A 15-year-old girl from Mississippi, Carly Madison Gregg, has been sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of murdering her mother, Ashley Smylie, in a horrifying incident that has shocked the local community. The tragic events took place at the family’s home in Brandon, Mississippi, earlier this year, where Carly also seriously injured her step-father, Heath Smylie, in two separate shootings.
The verdict was delivered just six months after Carly, who was 14 at the time of the incident, was initially charged. Along with the life sentence for the murder, she was also handed an additional 10-year sentence for tampering with evidence.
The terrifying sequence of events began on March 19, when Rankin County investigators received a frantic call from Heath Smylie. According to investigator Zachary Cotton, Heath told dispatchers that his child had shot both him and his wife. When deputies arrived at the scene, they found Heath, injured from a gunshot wound to his shoulder, standing at the door. Tragically, they also discovered Ashley Smylie’s lifeless body in a bedroom.
Cotton testified that the investigation quickly led to Carly, who was apprehended about half a mile from the house. Security footage from the family home revealed chilling details of the crime. In the video, Carly is seen entering her mother’s bedroom, followed by the sound of a gunshot and a scream, before two more shots rang out. Ashley Smylie was shot twice in the face and once in the chin. The footage also shows Carly attempting to hide something behind her back, which Cotton believes was the gun used in the crime.
Cotton shared that Carly had texted her step-father, Heath, who was not home at the time, asking when he would return. About 45 minutes later, Heath arrived at the house, where Carly immediately shot him as he entered. In a chilling statement to investigators, Heath described the moment, saying Carly’s “eyes were really big” and “it looked like she had seen a demon.” Carly then fled the scene.
Investigators later learned that Carly had been prescribed medications, including Lexapro, leading up to the murder. Cotton also noted that Carly had allegedly changed her medication about a week before the shootings.
Carly was a student at Northwest Rankin High School, where her mother had been a teacher. The tragic events have left the community reeling as they come to terms with the devastating loss and the horrific nature of the crime.