A Mississippi teenager, Carly Gregg, 15, is currently facing trial for the alleged murder of her mother and attempted murder of her stepfather. Prosecutors claim that Gregg shot her mother, high school teacher Ashley Smylie, and later her stepfather, Heath Smylie, in their Brandon, Mississippi home in March. The alleged motive behind the crime was the parents’ discovery of the teenager’s clandestine involvement with drugs.
Courtroom footage presented on Tuesday revealed the teenager moving around her home, allegedly with a gun concealed behind her back, moments before the shooting. The video, obtained by Law & Crime, shows Gregg, dressed in a Nirvana band shirt, entering her mother’s bedroom. Shortly after, three gunshots are heard, followed by Ashley Smylie’s screams.
The teenager is then seen returning to the kitchen, still allegedly holding the weapon behind her back. Prosecutors argue that Gregg deliberately faced the camera throughout the incident to hide the .357 Magnum handgun. Once back in the camera’s view, she is seen picking up her mother’s phone from the kitchen counter and sitting on a stool, her two dogs by her side.
Prosecutors allege that Gregg then sent several text messages, including one to her stepfather, luring him to the house. Upon his arrival, Gregg allegedly shot him in the shoulder before he managed to disarm her. The court also heard that Gregg had texted a friend, claiming there was an “emergency” and asking her to come over.
The friend testified that upon arrival, Gregg asked her if she had ever seen a dead body, indicating her mother’s presence in the house. The shootings allegedly occurred just hours after a friend had informed Ashley Smylie about Gregg’s marijuana use. Upon returning home from school that day, Ashley Smylie found a stash of vape pens in Gregg’s room.
Psychiatrist Dr. Andrew Clark testified that Gregg was experiencing a mental health crisis on the day of the shooting, with significant mood swings, auditory hallucinations, and dissociative problems, exacerbated by her medications. He stated that the discovery of her marijuana use by her mother, whose approval she deeply sought, was a crisis for Gregg.
Heath Smylie, the stepfather, testified that Gregg, whom he described as a “sweet little girl,” had no memory of the shooting. He stated that they still communicate daily and maintain a good relationship. Gregg has been charged with murder, attempted murder, and tampering with evidence. She rejected a plea deal and is pursuing an insanity defense. If convicted, she faces life imprisonment for the murder charge, plus 30 years to life for the other charges.