Teen pleads guilty to North Carolina mass shooting that killed five

RALEIGH, N.C. (JN) – An 18-year-old has pleaded guilty to murder and other charges for a mass shooting in North Carolina that killed five people, including his older brother and an off-duty police officer, bringing a measure of legal resolution to one of Raleigh’s deadliest acts of violence.

Austin David Thompson acknowledged in court on Wednesday that he carried out the October 2022 attack, when he was 15, avoiding a trial that had been scheduled to begin later this month. The plea ends more than two years of pretrial litigation and shifts the case toward sentencing, which could result in life imprisonment.

The hearing offered limited new insight into Thompson’s motive but laid out, in stark detail, the sequence of events that prosecutors say unfolded in a quiet residential neighborhood and nearby greenway, leaving families and the wider community grappling with lasting trauma.

Guilty plea entered ahead of trial

Thompson entered guilty pleas 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 assault on a law enforcement officer with a firearm. Wake County Superior Court Judge Paul Ridgeway accepted the pleas after questioning Thompson to confirm they were made knowingly and voluntarily.

Dressed in a quarter-zip sweater and slacks, Thompson spoke briefly during the proceedings. His attorneys told the court that no plea agreement had been reached with prosecutors and that the decision to plead guilty was intended to spare victims’ families and the community from the strain of a lengthy trial.

Judge Ridgeway scheduled a sentencing hearing for Feb. 2, which is expected to span several days as the court reviews testimony and evidence relevant to punishment.

Sentencing limits tied to defendant’s age

Because Thompson was a juvenile at the time of the killings, he is not eligible for the death penalty under North Carolina law. The court may impose life sentences without the possibility of parole for the murder convictions, though judges also have discretion to issue sentences that allow for parole eligibility after a lengthy minimum term.

Recent rulings by state appeals courts have placed limits on how long juvenile offenders must serve before becoming eligible for parole, setting a maximum of 40 years. In some cases, parole consideration can occur after at least 25 years, depending on how sentences are structured.

Legal proceedings in the case were delayed in part while Thompson recovered from a gunshot wound sustained during the incident. Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman has previously said the wound was self-inflicted. Defense attorneys have said the injury resulted in significant brain damage.

Prosecutors detail the sequence of attacks

Assistant District Attorney Patrick Latour outlined the evidence that would have been presented at trial, describing a series of shootings and stabbings that began inside the Thompson family home in Raleigh’s Hedingham community.

According to Latour, Thompson first shot and repeatedly stabbed his older brother, James Thompson. His body was later found inside the residence. Armed with a shotgun and a handgun, Thompson then moved through the neighborhood, shooting several people outdoors.

Prosecutors said Nicole Connors, 52, was fatally shot on the street, followed shortly by Officer Gabriel Torres, 29, an off-duty Raleigh police officer who was heading to work. Another neighbor was wounded but survived.

The violence continued onto a nearby greenway trail, where Thompson allegedly shot and killed Mary Marshall, 34, and Susan Karnatz, 49. Law enforcement later located Thompson in a shed after an hourslong search and standoff. During that encounter, another police officer was wounded before Thompson was taken into custody.

Motive remains largely unexplained

Wednesday’s hearing shed little light on why the attack occurred. Thompson’s attorneys wrote earlier this week that his brain injury has left him unable to explain his actions.

Latour said investigators recovered a written note in which Thompson addressed the killing of his brother, but the contents were not disclosed in court and remain under seal. Prosecutors also cited records indicating that Thompson had searched online for information related to mass shootings. A defense attorney said those records could be challenged during sentencing.

The lack of a clear motive has added to the anguish for victims’ families, many of whom have waited years for answers that may never fully come.

Families respond as case moves to sentencing

Robert Steele, who was engaged to Mary Marshall at the time of her death, said after the hearing that a sentence of life without parole would be appropriate.

“That’s justice,” Steele told reporters. “He took five people’s lives, he tried to take two others.”

In a related case, Thompson’s father pleaded guilty in 2024 to improperly storing a handgun that authorities said was later found with his son. He received a suspended sentence and probation.

Search warrants executed after the shooting led investigators to seize 11 firearms and roughly 160 boxes of ammunition from the family’s home, some of them empty. Prosecutors said the family were avid hunters, a fact that has been cited as part of the broader investigation into how the weapons were accessed.

As the case now turns to sentencing, the court faces the task of weighing accountability, the defendant’s age at the time of the crimes, and the lasting impact on a community still marked by one of the most devastating shootings in its history.