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.

Mississippi
Tennessee’s all-time football results versus Mississippi State

No. 15 Tennessee (3-1, 0-1 SEC) will play for its first Southeastern Conference win in 2025 during Week 5. Mississippi State (4-0) will host the Vols on Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Mississippi.
Kickoff is scheduled for 4:15 p.m. EDT and SEC Network will televise the contest.
Saturday will mark the 38th game between the Vols and Bulldogs all time, dating to 1907.
Tennessee leads the football series versus Mississippi State, 30-16-1. The Vols have won the last two meetings, including a, 33-14, victory last season at Neyland Stadium.
Below are all-time football results between the Vols and Bulldogs.
Tennessee’s all-time football results versus Mississippi State
1907: Tennessee 11, Mississippi State 4
1910: Mississippi State 48, Tennessee 0
1915: Mississippi State 10, Tennessee 0
1919: Mississippi State 6, Tennessee 0
1920: Mississippi State 13 Tennessee 7
1921: Tennessee 14, Mississippi State 7
1922: Tennessee 31, Mississippi State 3
1923: Tennessee 7, Mississippi State 3
1924: Mississippi State 7, Tennessee 2
1925: Tennessee 14, Mississippi State 9
1926: Tennessee 33, Mississippi State 0
1932: Tennessee 31, Mississippi State 0
1933: Tennessee 20, Mississippi State 0
1934: Tennessee 14, Mississippi State 0
1948: Mississippi State 21, Tennessee 6
1949: Tennessee 10, Mississippi State 0
1950: Mississippi State 7, Tennessee 0
1951: Tennessee 14, Mississippi State 0
1952: Tennessee 14, Tennessee 7
1953: Mississippi State 26, Tennessee 0
1954: Tennessee 19, Mississippi State 7
1955: Mississippi State 13, Tennessee 7
1957: Tennessee 14, Mississippi State 9
1958: Tennessee 13, Mississippi State 8
1959: Tennessee 22, Mississippi State 6
1960: Tennessee 0, Mississippi State 0
1961: Tennessee 17, Mississippi State 3
1962: Mississippi State 7, Tennessee 6
1963: Mississippi State 7, Tennessee 0
1964: Tennessee 14, Mississippi 13
1971: Tennessee 10, Mississippi State 7
1978: Mississippi State 34, Tennessee 21
1979: Mississippi State 28, Tennessee 9
1986: Mississippi State 27, Tennessee 23
1987: Tennessee 38, Mississippi State 10
1990: Tennessee 40, Mississippi State 7
1991: Tennessee 26, Mississippi State 24
1994: Mississippi State 24, Tennessee 21
1995: Tennessee 52, Mississippi State 14
1998: Tennessee 24, Mississippi State 14 — SEC championship game
2002: Tennessee 35, Mississippi State 17
2003: Tennessee 59, Mississippi State 21
2007: Tennessee 33, Mississippi State 21
2008: Tennessee 34, Mississippi State 3
2012: Mississippi State 41, Tennessee 31
2019: Tennessee 20, Mississippi State 10
2024: Tennessee 33, Tennessee 14
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Mississippi
Mississippi State football doesn’t miss Mario Craver, other overreactions to Alcorn State win

STARKVILLE — It’s difficult to determine what Mississippi State football’s lopsided 63-0 win against Alcorn State in Week 3 means for the outlook of the season, but there was certainly no indication of a potential upset.
The Bulldogs (3-0) scored touchdowns on four straight drives to begin the game and led by 42 points before halftime. The third and fourth quarters at Davis Wade Stadium were reduced from 15 to 10 minutes because of the score. MSU and second-year coach Jeff Lebby are 3-0 for the first time since 2018.
Here are four overreactions to MSU’s win before it hosts Northern Illinois (1-1) on Sept. 20 (3:15 p.m., SEC Network).
Mississippi State fans will storm the field after another upset win
Mississippi State has qualities of a team than can pull off another upset like it did to then-No. 10 Arizona State in Week 2. When the offense, defense and special teams are playing soundly, MSU is miles better than last season.
The offense, led by quarterback Blake Shapen, can score in bunches and do so quickly. The defense can string together multiple stops in a row and is forcing two turnovers per game. Kyle Ferrie has yet to miss a field goal, while Anthony Evans III is second in the SEC with 128 punt return yards.
Mississippi State’s four SEC home games are all against ranked opponents — Tennessee, Texas, Georgia and Ole Miss — so don’t be surprised if fans storm the field again in one of those games.
Kamario Taylor is a future Heisman Trophy contender
There have been glimpses of freshman quarterback Kamario Taylor and you can already tell why everyone is so excited about the four-star signee from Noxubee County.
He scored his first career touchdown in the second quarter against Alcorn State, a 42-yard on-the-money throw to Brenen Thompson. Taylor also had a great rush when he read the edge defender, tucked the ball and ran for 19 yards.
Taylor will have to wait for next season to compete for the starting job, but he has the makings to be a special player.
Mississippi State is fine without Mario Craver, Kevin Coleman Jr.
Mario Craver leads college football with 443 receiving yards for Texas A&M. Kevin Coleman Jr. of Missouri is tied for fifth nationally with 24 receptions. Both transferred after last season ended, but Mississippi State is doing just fine without them.
Evans and Thompson have been a terrific duo at wide receiver. Evans, a Georgia transfer, has filled Coleman’s role at MSU as a shorter-yard target with 17 receptions for 210 yards and two touchdowns. Thompson, an Oklahoma transfer, has played Craver’s role as a downfield burner with 15 catches for 278 yards and three touchdowns.
It’s unlikely that Mississippi State could’ve had all four of them on the same team, but losing two great wide receivers hasn’t hurt this season.
Mississippi State’s pass rush will be a weakness in SEC play
Will Whitson was playing like a premier pass rusher before his season-ending injury in Week 2. The Bulldogs haven’t been great at generating pressure though outside of him.
Whitson has two of MSU’s four sacks. He’s also still the only player for MSU with more than one tackle for loss.
The defensive front looks improved from last season, but will still need to be better for SEC standards.
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
Mississippi
Bulldog Roundup: Mississippi State cross country sets new mark at Southern Showcase

Friday was a special day for Mississippi State sports and it was the cross country team that got things started for the university.
The Bulldogs put in a record-breaking performance to finish in second place at the Southern Showcase in Huntsville, Ala.
“We’re really pleased with how the team raced today,” said assistant coach Erinn Stemnan-Fahey. “Today, they showed the strides the program has made towards improvement. We’re really excited to keep building on the momentum for the rest of the season.”
The team improved its finish from last year by 6 places, with three athletes finishing in the top 20 overall. Nelly Jemeli led the Bulldogs, literally. Jemeli finished fourth overall in 16-minutes, 36.1 seconds.
Louise Stonham finished 17th in her first cross country race in the maroon and white with a massive personal best of 17:10.0. Gabrielle Boulay and Hunter Anderson rounded out the scorers for state, with the latter running a personal best of 17:31.0.
Women’s Tennis: Mississippi State at Blue Gray Classic
Women’s Tennis: Mississippi State at Debbie Southern Classic
Men’s Tennis: ITF Fayetteville M15 Futures
Cross Country: Southern Showcase, Huntsville, Ala., 2nd Place
Soccer: Mississippi State 3, No. 1 Tennessee 2
Football: Alcorn State at Mississippi State
Women’s Tennis: Mississippi State at Blue Gray Classic
Women’s Tennis: Mississippi State at Debbie Southern Classic
Men’s Tennis: ITF Fayetteville M15 Futures
Volleyball: Mississippi State at Mercer, Noon
“One night, Bilbo got particularly feisty, so my dad and I drove him out to woods. Once we found a good spot, we stopped and I put him on the ground and took his collar off. He kind of ambled about, taking in the new surroundings. I preface this next part by saying I do think humans and animals share an unspoken understanding, to some extent. That’s why it’s so easy to bond with pets. So this is how I remember saying goodbye to Bilbo: He wandered 10 yards away or so from the truck, and then he turned and looked at us and kind of had this expression like, ‘It was nice knowing ya.’ It was this moment where like, both I knew and he knew that we’d had some good times, but this was it.”
– Mike Leach
POV you just beat the #1 team in the country 😤#HailState | @HailStateSOC pic.twitter.com/0aaI6iacbz
— Mississippi State Athletics (@HailState) September 13, 2025
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