18-year-old to plead guilty to North Carolina shooting that left 5 dead,
lawyers say
[January 21, 2026]
By GARY D. ROBERTSON
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — An 18-year-old plans to plead guilty to a 2022 mass
shooting in North Carolina that left five people dead — including his
older brother — avoiding a trial next month, his attorneys said Tuesday.
A written notice filed in Wake County court by the lawyers for Austin
Thompson said their client intends to plead guilty to all charges
against him.
Thompson was 15 when authorities believe he went on a killing rampage on
Oct. 13, 2022, beginning in his Raleigh neighborhood with his
16-year-old brother. A hearing ahead of his scheduled Feb. 2 trial was
set for Wednesday.
But through the intended plea, Thompson “has decided he wishes to save
the community and the victims from as much additional infliction of
trauma as possible,” attorneys Kellie Mannette and Deonte’ Thomas wrote.
The attorneys didn't immediately respond to emails Tuesday seeking
additional information on the decision.
Thompson’s legal proceedings were delayed in part as he recovered from a
gunshot wound that a prosecutor concluded was self-inflicted before his
arrest. His attorneys say it resulted in a brain injury.
Prosecutors had not revealed a potential motive for the shootings but in
a court filing said they had intended to prove Thompson's actions, among
other factors, were “especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel” and that
he attempted to avoid custody.
Tuesday’s filing by Thompson’s attorneys said that while “the serious
brain injury he suffered has made it such that Austin cannot explain why
he committed this shooting, he has always accepted that he did this.”
Thompson was charged as an adult on five counts of murder, two counts of
attempted murder, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and one
count of assault of an officer with a gun. A sentencing hearing would be
held later after any plea.
Because of his age at the time of the attack, Thompson could not receive
the death penalty if convicted. The case judge could decide to sentence
him to life in prison without parole on murder counts, or the judge
could grant at sentencing the possibility of parole after at least 25
years.
Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman said Tuesday that she was
aware of the plea notice. “We are ready to move forward. Our thoughts
are with the families of the victims," Freeman added in a text message
later.
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This image taken from video provided by WRAL-TV shows Austin
Thompson attending a hearing in Wake Superior Court in Raleigh,
N.C., on Jan. 10, 2025. (WRAL-TV via AP)
Thompson hopes “that the material presented at the sentencing
hearing brings as much peace and closure as possible,” his attorneys
wrote.
Prosecutors contend that Thompson shot and stabbed his brother
James, whose body was found in their home.
Police also said they believed Thompson then shot multiple neighbors
on the Hedingham community's streets, killing off-duty Raleigh
police Officer Gabriel Torres, 29, and Nicole Connors, 52. Another
neighbor who was wounded survived.
They also alleged that he later fatally shot two others on the
nearby Neuse River Greenway trail: Mary Marshall, 34, and Susan
Karnatz, 49.
Dressed in camouflage with multiple weapons strapped to his belt,
Thompson was located by law enforcement in a shed nearby and
arrested after an hourslong standoff that resulted in another police
officer being wounded.
Thompson’s attorneys had indicated last year that they intended to
use “diminished capacity” and “voluntary intoxication ... of a
prescribed medication” in his defense.
In 2024, Thompson’s father pleaded guilty to improperly storing a
handgun that authorities said was found with his son after the
shootings. He received a suspended sentence and probation.
Investigators seized 11 firearms and 160 boxes of ammunition — some
of them empty — from the Thompson home, according to search
warrants.
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