Lawyer: Teen accused of killing mother was at risk in prison

BRANDON, Miss. (Court TV) — A teenager accused of murdering her mother and attempting to murder her stepfather will remain in an adult detention center despite concerns about her safety expressed by her attorney.

Carly Gregg, 15, has been charged with murder and attempted murder for allegedly shooting Ashley and Heath Smylie on March 19 at the family home.

Gregg allegedly shot her mother twice in the head, then invited a friend to show her the body. Heath told police he returned home to find his wife on the floor and Gregg standing in the kitchen with a gun. He had been shot in the arm.

At Tuesday’s hearing, Judge Dewey Arthur granted the prosecution’s request for a mental health expert to evaluate Gregg. Bridget Todd, Gregg’s attorney, asked the prosecution’s expert to wait until their own expert finished working with the defendant, noting that Gregg had had trouble in solitary confinement and was on a variety of medications.

Despite his age, Gregg is being held at the Rankin Detention Center, an adult facility. Under Mississippi law, juvenile defendants are continually evaluated to determine whether they should remain in adult custody. When the issue came up Tuesday, Todd told the judge about an incident at the jail where “an adult inmate who was in the same cell as Carly threatened to harm her and physically assault her.”

Judge Arthur ruled that Gregg should remain at the Rankin County Detention Center, noting that “it is jokingly referred to throughout the state of Mississippi as the ‘Hilton of Jails.’” The Rankin County Sheriff’s Department operates a highly secure jail.

Prosecutors noted they received additional information relevant to Gregg’s past, namely that she brought “contraband, possibly a knife,” to school in September 2021. No further details about the incident were provided.

Gregg’s trial is scheduled for September.