RANKIN COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) – The Rankin County teenager accused of killing her mother appeared in court on Tuesday, September 10 for a pre-trial motion hearing.
The court denied a motion to transfer Carly Gregg’s case to Youth Court. They spent some time on the issue of reliability of a drug screening conducted for Gregg.
Judge Dewey Arthur decided that the state may proceed with including results of Gregg’s urine sample for a valid governmental reason. The state said Gregg cannot plead insanity because of voluntary intoxication. They said she admitted she used marijuana just days before her mother was killed.
During her last court appearance in August, Gregg rejected a plea deal in which she would be sentenced to 40 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC). The case will now go to trial, and Gregg faces up to life in prison.
A grand jury previously indicted Gregg on the counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder and tampering with evidence.
The shooting happened just after 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 19 in the 200 block of Ashton Way.
When deputies arrived at the location, they found a man suffering from a gunshot wound to the shoulder. The man told deputies that he arrived home and found his wife, who was identified as 40-year-old Ashley Smylie, deceased from an apparent gunshot wound. He claimed his 14-year-old step-daughter was armed with a pistol.
According to Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey, the victim stated Gregg shot him in the shoulder. The man was able to take the weapon from the teenager, who then ran into the backyard and jumped over a fence.
Bailey said additional deputies responded to the scene, along with the Mississippi Highway Patrol’s (MHP) helicopter. Just after 5:30 p.m., Gregg was located not far from the residence and taken into custody without incident.
During her initial court appearance, Gregg pled not guilty to the charges. Her bond was set at $1 million. She is being held in the Rankin County Adult Detention Center.
There will be another hearing on Friday, September 13 at 9:00 a.m.