The defense attorney for 15-year-old Carly Gregg is calling for a new trial, citing her history of mental health issues, including auditory hallucinations treated with equestrian therapy as a child. Gregg was found guilty in September by a jury in Rankin County, Mississippi, for the murder of her mother, 40-year-old Ashley Smylie, and the aggravated assault of her stepfather, Heath Smylie, during a March 19 shooting. She was also convicted of tampering with evidence by hiding a security camera after the shooting, told the Mirror.
During the trial, viral footage was shown, capturing the horrifying moment Gregg opened fire on her mother. Prosecutor Kathryn Newman emphasized the lack of remorse displayed by Gregg, stating that she had shown “zero remorse.”
However, the defense now argues that newly revealed information from Gregg’s father, indicating that she underwent equestrian therapy for auditory hallucinations at a young age, could have influenced the outcome of the trial. “This new information supports Dr. Clark’s diagnosis of unspecified schizophrenic disorder and is likely to lead to a different result at a new trial,” the defense team stated. They contend that this evidence underscores the teen’s mental health struggles and warrants a retrial. “As such, Carly is entitled to a new trial.”
The defense also pointed to several factors that they believe should have led to a mistrial, including Gregg’s lack of prior criminal charges or violence, a good school record, and strong support from her maternal family and community. Additionally, they highlighted the stepfather’s testimony during the trial, in which he claimed that Gregg was “not in her right mind” and did not recognize him at the time of the shooting. The defense emphasized that the state’s admission of an absence of motive further supports the need for a new trial or, at minimum, a judgment notwithstanding the verdict.
In response, Judge Dewey Arthur disagreed, ruling that the new information presented by the defense would not have changed the trial’s outcome. “This Court specifically finds that no new and material [sic] has been discovered which probably would produce a different result at trial and, by reasonable diligence, this evidence could not have been discovered sooner,” Arthur wrote. He concluded that the evidence presented would not have led to a different verdict.
With the judge’s decision denying a retrial, Gregg’s defense is left considering their next steps as they seek justice for their client, arguing that her mental health struggles were not fully accounted for during the trial.