A teenager who killed her mother says she has no memory of shooting her dead in their home, a court has heard.
Carly Gregg, 15, is fighting murder charges with an insanity defense after shooting her mother Ashley Smylie and trying to kill her stepfather at their Mississippi home in March.
Gregg was in the midst of a mental health crisis and has no memory of shooting her mother, a math teacher, psychiatrist Andrew Clark said while testifying on the teen’s behalf Wednesday.
Dr. Clark said he believes Gregg “blacked out” for 90 minutes on the day of the shooting, as he claimed his memory went blank after letting the dogs out.
The court heard that Gregg had been using marijuana at least up until the day before the alleged incident. He had also been prescribed Lexapro and Zoloft, both medications for mood disorders.
Carly Gregg, 15, is fighting murder charges with an insanity defense after shooting her mother Ashley Smylie and trying to kill her stepfather in their Mississippi home.
Smylie had confronted the teen about her marijuana use on the way home from school the day she was killed, psychiatrist Andrew Clark said.
Gregg allegedly told the psychiatrist that he had been having “auditory hallucinations” for years before the murder, but the voices in his head had never “commanded” him to do anything.
“She was having mood issues, eating issues, cutting herself, hearing voices and having difficulty sleeping, all up until January 2024,” Dr Clark told the court.
Smylie had confronted the teenager about her marijuana use while walking home from school on the day she was killed, Dr. Clark said.
According to Dr. Clark, the teenager had started smoking marijuana about six weeks before shooting her 40-year-old mother and had also been having problems with new medications.
“And then her mother finds out that she’s smoking marijuana,” Dr. Clark said. “Carly, in particular, cared a lot about her mother’s approval, so for her, this was a crisis.”
Harrowing footage of Carly Gregg calmly wandering around her kitchen was played in court during her murder trial in Mississippi this week.
Gregg’s mother, math teacher Ashley Smylie, 40, was fatally shot in the face.
The teenager had a “close, if complicated” relationship with her mother and an affectionate bond with her stepfather, according to Dr. Clark. Gregg’s relationship with her biological father, who had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, was more problematic.
Gregg was filmed casually walking around her kitchen, playing with her mobile phone and texting a friend moments after shots were fired.
Prosecutors allege that after shooting and killing his mother, Gregg used the teacher’s cell phone to text his stepfather, Heath, in an attempt to lure him home.
A text message sent from Smylie’s phone to Heath read: “When will you be home, honey?”
When Heath returned home, police allege Gregg shot him, hitting him once in the shoulder.
The court heard Heath grabbed the gun from Gregg before she could shoot him again, prompting her to flee the scene.
Gregg faces 20 years to life in prison if convicted.
She rejected a plea deal that would have seen her serve 40 years in prison.
