An 18-year-old pleaded guilty Wednesday to murder and other charges for a 2022 mass shooting in Raleigh, North Carolina, that killed five people, including his older brother and a police officer. Austin David Thompson was 15 years old when he carried out the October 13, 2022, attack. Thompson pleaded guilty 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 of an officer with a gun.
Because Thompson was 15 at the time of the shooting, he cannot be sentenced to death. A judge can sentence him to life imprisonment without parole or, under state law, to a sentence allowing parole eligibility after at least 25 years. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for February 2.
Guilty Plea in 2022 Raleigh Shooting
Thompson’s plea ended what was set to be a closely watched trial. The case had drawn attention from victims’ families. His plea acknowledged responsibility for one of North Carolina’s deadliest mass shooting incidents.
Assistant District Attorney Patrick Latour presented a summary of evidence showing the sequence of the October 2022 attack. Thompson first shot and repeatedly stabbed his older brother James in the family home in the Hedingham community. Armed with a shotgun and handgun, he moved through the community’s streets, fatally shooting neighbor Nicole Connors and off-duty Raleigh police officer Gabriel Torres. He fired at another neighbor, who was wounded but survived. Later, he fatally shot Mary Marshall and Susan Karnatz on a nearby greenway trail.
Arrest and Investigation
Dressed in camouflage and carrying a backpack, Thompson was located by law enforcement in a shed following an hours-long standoff. He wounded another police officer during the confrontation before his arrest.
Thompson’s injuries, sustained before his arrest, complicated the case. Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman concluded Thompson’s gunshot wound was self-inflicted, resulting in a serious brain injury. Thompson’s defense attorneys attributed their client’s inability to explain his motive to this injury.
Assistant District Attorney Latour said Thompson had written a note acknowledging why he killed his brother, but this information was ordered to remain confidential. Investigators also discovered that Thompson’s online search history revealed he had sought information on mass shootings and related items. Thompson’s defense team indicated they may challenge this report at sentencing.
Motive and Sentencing Considerations
The inability to establish a clear public motive was notable. Thompson’s attorneys wrote in court filings that avoiding a trial would “save the community and the victims from as much additional infliction of trauma as possible.”
Judge Paul Ridgeway questioned Thompson during Wednesday’s hearing and accepted his pleas. He set sentencing for February 2, which prosecutors said could last several days as testimony and evidence are reviewed. No plea agreement had been reached with local prosecutors.
Thompson cannot receive the death penalty because of his age at the time of the offense. The judge may sentence him to life in prison without parole, or alternatively to a sentence permitting parole eligibility after at least 25 years, under a state appeals court decision that placed a 40-year limit on how long young offenders must serve before parole eligibility.
Impact and Prior Charges
Robert Steele, Mary Marshall’s fiancé at the time of her death, told reporters after the hearing that “sentencing Thompson to life in prison without parole is the right thing to do. That’s justice. He took five people’s lives, he tried to take two others.”
The case also involved charges against Thompson’s father. In 2024, he pleaded guilty to improperly storing the handgun that authorities found when his son was arrested. He received a suspended sentence and probation.
Investigators seized 11 firearms and 160 boxes of ammunition from the Thompson home, according to search warrants. Thompson and his family were avid hunters, Latour noted in his court presentation.