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An 18-year-old admitted Wednesday to carrying out a 2022 mass shooting in Raleigh, North Carolina, which killed five people – including his older brother and a police officer – pleading guilty to murder and multiple other charges just days before trial.
The Associated Press reported that Austin David Thompson pleaded guilty to five counts of first-degree murder, two counts each of attempted first-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon, and one count of assaulting an officer with a gun.
Thompson was 15 when prosecutors say he opened fire in his Raleigh neighborhood, killing Thompson’s brother James Thompson, along with 52-year-old Nicole Connors, 29-year-old Raleigh police officer Gabriel Torres, 34-year-old Mary Marshall and 49-year-old Susan Karnatz. He had been scheduled to face a state murder trial later this month before changing his plea.
Thompson’s lawyers announced Tuesday that he would plead guilty to all charges after months of pretrial motions seeking to restrict what evidence and testimony prosecutors could present. In court filings, his attorneys said avoiding a trial would “save the community and the victims from as much additional infliction of trauma as possible.”
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Wearing a quarter-zip sweater and slacks, Thompson offered few words as Wake County Superior Court Judge Paul Ridgeway questioned him and formally accepted the guilty pleas.
Ridgeway scheduled sentencing for Feb. 2, a hearing expected to span several days. Thompson and his attorney confirmed no plea deal was reached with prosecutors.
Because Thompson was a minor at the time of the shootings, he is not eligible for the death penalty. Ridgeway could impose life sentences without parole, though state law also allows for sentences that make him eligible for parole after at least 25 years. A recent ruling by state appeals judges capped the amount of time juvenile offenders must serve before becoming eligible for parole at 40 years.
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The case was delayed while Thompson recovered from a gunshot wound that Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman has said was self-inflicted before his arrest, an injury his attorneys contend caused significant brain damage.
In court, Assistant District Attorney Patrick Latour outlined the evidence prosecutors would have presented at trial, describing the sequence of events on Oct. 13, 2022.
Latour said Thompson first shot and then repeatedly stabbed James inside the family’s home in the Hedingham neighborhood. Prosecutors said Thompson then moved through the neighborhood armed with a shotgun and a handgun, killing Connors and then Torres. Another neighbor was wounded and survived.
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Authorities said Thompson later continued the attack on a nearby greenway trail, where he fatally shot Marshall and Karnatz.
Police said officers eventually located Thompson near McConnell Oliver Drive, where he opened fire, wounding Raleigh Police Officer Casey Clark. Multiple officers returned fire, discharging about 23 rounds before Thompson was placed in handcuffs.
“At the time, he was wearing camouflage clothing and a backpack, and a handgun was in his waistband. The backpack contained various items, including several types of shotgun/rifle ammunition. A sheath for a large knife was found clipped to his belt, and a large hunting knife was found at the front of the outbuilding. A shotgun and shotgun shells were lying on the ground near him,” Raleigh Police Chief Estella D. Patterson said in a report at the time.
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Wednesday’s hearing offered few new details about Thompson’s motive. His attorneys wrote this week that a brain injury suffered during the case has left him unable to explain why he carried out the shootings.
Latour said a note written by Thompson addressed why he killed his brother, but the contents were not disclosed in court and were ordered sealed. Latour also said investigators recovered records showing Thompson searched online for information about mass shootings and related topics, evidence the defense said could be challenged at sentencing.
Robert Steele, the fiancé of Marshall, said after the hearing that Thompson should be sentenced to life in prison without parole.
“That’s justice,” Steele said. “He took five people’s lives; he tried to take two others.”
In 2024, Thompson’s father pleaded guilty to improperly storing a handgun authorities said was found with his son after the attack and received a suspended sentence and probation.
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Investigators also seized 11 firearms and 160 boxes of ammunition – some of them empty – from the Thompson home, according to search warrants. Latour said Thompson and his family were avid hunters.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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