Raleigh, North Carolina – An 18-year-old pleaded guilty Wednesday to murder and other charges Mass shooting in North CarolinaAdmitting that he carried out a killing in 2022 that left five people dead, including his older brother and a police officer.
Austin David Thompson, who was 15 at the time of the attack, authorities say It started in the Raleigh neighborhood, He was scheduled to appear in state court in less than two weeks.
Instead, Thompson’s lawyers, who for months filed interlocutory motions aimed at limiting some of the testimony and evidence, He announced Tuesday that he plans To confess to all charges against him. His lawyers wrote that avoiding a trial would “spare the community and victims from as much trauma as possible.”
Thompson, wearing a zip-up jacket and pants, said a few words as Wake County Superior Court Judge Paul Ridgway questioned him and accepted his pleas. He pleaded guilty to five counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, and one count of assaulting an officer with a gun.
Ridgway set the sentencing hearing for February 2, which could last several days as testimony and evidence are reviewed. Thompson and his attorney admitted in court that no plea agreement had been reached with local prosecutors.
Because of his age at the time of the attack, Thompson could not receive the death penalty. A judge can impose life sentences without parole on these murder charges. Alternatively, Ridgway could be sentenced in this case so that he would be eligible for parole after at least 25 years. State appellate judges recently set a 40-year cap on how much time these young offenders must serve before becoming eligible for parole.
A resolution in the case was delayed in part while Thompson recovered from a gunshot wound that Wake County Prosecutor Loren Freeman previously concluded had injured himself before his arrest. His lawyers say it resulted in a serious brain injury.
Providing the court with a summary of evidence that could have been used at trial, Assistant District Attorney Patrick Latour described the sequence of events during the shooting on Oct. 13, 2022. He said Thompson first shot and then repeatedly stabbed his brother James, and his body was found in the family home in the Hedingham community.
Thompson, armed with a rifle and a handgun, then shot several neighbors on the streets of the community, killing Nicole Connors, 52, and then off-duty Raleigh police Officer Gabriel Torres, 29, Latour said. Another injured neighbor survived. Thompson later shot and killed two more people on a nearby greenway: Mary Marshall, 34, and Susan Karnatz, 49.
Thompson, who was wearing camouflage fatigues and carrying a backpack, was found by law enforcement in a nearby shed and arrested after an hours-long standoff during which he injured another police officer, Latour said.
Wednesday’s hearing provided little additional clarification about Austin’s motive. The brain injury “makes it such that Austin cannot explain why he committed this shooting,” his lawyers wrote this week.
Latour said a note was written by Thompson in which he admitted why he killed his brother, but that information was not provided Wednesday. The memo was ordered to remain confidential for the time being. Latour also said records showing Thompson’s Internet search history revealed that he sought information about mass shootings and related items. Thompson’s attorney said the report containing those records may be challenged at sentencing.
Robert Steele, Marshall’s fiancé at the time of her death, told reporters after the hearing that sentencing Thompson to life in prison without parole was the right thing to do.
“This is justice,” Steele said. “He took the lives of five people, and tried to kill two more.”
In 2024, Thompson’s father pleaded guilty for improperly storing his gun, which authorities said was found when his son was arrested. He received a suspended sentence and probation.
Investigators seized 11 firearms and 160 boxes of ammunition — some of which were empty — from Thompson’s home, according to search warrants. Austin Thompson and his family were avid hunters, Latour said.