Carly Gregg fatally shot her mother, Ashley Smylie, in what appears to be a tragic culmination of both mental health issues and family conflict.
The shocking event took place on March 19, when Carly, then 14, used a handgun to kill her mother and later tried to shoot her stepfather. The case became even more chilling when home surveillance footage showed Carly walking calmly with the weapon before committing the act.
But what drove a seemingly ordinary 14-year-old girl to commit such a horrific act?
According to Assistant District Attorney Kathryn Newman, Gregg shot her mother because she had discovered Gregg’s “secret life” involving drugs. Carly Gregg shot her mother after a conflict over her drug use and mental health issues. Testimony revealed that Ashley had recently discovered Carly’s secret stash of drugs, including vape pens, and the argument likely escalated from there. Mental health experts also noted that Carly had been struggling with severe depressive episodes and possibly hearing voices, which contributed to her unstable state of mind.
The Mental Health and Drug Angle
In a case that has shocked the community of Rankin County, Mississippi, 15-year-old Carly Gregg was found guilty of murdering her mother, Ashley Smylie, and attempting to kill her stepfather.
The trial, which concluded with a life sentence for Gregg, left many wondering about the underlying causes that could lead a teenager to commit such a horrific crime.
The courtroom drama unfolded over five days, revealing a complex web of mental health issues, possible drug use, and family tensions.
At the heart of the case was chilling surveillance footage that captured the moments leading up to the shooting, showing a seemingly nonchalant Gregg wandering through the house with a .357 Magnum handgun.
During the trial, it was revealed that Carly had been struggling with mental health challenges for a while. Psychiatrists testified that Carly might have been in a mental health crisis at the time of the shooting, particularly as she was adjusting to new medications like Zoloft and Lexapro for depression.
Some experts believed her mental state had deteriorated, and one psychiatrist suggested that her highs and lows were becoming more extreme in the days leading up to the shooting.
Additionally, Carly’s relationship with her mother seemed strained over her drug use. Prosecutors argued that Ashley’s discovery of Carly’s involvement with marijuana and other substances played a key role in escalating tensions.
Carly’s stepfather had even expressed concerns about her secret burner phones and erratic behavior, which ultimately led to Ashley confronting her that day.
The trial painted a picture of a troubled teenager grappling with mental health issues. Dr. Andrew Clark, a child and adolescent psychiatrist, testified that Gregg was experiencing a mental health crisis at the time of the shooting and didn’t remember the incident. He suggested that a recent change in medication may have played a role, stating,
“Gregg’s lows were lower and her highs were higher and the voices, which she hadn’t told anyone about, were getting worse in the days before the shooting.”
However, this view was contested by other mental health professionals. Dr. Jason Pickett, a psychiatrist who reviewed the evidence for the prosecution, offered a starkly different assessment:
“In my opinion, Carly does not meet Mississippi’s standard for insanity at the time of the offense and she knew the nature and quality of her actions on that day.”
The trial also revealed conflicting accounts about Gregg’s mental state leading up to the shooting.
Nurse practitioner Olivia Leber, who had met with Gregg multiple times in the months before the incident, testified that Gregg had never reported hearing voices or experiencing memory lapses. This contradicted later claims made by Gregg about auditory hallucinations.
The prosecution painted a picture of a calculated act rather than a moment of insanity. Prosecutor Michael Smith emphasized the damning nature of the security footage in his closing arguments:
“Ladies and gentlemen, there’s no doubt Carly Madison Gregg is the one who killed her mom, Ashley Smylie. There’s no doubt that she attempted to kill Heath Smylie, when she aimed the gun right at his head and shot and hit him. And there’s no doubt that she’s the one who hid the camera, thus tampering with evidence. She knew exactly what she was doing, and she knew the difference between right and wrong.”
Averagebeing’s Take: This case highlights the unpredictable and heartbreaking consequences when mental health struggles and family conflict spiral out of control. Carly’s actions leave little room for sympathy, given the coldness of the crime, but it also raises the bigger question of whether more could have been done to prevent such a horrific outcome. It really calls for a reevaluation of how we support young people’s mental health and foster open, honest communication within families.
