RANKIN COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) – On Wednesday, the defense in the trial of the Rankin County teen accused of killing her mother presented their case to the jury.
The defense called witnesses to the stand, including Heath Smylie, the stepfather of Carly Gregg. He was questioned about his relationship with Gregg’s mother, 40-year-old Ashley Smylie, and how well the two got along. The defense also asked him what Gregg appeared to have felt about Health Smylie marrying her mother.
“She appeared very happy with it all, and she was just her normal, wonderful self all day,” he said.
The defense also called Dr. Andrew Clark, a child psychiatrist, to the stand. He said he diagnosed Gregg with Bipolar II disorder. Clark claimed that Gregg’s anti-depressants may have made her mental state worse. Her attorneys noted that she had changes anti-depressant medications in the weeks before the homicide and implied it had impacted her behavior.
“When you treat Bipolar II with antidepressant medication, you often can make things worse. Either nothing gets better or you can make someone worse because you can drive them into a manic state. And I think of it, I often say to patients, it’s like having a boat without a keel. If you don’t have a stable move in your cranking up the motor, you’re going to be zigzagging all over the lake,” Clark testified.
After a cross-examination by the state, the defense rested its case. The State rested its case on Tuesday, September 17. The trial will resume on Thursday, September 19.
Last week, the court denied a motion to transfer Gregg’s case to Youth Court. 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 a 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). Gregg now faces up to life in prison, if convicted by the jury.
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 Health Smylie suffering from a gunshot wound to the shoulder. He told deputies that he arrived home and found his wife 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.