US EditionJudge sentences teen to life without parole for fatally shooting 5 in North Carolina
Judge rejects defense claims of medication-induced dissociation, citing months of planning; Thompson pleaded guilty to killing five during an eco-misanthropic motivated attack.
- On Friday, a judge sentenced 18-year-old Austin David Thompson to life without parole after he pleaded guilty last month to five counts of first-degree murder and did not speak in court.
- The attack began at Austin David Thompson's Raleigh home on Oct. 13, 2022, when he shot and stabbed his 16-year-old brother, James, then fatally shot four others including Officer Gabriel Torres.
- During the hearing last week, prosecutors revealed a handwritten note found at Thompson's family house that said `the reason I did this is because I hate humans they are destroying the planet/earth`, with defense arguing medication caused his dissociative episode.
- Following testimony, the court rejected the medication and genetic defenses, with Ridgeway deciding the evidence did not support an altered mental-state conclusion and noting months of planning confirmed `irreparable corruption`.
- Victims' family members reacted as the sentence was handed down, with Jasmin Torres calling Thompson `monster` and family members crying in court.
25 Articles
25 Articles
North Carolina teen who killed brother and 4 neighbors in 2022 attack sentenced to life without parole
Austin Thompson, the North Carolina teenager convicted of killing his brother and four neighbors in a 2022 rampage, was sentenced on Friday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Raleigh mass shooter sentenced to life with no possibility for parole
Austin Thompson, who was 15 years old when he killed five people in a Raleigh neighborhood in 2022, will spend the rest of his life behind bars with no possibility of parole, a judge decided Friday.
Chicago Tribune
By GARY D. ROBERTSON RALEIGH, North Carolina, U.S.A. (AP) — A judge on Friday convicted an 18-year-old who admitted to killing five people in North Carolina for life without parole, rejecting arguments that he deserved the opportunity to be released within several decades. Austin David Thompson was 15 years old during the attack on October 13, 2022, which began at his home in Raleigh when he shot and repeatedly stabbed his 16-year-old brother, J…
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