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.
JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Removing the red tape and raising the funding cap for hospitals is a priority for some Mississippi lawmakers. They’re trying to make it easier to access more funding for facility improvements or equipment upgrades without needing approval from the State Board of Health.
A bill to lift spending restrictions for hospitals passed in the House and Senate during the 2025 Legislative Session, but Gov. Tate Reeves (R-Miss.) vetoed it. Lawmakers said the part Reeves didn’t like was removed.
“The whole intent is to be able to make healthcare more widely available, more cost effective and more efficient for providers and for our citizens in Mississippi,” said State Rep. Sam Creekmore IV (R-District 14).
According to Creekmore, the new bill doubles the capital investments that hospitals can make without applying for a certificate of need. Currently, hospitals and medical facilities can only spend so much money on facility or equipment investments.
If they want to spend more than the cap allows, they could apply for new equipment. It would require approval from the State Board of Health.
Creekmore said applying for a certificate of need to spend money can be timely, but there’s a chance the request could be denied. He said Reeves vetoed the initial bill because lawmakers approved a certificate of need for St. Dominic to allow psychiatric care after St. Dominic closed the unit in the past.
GLENDALE, Ariz.— Carson Beck scrambled for a 3-yard touchdown with 18 seconds left, and Miami will head back home for a shot at its first national championship since 2001 after beating Mississippi 31-27 in an exhilarating College Football Playoff semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday night.
The 10th-ranked Hurricanes (13-2) had their vaunted defense picked apart by the sixth-ranked Rebels (13-2) in a wild fourth quarter, falling into a 27-24 hole after Trinidad Chambliss threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Dae’Quan Wright with 3:13 left.
Beck, who won a national title as a backup at Georgia, kept the Hurricanes calm amid the storm, leading them down the field for the winning score — and a shot at a national title on their home field at Hard Rock Stadium on Jan. 19. Beck is 37-5 as a starter, including two seasons at Georgia.
The sixth-seeded Rebels lost their coach before the playoff, but not their cool.
If anything, Lane Kiffin’s decision to bolt for LSU seemed to harden Ole Miss’ resolve, pushing the Rebels to the best season in school history — and within a game of their first national championship game.
Ole Miss kept Miami within reach when its offense labored and took a 19-17 lead on Lucas Carneiro’s fourth field goal, from 21 yards.
Malachi Toney, the hero of Miami’s opening CFP win over Texas A&M, turned a screen pass into a 36-yard touchdown that put Miami up 24-19.
Chambliss’ TD pass to Wright put the Rebels back on top, but improbable run came to an end when the defense couldn’t hold the Hurricanes.
But what a run it was.
With Pete Golding calling the shots after being promoted from defensive coordinator to head coach, and most of the assistants sticking around, the Rebels blew out Tulane to open the playoff and took down mighty Georgia in the CFP quarterfinals.
They faced a different kind of storm in the Hurricanes.
Miami has rekindled memories of its 2001 national championship team behind a defense that went from porous to nearly impenetrable in its first season under coordinator Corey Hetherman.
The Hurricanes walled up early in the Fiesta Bowl, holding Ole Miss to minus-1 yard.
One play revved up the Rebels and their rowdy fans.
Kewan Lacy, the nation’s third-leading rusher, burst through a hole up the middle for a 73-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter — the longest run allowed by Miami’s defense since 2018.
The Hurricanes seemed content to grind away at the Rebels in small chunks offensively, setting up CharMar Brown’s 4-yard touchdown run and a field goal.
Miami unlocked the deep game just before halftime, taking advantage of a busted coverage for a 52-yard touchdown pass from Beck to Keelan Marion.
No. 1 Indiana (14-0) vs. No. 5 Oregon (13-1)
- When: Friday, January 9
- Time: 4:30 p.m. PT
- Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
- TV: ESPN and ABC
- Stream: You can watch this game on DIRECTV (free trial) or with Sling (a Sling day pass to watch this game and more is just $4.99). Streaming broadcasts for this game will be available on these streaming services locally in Oregon and Washington, but may not be available outside of the Pacific Northwest, depending on your location.
Lady Vols basketball will play a second straight road game with a matchup against Mississippi State.
No. 22 Tennessee (10-3, 2-0 SEC) faces the Bulldogs (14-2, 1-1) at Humphrey Coliseum on Jan. 8 (7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network+) in Starkville, Mississippi.
The Lady Vols started SEC play with wins over Florida and Auburn, and Mississippi State opened conference play with a win over Auburn before falling to Oklahoma on the road.
The matchup is the first of two with the Bulldogs this season with MSU being Tennessee’s lone home and home opponent in SEC play this season.
Both Mississippi State’s losses were on the road, the first at Texas Tech in November before it fell 95-47 to the Sooners on Jan. 4. Lady Vols coach Kim Caldwell called the Bulldogs an athletic team and pointed out they ranked in the top 10 nationally in rebounding. MSU averages 45.6 rebounds, which ranks No. 9 in the country.
“We have to go and play in a tough environment with a team that is undefeated at home, plays very well at home,” Caldwell said Jan. 7. “I think that they are a different team at home than they are on the road. So it’s tough to have to go to their place, but it’s tough to go anywhere. And so just got to make sure that we play our game and we box them out and we do what we need to do.”
Lady Vols basketball vs. Mississippi State: Live score updates
When does Lady Vols basketball vs. Mississippi State start?
- Date: Thursday, Jan. 8
- Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Mississippi
What TV channel is Lady Vols vs. Mississippi State on today?
Lady Vols basketball 2025-26 schedule, TV times
- Nov. 4: NC State 80, Tennessee 77
- Nov. 7: Tennessee 97, ETSU 47
- Nov. 9: Tennessee 72, UT Martin 61
- Nov. 13: Tennessee 68, Belmont 58
- Nov. 20: Tennessee 85, MTSU 41
- Nov. 23: Tennessee 88, Coppin State 35
- Nov. 30: UCLA 99, Tennessee 77
- Dec. 3: Tennessee 65, Stanford 62
- Dec. 14: Tennessee 112, Winthrop 40
- Dec. 20: Louisville 89, Tennessee 65
- Dec. 22: Tennessee 89, Southern Indiana 44
- Jan. 1: Tennessee 76, Florida 65
- Jan. 4: Tennessee 73, Auburn 56
- Jan. 8: at Mississippi State (7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network+)
- Jan. 11: vs. Arkansas (2 p.m. ET, SEC Network+)
- Jan. 18: at Alabama (2 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
- Jan. 22: vs. Kentucky (6:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
- Jan. 26: at Ole Miss (7 p.m. ET, ESPNU)
- Jan. 29: vs. Mississippi State (6:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network+)
- Feb. 1: at UConn (noon ET, FOX)
- Feb. 5: at Georgia (6:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network+)
- Feb. 8: at South Carolina (3 p.m. ET, ABC)
- Feb. 12: vs. Missouri (6:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network+)
- Feb. 15: vs. Texas (3 p.m. ET, ABC)
- Feb. 19: vs. Texas A&M (6:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network+)
- Feb. 22: at Oklahoma (2 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN2)
- Feb. 26: at LSU (6 p.m. ET, ESPN)
- March 1: vs. Vanderbilt (2 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: cora.hall@knoxnews.com; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks: subscribe.knoxnews.com/offers
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