
(LibertySociety.com) – Chilling surveillance footage shown during the trial of Carly Gregg, a Mississippi teen accused of murdering her mother, captured her nonchalant behavior following the alleged shooting. Gregg, now 15, is accused of killing her mother, Ashley Smylie, with a .357 Magnum pistol on March 19, 2023, when she was just 14 years old.
The harrowing video shows Gregg hiding something behind her back as she walks towards her bedroom. Moments later, the sound of three gunshots can be heard. After the alleged murder, Gregg is seen calmly walking back to the kitchen and sitting on a stool, texting on her phone. The family’s two Labrador retrievers are seen following her into the kitchen, seemingly unaware of the violence that had just occurred.
During the trial, prosecutors revealed that Gregg had texted her stepfather, Heath Smylie, after the killing, in what they alleged was an attempt to lure him home and ambush him. Heath testified that upon opening the kitchen door, he was immediately shot at. “The gun went off in my face before the door was even three to four inches wide open, and everything kind of went pretty fast from there,” Heath told the court.
Heath described the harrowing encounter, stating that after the first shot, he managed to grab the gun, but Gregg fired two more times, hitting him in the shoulder. “It looked like she was terrified,” he said of Gregg’s demeanor during the incident. “She was screaming out of her mind, scared, like she had seen a demon, or something.”
During her initial court appearance, Gregg pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, attempted murder, and tampering with evidence. Her bond was set at $1 million. Rankin County Assistant District Attorney Kathryn White Newman stated in opening remarks that the incident followed an argument between Gregg and her mother. Earlier that day, Ashley Smylie, a teacher at Northwest Rankin High School where Gregg was a student, had discovered from one of Gregg’s friends that she had been smoking marijuana and using burner phones. Later, Smylie found vape pens in her daughter’s room, which reportedly escalated the confrontation.
Prosecutors allege that Gregg planned to ambush her stepfather after killing her mother, while the defense argues that Gregg was not in her right mind at the time. Gregg, who is being charged as an adult, declined a plea deal for a 40-year prison sentence, with her defense team instead pursuing an insanity defense.
The case has captivated and horrified the community, highlighting the tragic consequences of a family conflict that spiraled into unimaginable violence.
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