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Awaiting decisionGregg v. State (rehearing)
Will the Mississippi Supreme Court stand by its ruling against Carly Gregg?
Where the case stands
The en banc Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed the convictions and sentences on Aug. 20, 2026, Presiding Justice Josiah Coleman writing, rejecting the insanity-verdict challenge, the sentencing-instruction claims and the Miller-hearing claim. Defense counsel filed a motion for rehearing on Sept. 17, 2026.
Background
Carly Gregg was 14 when she shot and killed her mother, Northwest Rankin High School teacher Ashley Smylie, and wounded her stepfather at their Brandon, Miss. home in March 2024. Her September 2024 trial, built around an insanity defense and the home security footage, was carried live by Court TV and became a national true-crime fixture.
Charges
- Convicted Sept. 2024 by a Rankin County jury: first-degree murder (life), attempted murder of her stepfather (life, concurrent), tampering with evidence (10 years)
The arguments
Prosecution/State: The jury had ample evidence to reject insanity: home security video captured the shooting, and her post-shooting conduct — hiding the kitchen camera in the refrigerator, texting her stepfather from her mother's phone, inviting a friend to view the scene — showed she understood the wrongfulness of her actions (per State expert Dr. Jason Pickett).
Defense: Rehearing grounds: (1) cumulative errors — a rushed trial schedule, an unauthorized early mental-health examination order, and prejudicial testimony about her reading Crime and Punishment — denied a fair trial on insanity; (2) sentencing instructions confusingly mixed life and life-with-parole and prosecutors made improper early-release remarks; (3) MDOC has classified her as life WITHOUT parole despite the court's statement that non-parole life is unauthorized for juveniles convicted of first-degree murder after July 1, 2024 — her team seeks a new trial, new sentencing, or an enforceable mandate on parole eligibility.
The record
- Home security video. The kitchen camera recorded the shooting's audio and Gregg's movements; she later hid the camera in the refrigerator.
- Oral argument video. The May 27, 2026 en banc argument was streamed by the court (Vimeo event 5899924, docket 2024-KA-01178-SCT).
- Competing experts. State expert Dr. Jason Pickett testified her post-shooting actions showed she understood wrongfulness; defense expert Dr. Andrew Clark described an acute dissociative reaction.
The line-setting read at the time this market opened
Rehearing grants are rare and the court just affirmed en banc with no reported dissent. The strongest live issue is the narrow MDOC parole-classification point, which the court could fix without disturbing the convictions — so some modification short of rehearing is the likeliest path to any defense win.
Awaiting decision — The court's ruling on the Sept. 17, 2026 rehearing motion — deny it and leave the affirmance untouched, or grant rehearing / modify the opinion or mandate (including on her parole-eligibility classification). The ruling is posted here, and on the board, the moment it's confirmed by two or more independent news organizations.
Sources
- WLBT — Mississippi Supreme Court affirms conviction of Carly Gregg (Aug. 20, 2026)
- WLOX — Carly Gregg attorneys file motion for rehearing (Sept. 18, 2026)
- Court TV — Carly Gregg appeals life sentence before Mississippi Supreme Court (May 27, 2026)
- Court TV — Mississippi Supreme Court denies Carly Gregg appeal (Aug. 20, 2026)
Public record
- Mississippi Supreme Court oral argument stream, May 27, 2026 (No. 2024-KA-01178-SCT)
- Court TV case archive — trial and appeal coverage
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