Teen pleads guilty in Raleigh rampage that killed five, wounded two

An 18-year-old man pleaded guilty Wednesday to a killing rampage that left five people dead and two wounded in Raleigh, closing the state trial phase of a case that has haunted the Hedingham neighborhood and raised urgent questions about youth violence, firearm access and community mental health.

Austin David Thompson, who was 15 at the time of the October 2022 attacks, entered guilty pleas in Wake County Superior Court to five counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and one count of assault of an officer with a gun. Judge Paul Ridgeway accepted the pleas after Thompson, wearing a quarter-zip sweater and slacks, spoke only briefly during a short hearing.

Court filings and prosecutors’ previously signaled intentions make clear the state planned to present aggravating evidence at trial, saying the offenses were among factors that made the crimes "especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel" and that Thompson attempted to avoid custody. Defense attorneys told the court one day earlier that Thompson would plead guilty, filing that an avoided trial would "save the community and the victims from as much additional infliction of trauma as possible" and that the material presented at sentencing might bring "as much peace and closure as possible."

The five people killed were identified in charging documents and court proceedings as Raleigh Police Officer Gabriel Torres; James Roger Thompson, the defendant’s older brother; Mary Elizabeth Marshall; Nicole Connors; and Susan Karnatz. Two people survived gunshot wounds: Marcille Lynn Gardner and a Raleigh police officer identified in charging documents as C. Clark. Investigators have said the shootings began in the Hedingham community in east Raleigh and moved through nearby locations.

Investigative records cited in court filings show Thompson sustained a gunshot wound before his arrest that prosecutors concluded was self-inflicted. Defense lawyers have said that wound caused a brain injury, and they cited medical recovery as one reason for earlier court delays. Search warrants indicate investigators seized 11 firearms and 160 boxes of ammunition from the Thompson home; court filings note the family were avid hunters. In 2024 Thompson’s father pleaded guilty to improperly storing a handgun found with Austin after the shootings and received a suspended sentence and probation.

With the guilty pleas accepted, Thompson will not face the jury trial scheduled to begin in early February; instead a sentencing hearing is set for Feb. 2, 2026, the date the trial had been slated to start. Prosecutors are expected to present aggravating evidence at sentencing, which will shape whether the court imposes the harshest available penalties under state law.

Beyond the legal consequences, the case exposes systemic fault lines. Community leaders and trauma experts say mass shootings reverberate long after prosecutions end, increasing demand for mental health care among survivors, first responders and neighbors. The facts of this case, a juvenile perpetrator, claims of brain injury, and a parent convicted of unsafe gun storage, highlight intersections between youth mental health services, firearm safety enforcement, and criminal justice policy.

As Raleigh looks toward sentencing, families and community health providers face the immediate task of meeting ongoing needs: treating survivors, supporting bereaved households, and addressing the broader prevention gaps that allowed a teenage shooter access to a cache of weapons. The court process will determine Thompson’s punishment, but it will not by itself resolve the public health and policy questions this tragedy laid bare.