Raleigh, North Carolina – An 18-year-old plans to plead guilty in a 2022 mass shooting in North Carolina. It left five dead — including his older brother — avoided trial next month, his lawyers said Tuesday.
A written notice filed by Austin Thompson’s attorneys in Wake County Circuit Court said their client intends to plead guilty to all charges.
Thompson was 15 years old when authorities believe he committed murder on October 13, 2022, beginning in In his Raleigh neighborhood With his 16 year old brother. A pretrial hearing scheduled for February 2 was scheduled for Wednesday.
But through the intended petition, Thompson decided he wanted to spare the community and victims from as much trauma as possible, attorneys Kelly Manette and Deonte Thomas wrote. Lawyers did not immediately respond to emails Tuesday seeking additional information about the decision.
Thompson’s legal proceedings were delayed in part after he recovered from a gunshot wound that the prosecutor concluded was self-inflicted before his arrest. His lawyers say it resulted in a traumatic brain injury.
Prosecutors did not reveal a possible motive for the shooting, but said in a court filing that they intended to prove that Thompson’s actions, among other factors, were “particularly heinous, egregious or cruel” and that he attempted to avoid detention.
Although “the serious brain injury he sustained has left Austin unable to explain why he committed this shooting, he has always accepted that he did,” Thompson’s attorneys’ filing Tuesday said.
Thompson was charged as an adult with five counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, and one count of assaulting an officer with a gun. A sentencing hearing is scheduled to be held at a later date after any guilty plea is entered.
Given his age at the time of the attack, Thompson could not have received the death penalty if convicted. The presiding judge will have to decide whether to sentence him to life in prison without the possibility of parole for murder or with the possibility of parole after at least 25 years.
Wake County Prosecutor Lauren Freeman said Tuesday she was aware of the plea notice. Freeman later added in a text message: “We are ready to move forward. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims.”
Thompson hopes “the materials presented at the sentencing hearing will bring as much peace and closure as possible,” his attorneys wrote.
Prosecutors assert that Thompson shot and stabbed his brother, James, and his body was found in their home.
Police also said they believe Thompson then shot several neighbors on the streets of the Hedingham community, killing off-duty Raleigh police officers Gabriel Torres, 29, and Nicole Connors, 52. Another injured neighbor survived.
They also allege he later shot and killed two others on the nearby Neuse River Greenway: Mary Marshall, 34, and Susan Karnatz, 49.
Thompson, who was wearing a camouflage uniform and had multiple weapons strapped to his belt, was located by law enforcement in a nearby shed and arrested after an hours-long standoff that left another police officer injured.
Thompson’s lawyers indicated last year that they intended to use “diminished capacities” and “voluntary intoxication…of prescription drugs” in his defense.
In 2024, Thompson’s father pleaded guilty To improperly store a gun that authorities said was found with his son after the shooting. 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.