Carly Madison Gregg, the Mississippi teenager convicted of killing her mother and shooting her stepfather, has officially appealed her sentence.
Gregg’s legal counsel petitioned the Mississippi Supreme Court to have the teenager’s sentence overturned so that she could be given a new sentence or have her case could be retried. The teenager shot and killed her mother, Ashley Smylie, at their Brandon home and later shot her stepfather, Heath Smylie, before being caught by Rankin County Sheriff’s Deputies in March 2024. The case against Gregg garnered international attention and captivated audiences watching her trial, which was streamed on Court TV.
Gregg’s attorneys argue that the judge in the initial trial, Dewey Arthur, incorrectly oversaw the court proceedings and placed the case on a “rocket docket,” a process designed to expedite the prosecution of cases. The attorneys contend that this effectively put Gregg in a no-win situation at trial.
“In a case of this magnitude—requiring collection and review of extensive medical and mental-health records, multiple evaluations, substantial family/background history, and a disputed motive — such acceleration is extraordinary in Mississippi criminal practice,” Gregg’s legal counsel contends.
“The compressed timeline — set in motion when, at the first pretrial hearing, the trial court announced it ‘does not continue cases’ — together with erroneous and unconstitutional pretrial orders, deprived the defense of a fair opportunity to prepare and present a constitutionally adequate case and culminated in the imposition of life without parole on a juvenile.”
The complaint submitted to the state’s high court also contended that Gregg was deprived of her constitutional right to a fair trial, given that her counsel was allegedly given an insufficient amount of time to prepare an adequate defense case. Publicity surrounding the case was a point of contention, with attorneys arguing that the widespread coverage of Gregg’s trial influenced what happened in the courtroom.
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The attorneys insinuated that Gregg should have only been handed a life sentence if the jury had mandated that punishment. Otherwise, per her legal counsel, her sentence should have ranged between 20 and 40 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections. The defense also argued that state law prohibits a minor from being sentenced to life without parole.
“The trial court erred when it instructed the jury that it had an option to sentence Carly to life without eligibility for parole in Counts I and II,” the complaint further reads. “This is plain error and requires this Court to vacate Carly’s sentences of life without eligibility for parole for those counts and to remand this case for her to be lawfully sentenced in accordance with § 97-3- 21(2)(b) – the controlling statutory provision at the time of Carly’s trial and conviction.”
