Mississippi
‘Diabolical’ act committed by Mississippi teen Carly Gregg disqualifies her from insanity defense in mother’s murder trial: psychiatrist
Mississippi teen Carly Gregg was severely depressed and possibly hearing voices when she allegedly gunned down her own mother, psychiatrists testified at her trial Thursday — but one argued she committed a “diabolical” act that keeps her from meeting the requirements of an insanity defense.
“I used the word diabolical. And I stand by that word,” psychiatrist Jason Pickett said of the 15-year-old, who was caught on camera texting her stepfather “When will you be home honey?” from her mother Ashley Smylie’s phone moments after allegedly shooting the 40-year-old in the face on March 19.
The text was an apparent trick to lure her stepfather home — when he returned a short time later, Gregg allegedly fired a pistol at him and grazed him in the shoulder.
“When she did that, to me, that was very specific and diabolical. And that to me is not consistent with a dissociative spell, it is not consistent with psychosis, that is not consistent with mania,” said Pickett, who interviewed Gregg for over four hours after her arrest, according to WAPT.
“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.”
In Mississippi, defendants can be acquitted on the grounds of insanity if it’s demonstrated they were unable to understand the severity or impact of their actions, according to Justia Law — which is what Gregg’s defense is trying to establish.
Other psychiatrists at the trial painted a picture of a girl who was suffering severe mental illness in the lead-up to the alleged murder — including one who insisted Gregg was hearing voices.
“She said she had been hearing one voice, a male voice, since she was young — maybe around five or six years old,” said Dr. Amanda Gugliano, who also interviewed Gregg after her arrest.
“She said she heard the voice every day, but it was always in the background and she was able to tune it out,” Gugliano said, explaining the voice Gregg told her about was a snide critic who would make comments about people.
On Wednesday, Dr. Andrew Clark testified that the voices in Gregg’s head had been intensifying leading up to the shooting, and that she experienced a mental break that day and has no recollection of the incident.
But other medical professionals who worked with Gregg disputed the claim about the alleged voices.
Olivia Leber — a nurse who worked with Gregg in January before the killing — said she never complained about voices, delusions, or hallucinations while she was being diagnosed with major depressive disorder.
And Rebecca Kirk — a counselor who also met with Gregg in January after her parents said she was having severe intrusive thoughts — testified that the girl insisted she was not hearing voices.
Gregg and Kirk met nine different times and even had conversations about “Crime and Punishment,” the Russian novel about a man who murders a woman and then becomes plagued by anguish and guilt. But during none of those sessions did Gregg exhibit anything that might indicate she was about to commit murder, Kirk said.
Home surveillance footage from the family’s home in Brandon showed Smylie and her daughter coming home after apparently taking their dogs for a walk. Gregg was seen shuffling about the house, and eventually followed her mother out of the frame before three gunshots and screams rang out.
The teen then returned to the view of the camera with something behind her back, and appeared to be deliberately facing the camera. Within moments she picked up her mother’s phone and sent off a text message.
Clark suggested the news of her mother’s recent discovery of the teen’s marijuana habit, coupled with the emotional turmoil she was going through, might have sparked a psychotic episode.
“For Carly, in particular, she so cared about her mother’s approval, so for her, this was a crisis,” Clark said.
The teen faces charges of murder, attempted murder and tampering with evidence — along with 30 years to life in prison if convicted.
EL SEGUNDO — The Chargers used the first of their three fourth-round draft picks to take Mississippi State wide receiver Brenen Thompson 105th overall in the NFL draft Saturday morning. General Manager Joe Hortiz then traded up to take Memphis tackle Travis Burke at No. 117 with the second of his three fourth-round picks.
Hortiz sent the Houston Texans picks in the fourth (123rd) and sixth rounds (204th) to select Burke in the fourth round (117th), his third trade in two days. The Chargers began the day with seven picks in the final four rounds of the three-day draft in Pittsburgh.
In addition, the Chargers have one pick in the fifth round (145th) and two in the sixth (202nd and 206th). They didn’t have a seventh-round selection, however. They entered the draft with only five picks, but trades with the New England Patriots and Cleveland Browns netted an additional four.
The Chargers had only picks on the final day, but ended up with seven.
Thompson clocked a 4.26-second time in the 40-yard dash at the draft combine in Indianapolis in February, said to be the third-fastest time recorded by a wide receiver. Burke was officially listed at 6-foot-8¾ and 325 pounds at the combine.
“It’s God-given,” Thompson said of his speed. “I’ve always been fast my whole life. I’m so excited. It’s a perfect fit I’m excited to get with (Chargers offensive coordinator Mike) McDaniel and get to work. I’d say I’m explosive as a route runner. I think I’m going to fit in perfectly.”
The Chargers completed their fourth-round selections by taking University of Arizona safety Genesis Smith with the 131st overall pick. They used their lone pick in the fifth round to pick South Carolina defensive tackle Nick Barrett (145th), ending a run of four consecutive offensive players.
More to come on this story.
Mississippi
Mississippi will reexamine judicial redistricts after US Supreme Court rules in voting rights case
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves on Friday announced he will call a special session for judicial redistricting once the U.S. Supreme Court rules on a Voting Rights Act case that has broad implications for minority representation throughout the country.
During oral arguments last fall, the Supreme Court appeared poised to strike down Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which has been used to counter racially discriminatory election practices. A decision in the case, Louisiana v. Callais, is expected before the court’s term ends in June.
Overturning Section 2 would give state legislatures and local governments the opportunity to redraw maps while preventing minority voters from challenging ones that dilute their influence.. A decision wiping out a pillar of the 1965 Voting Rights Act could help Republicans gain seats in the U.S. House by eliminating Democratic-leaning districts that are majority Black or Latino, especially in the South. Most of those redraws would not happen in time for this year’s midterm elections.
The special session proclamation, signed by Reeves on Thursday, relates to a specific case involving judicial districts for the Mississippi Supreme Court. Last August, a federal judge ordered Mississippi to redraw its Supreme Court electoral map after finding it violated Section 2 by diluting the power of Black voters.
In his proclamation, Reeves wrote that the lack of a ruling in the Louisiana case “deprived the Mississippi Legislature of its undisputed federally recognized right’ to remedy the Section 2 violation.
The governor in a social media post said he hoped the Supreme Court “will reaffirm the animating principle that all Americans are created equal.” He said the Legislature will convene the special session 21 days after the Supreme Court issues its ruling in the Louisiana case.
We also witnessed moments of majesty. On the fifth day, the Integrity began using the Moon’s gravity to slingshot our astronauts back home. That trajectory led the crew around the Moon, farther from Earth than any humans have ever gone. As the explorers looked upon outer space, they captured stunning images. Among the most remarkable is Earthset, in which Commander Reid Wiseman photographed Earth as it appeared to fall below the horizon of the moon.
When their spacecraft returned to Earth’s atmosphere, the crew was traveling nearly 35 times faster than the speed of sound. Ten minutes later, a series of parachutes began opening. Eventually, the spacecraft’s speed fell to 20 miles per hour, and the crew splashed down into the Pacific Ocean.
Mississippi was once again there to assist. The astronauts were greeted by the USS John P. Murtha, a U.S. military vessel built in the Huntington Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula. The ship’s amphibious design was suited to welcome the space travelers home—equipped with a helicopter pad, medical facilities, and the communications system needed to locate and recover the astronauts safely. Crucially, the USS Murtha was built with a well deck, a sea-based garage that stored the Integrity on the journey to shore.
Artemis II was a resounding success, paving the way for planned future flights. When the Artemis program returns humans to the moon, Mississippi will be there every step of the way.
Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican, represents the state in the U.S. Senate.
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