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What Did Carly Gregg Do? Inside Convicted Killer’s Case After Getting Life in Prison for Mom’s Murder
Mississippi teen Carly Gregg was sentenced to life in prison in September 2024, six months after the murder of her mother, Ashley Smylie, and the attempted murder of her stepfather, Heath Smylie. After Carly’s trial, many true crime followers became interested in learning more about her and her story.
What Did Carly Gregg Do?
Carly was 14 years old when she killed her 40-year-old mother on March 19, 2024, at their family’s home in Brandon, Mississippi. Home surveillance footage captured the teen walking around the home with a .357 Magnum pistol from beneath her parents’ mattress behind her back, followed by the sound of several gunshots, according to Newsweek.
Prosecutors claimed at Carly’s trial in September 2024 that the shooting took place hours after a friend told Ashley, who was a math teacher, about Carly’s marijuana use. Carly’s mom reportedly searched her daughter’s room and found vape pens just before the shooting. Carly shot Ashley three times in her bedroom before returning to the kitchen and texting 39-year-old Heath about when he would be home, the security footage revealed.
Prosecutors alleged that Carly then invited a friend over and asked if they were “squeamish around dead bodies” before showing them her deceased mother on the floor of Carly’s bedroom. Carly then allegedly waited for her stepfather to return home and shot him in the shoulder. Heath was able to wrestle the gun away from the teen, and she ran out of the house, according to multiple reports. Carly was captured soon afterward near the house.
Carly’s lawyers did not deny that she killed Ashley. However, they argued that she was experiencing a mental health crisis on the day of the murder and did not remember the shooting. They asked the jury to find her not guilty by reason of insanity, Newsweek reported.
“She was having mood issues, eating disorder issues, cutting herself, hearing voices and sleeping difficulty all leading up to January of 2024,” Dr. Andrew Clark testified on September 17, 2024, concluding that Carly had bipolar disorder. Dr. Clark also claimed that Carly was previously prescribed medication to treat symptoms of depression.
The prosecution’s expert witness psychiatrist, Dr. Jason Pickett, refuted the claim that Carly was unaware of her actions when she was killing her mother, calling her crime “diabolical” and claiming that she had narcissistic tendencies.
Carly Gregg Received a Life Sentence for the Murder of Her Mom
After two hours of deliberation, the jury reached a guilty verdict on September 20, 2024. She was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for first-degree murder and attempted murder, as well as 10 years in prison for tampering with evidence, multiple outlets reported. The sentences will run concurrently.
Carly broke into sobs as her guilty verdict was read, but she regained her composure and remained stoic during her sentencing.
“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,” Rankin County District Attorney Bubba Bramlett said, according to Newsweek.
Carly’s defense team plans to appeal the decision, the outlet reported.
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