Raleigh 2022 Mass Shooter Austin Thompson Pleads Guilty to Five Murders
Austin David Thompson pleaded guilty to five counts of first-degree murder, two counts each of attempted first-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon, and one count of assaulting an officer with a gun for the Oct. 13, 2022 Raleigh rampage that prosecutors say began with the shooting and repeated stabbing of his brother James inside the family home and continued in the Hedingham neighborhood and a nearby greenway, killing neighbors Nicole Connors, Mary Marshall and Susan Karnatz and Officer Gabriel Torres while wounding another neighbor and Officer Casey Clark; officers fired roughly 23 rounds before his arrest. Judge Paul Ridgeway accepted the plea, set a multi-day sentencing hearing for Feb. 2, and prosecutors say there is no plea deal — Thompson, who was a juvenile at the time and thus ineligible for the death penalty, faces the possibility of life without parole while his defense has said a self-inflicted gunshot before arrest caused significant brain damage that delayed proceedings.
📌 Key Facts
- Austin David Thompson pleaded guilty 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 assaulting an officer with a gun.
- Judge Paul Ridgeway conducted a colloquy with Thompson, formally accepted the plea, and set a multi-day sentencing hearing for Feb. 2.
- Prosecutors say the Oct. 13, 2022 rampage began with Thompson shooting and repeatedly stabbing his brother James inside the family home, then killing Nicole Connors and Raleigh Police Officer Gabriel Torres in the Hedingham neighborhood, killing Mary Marshall and Susan Karnatz on a nearby greenway, wounding another neighbor and Officer Casey Clark, with officers firing roughly 23 rounds before arresting Thompson.
- There is no plea deal; Thompson faces potential life without parole but, because he was a juvenile at the time of the crimes, is ineligible for the death penalty — recent state appellate rulings limit juvenile parole-eligibility wait times to 40 years.
- Defense attorneys say Thompson suffered significant brain damage from a self-inflicted gunshot wound before his arrest, which delayed earlier court proceedings.
📰 Source Timeline (2)
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- Confirms that Austin David Thompson pleaded guilty not only to five counts of first-degree murder but also to two counts each of attempted first-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon, plus one count of assaulting an officer with a gun.
- Details Judge Paul Ridgeway’s colloquy with Thompson and formal acceptance of the plea, and sets a specific sentencing date of Feb. 2 with an expected multi-day hearing.
- Reiterates that no plea deal exists; Thompson faces potential life without parole but, as a juvenile at the time of the crimes, is ineligible for the death penalty, with recent state appellate rulings capping juvenile parole-eligibility wait times at 40 years.
- Adds prosecution narrative of the sequence of the Oct. 13, 2022 rampage: the shooting and repeated stabbing of his brother James inside the family home; killings of Nicole Connors and Officer Gabriel Torres in the Hedingham neighborhood; killings of Mary Marshall and Susan Karnatz on a nearby greenway; wounding of another neighbor and Officer Casey Clark; and officers firing roughly 23 rounds before Thompson was arrested.
- Notes defense claims that a self-inflicted gunshot wound before arrest caused significant brain damage, which had delayed proceedings.