On March 19, 2024, 14-year-old Carly Gregg was arrested after a śh́óóting at her family home in Brandon, Mississippi, that left her mother, 40-year-old Ashley Smylie, d#ad and her stepfather, Heath Smylie, injured.
According to court records, Carly and Ashley returned home from Northwest Rankin High School shortly before 4 p.m. that afternoon. A friend later testified that Ashley had learned Carly had been using marijuana and a burner phone. The family’s kitchen security camera showed Ashley entering Carly’s bedroom and apparently searching for vape-related items.
The same footage showed Carly moving around the house before going toward her parents’ bedroom and returning while concealing something behind her back. Shortly afterward, three gunsH๏τs were heard.
After the śh́óóting, prosecutors presented evidence that Carly used Ashley’s phone to message Heath, pretending to be her mother and asking when he would be home. Investigators also said Carly removed the kitchen security camera and hid it in a refrigerator.
Carly contacted several friends. One friend who arrived at the home testified that Carly asked whether she had ever seen a d#ad b#dy before telling her that Ashley was in the bedroom. The Mississippi Supreme Court later summarized this testimony in its 2026 opinion.
When Heath returned home, he encountered Carly and was injured during the confrontation. Court records state that he was struck in the shoulder before he was able to take control of the firearm. Carly then fled the house and was apprehended nearby shortly afterward.
Carly was charged as an adult with first-degree mu#der, attempted mu#der and tampering with physical evidence. At trial, her defense did not seriously dispute that she had caused the shootings; instead, the central argument concerned her mєntal state and whether she met the legal standard for insanity.
The jury rejected that defense and convicted her on all three counts. She received life imprisonment for the first-degree mu#der and attempted mu#der convictions, along with a 10-year sentence for tampering with evidence, with the sentences running concurrently.
The case did not end with the verdict. In May 2026, the Mississippi Supreme Court heard arguments in Carly’s appeal. In August, the court affirmed her convictions and sentences, while clarifying an important point about the punishment applicable to a juvenile defendant.
The court’s decision leaves the case as a significant example of the difficult legal questions that can arise when a young defendant faces serious criminal convictions and mєntal-health evidence is central to the defense.
Behind the courtroom proceedings, however, remains the loss of Ashley Smylie and the lasting impact on the family members who survived her.
Source: Mississippi Supreme Court, WAPT
