, reflecting the emotional weight of the Carly Gregg verdict.
The five-day trial presented jurors with a harrowing account of the events, with the surveillance video serving as a central piece of evidence leading to the Carly Gregg verdict. The footage showed Gregg armed with a gun, pacing within the family home. The silence was then broken by the sound of gunshots. Following the gunshots, Gregg is seen returning to the kitchen, where she appears to be texting and interacting with her dogs, seemingly unfazed by the violence that had just occurred.
Prosecutors detailed the brutal attack, stating that Gregg shot her mother, Ashley Smylie, a 40-year-old high school math teacher, directly in the face. The violence did not end there. When her stepfather, Heath Smylie, arrived home, Gregg turned the gun on him, firing a bullet that struck him as he entered.
Heath Smylie’s frantic 911 call provided further harrowing testimony. “Gun went off in my face before the door was open,” Smylie recounted from the witness stand. He managed to wrestle the gun away from Gregg before making the desperate call to emergency services. In the recording played for the jury, Smylie can be heard telling dispatchers, “She killed her mom,” highlighting the immediate aftermath of the tragic events that led to the Carly Gregg verdict.
Alt text: Heath Smylie provides emotional testimony during the Carly Gregg trial, recounting the terrifying moments after being shot and discovering his wife’s murder, crucial evidence in the Carly Gregg verdict.
The prosecution argued that the violent outburst was triggered after a friend informed Gregg’s mother about the teenager’s marijuana use. This detail provided a potential motive, though the defense painted a different picture.
Gregg’s defense attorneys argued that their client was experiencing a mental health crisis at the time of the incident. “She doesn’t know what was going on at that time. We’re asking you to find her not guilty by reason of insanity,” defense attorney Kevin Camp pleaded to the jurors before they began deliberations. This plea for a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity was ultimately rejected by the jury, resulting in the Carly Gregg verdict of guilty.
State prosecutor Kathryn Newman countered the defense’s argument by reenacting Gregg’s alleged words after the shooting: “I put three in my mom and I got three — I got three more waiting for my stepdad.” Newman posed to the jury, “You think that sound like an insane person? No.” This powerful statement further solidified the prosecution’s case and likely influenced the jury’s decision in the Carly Gregg verdict.
After just two hours of deliberation, the jury returned a guilty verdict on all charges, sealing Carly Gregg’s fate. While Gregg sobbed in court upon hearing the Carly Gregg verdict, her defense team has announced plans to appeal the decision. The Carly Gregg verdict marks a somber conclusion to a deeply disturbing case, leaving the community to grapple with the tragic events and their aftermath.
Alt text: The Rankin County Courthouse, the location of the intense Carly Gregg trial, symbolizes the legal proceedings that culminated in the Carly Gregg verdict and life sentence.
