Carly Gregg's 'diabolical' act disqualifies her from insanity defense in mother's murder: psychiatrist
Mississippi teenager Carly Gregg was severely depressed and possibly hearing voices when she allegedly shot and killed her own mother, psychiatrists testified at her trial Thursday, but one argued she committed a “diabolical” act that prevents her from meeting the requirements of an insanity defense.
“I used the word evil and I stand by it,” psychiatrist Jason Pickett said of the 15-year-old, who was caught on camera texting her stepfather: “When are you coming home sweetie?” from her mother Ashley Smylie’s phone moments after he allegedly shot the 40-year-old in the face on March 19.
The text was apparently a trick to lure his stepfather home: When he returned a short time later, Gregg allegedly fired a gun at him, grazing him in the shoulder.
“When she did that, to me it was very specific and diabolical. And to me that is not consistent with a dissociative episode, it is not consistent with psychosis, it is not consistent with mania,” said Pickett, who interviewed Gregg for more than four hours after his arrest. according to WAPT.
“In my opinion, Carly did not meet Mississippi’s standard for insanity at the time of the offense and she knew the nature and quality of her actions that day.”
In Mississippi, defendants can be acquitted on grounds of insanity if it is shown that they were unable to understand the severity or impact of their actions, under the Justia Act, which is what Gregg's defense is trying to establish.
Other psychiatrists present at the trial painted a portrait of a girl suffering from severe mental illness in the run-up to the alleged killing, including one who insisted Gregg heard voices.
“She said she had been hearing a voice, a male voice, since she was young, maybe around five or six years old,” said Dr. Amanda Gugliano, who also interviewed Gregg after his arrest.
“She said she heard the voice every day, but it was always in the background and she could ignore it,” Gugliano said, explaining that the voice Gregg had told her about was that of a sarcastic critic making comments about people.
On Wednesday, Dr. Andrew Clark testified that the voices in Gregg's head had intensified before the shooting, and that she experienced a mental breakdown that day and has no recollection of the incident.
But other medical professionals who worked with Gregg questioned the claim about the alleged voices.
Olivia Leber, a nurse who worked with Gregg in January before the killing, said he never complained of voices, delusions or hallucinations while being diagnosed with major depressive disorder.
And Rebecca Kirk, a counselor who also met with Gregg in January after her parents said she was having severe intrusive thoughts, testified that the girl insisted she was not hearing voices.
Gregg and Kirk met on nine separate occasions and even discussed “Crime and Punishment,” the Russian novel about a man who murders a woman and is then plagued by anguish and guilt. But during none of those sessions did Gregg display anything that would indicate he was about to commit murder, Kirk said.
Surveillance footage from the family's Brandon home shows Smylie and her daughter arriving home after taking their dogs for a walk. Gregg was seen walking through the house and eventually followed his mother out of frame before three gunshots and screams were heard.
The teenager appeared on camera again with something behind her back and appeared to be deliberately looking at the camera. Within seconds, she grabbed her mother's phone and sent a text message.
Clark suggested that news of his mother's recent discovery of the teenager's marijuana habit, coupled with the emotional turmoil he was going through, could have triggered a psychotic episode.
“For Carly in particular, her mother’s approval was very important, so this was a crisis for her,” Clark said.
The teenager faces charges of murder, attempted murder and tampering with evidence, and a sentence of between 30 years and life in prison if convicted.
