Murder of Ashley Smylie

Ashley Nicole Smylie (April 11, 1983 – March 19, 2024) was a mathematics teacher at Northwest Rankin High School in Brandon, Mississippi. She was married to Heath Smylie, a physical therapist, and had two daughters, including Carly Madison Gregg, born April 23, 2009, who attended the same high school where her mother taught. On the afternoon of the killing, Smylie had been informed by a student that Gregg was concealing a large quantity of cannabis, e-cigarettes, and burner phones in her bedroom. Gregg reportedly had a history of behavioral issues, including previously bringing a knife to school, and had been prescribed medication associated with reported dissociation, auditory hallucinations, and mood swings; her father suggested her drug use may have been influenced by his own history of drug use.

On March 19, 2024, after Smylie and Gregg returned home from school around 3:54 p.m., CCTV cameras in the garage and dining areas recorded Gregg retrieving a .357 Magnum handgun—owned by her mother—from beneath her parents' mattress and concealing it behind her back. Gregg then confronted her mother; three gunshots and screaming were captured on the footage. The shots struck Smylie's skull and, while not immediately fatal, resulted in her death within minutes. Gregg subsequently used her mother's phone to send a text message to Heath Smylie impersonating Ashley, and also invited a friend to the house.

When Heath Smylie arrived home at 5:03 p.m., Gregg allegedly ambushed him at the front door and fired several rounds from the same weapon, striking his shoulder near his trapezius muscle, less than six inches from his face. He disarmed her, after which she fled through the back door with a friend who had arrived at the house. Heath then found his wife dead and contacted police; Gregg was located and arrested nearby without incident. During the investigation, Heath removed and later returned CCTV equipment to police, and one missing camera was found inside the refrigerator, raising questions about evidence handling; he was warned he could face tampering charges and subsequently retained legal counsel.

Gregg was tried as an adult before a Rankin County jury beginning September 16, 2024. The defense raised an insanity claim under Mississippi's application of the M'Naghten rules, presenting testimony from psychiatrist Dr. Andrew Clark regarding Gregg's mental health crisis, which he attributed to a newly prescribed medication. State experts, including Dr. Jason Pickett and Dr. Amanda Gugliano, concluded Gregg understood the nature and wrongfulness of her actions and did not meet the legal standard for insanity. On September 20, 2024, after roughly two hours of deliberation, the jury found Gregg guilty of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and tampering with evidence. She was sentenced to two concurrent life sentences without parole plus a 10-year concurrent term, after declining a plea deal for a single 40-year sentence.

Gregg's defense filed an appeal on September 26, 2024, alleging trial errors and misconduct by prior counsel. The Mississippi Supreme Court scheduled oral arguments for May 27, 2026, addressing sentencing issues tied to juvenile parole eligibility law changes effective July 1, 2024. A group called "Carly's Warriors," organized by Gregg's maternal grandparents and other family members alongside Heath Smylie, was registered in February 2026 and argues the sentence is disproportionate given Gregg's age and medication changes.