Overview
- Austin Thompson, now 18, admitted five counts of first-degree murder plus attempted murder and assault charges, and Judge Paul Ridgeway accepted the plea with no agreement in place.
- The sentencing hearing could span several days, with North Carolina law allowing parole consideration only after at least 25 years and a recent appellate cap of 40 years before eligibility for juvenile offenders.
- Prosecutors said the rampage began with the shooting and stabbing of his brother, then moved through the Hedingham neighborhood and the Neuse River Greenway, killing Nicole Connors, Officer Gabriel Torres, Mary Marshall and Susan Karnatz, and injuring others including Officer Casey Clark.
- Evidence outlined in court included doorbell video, a sealed note found in the home, online searches about mass shootings, and the seizure of 11 firearms and about 160 boxes of ammunition; his father previously pleaded guilty to failing to secure a handgun.
- Defense attorneys cited a serious brain injury from a self-inflicted gunshot wound and recent seizures, saying he cannot explain a motive and chose to plead guilty to spare victims and the community a trial.