Mississippi girl, 14, charged with murdering her mother and wounding stepfather in shooting rampage at home 'often talked of killing her mom' - but classmates say they dismissed threats as 'teen angst'

Friends and classmates of a 14-year-old girl accused of shooting her mother dead and wounding her stepfather say she often talked of killing her mom.

Carly Madison Gregg was charged with murder after Heath Smylie, 38, came home at about 5pm on March 19 to find his schoolteacher wife Ashley Smylie, 40, dead.

The girl allegedly shot him in the shoulder in their home on Ashton Way just outside Jackson, Mississippi, but he was able to wrestle the gun away from her.

Gregg jumped over a backyard fence and ran away, but was caught by police about half an hour later after they hunted her in a helicopter.

Her classmates at Northwest Rankin High School, where Smylie also taught, were shocked and believe they missed 'red flags' they wrote off a teen angst.

Carly Madison Gregg, 14, allegedly shot dead her mother and wounded her stepfather

Ashley Smylie, 40, was allegedly shot dead by her 14-year-old daughter

'She was acting normal that day, but she had always been saying things about how she hated her mom,' one said.

'Carly said a lot of alarming things but people never took her seriously because she never did anything to act on them before.

'She said things like "I'm gonna kill her (her mother)" but the teenager angst way, which in hindsight to everyone now were red flags that we didn't see.'

Multiple classmates said Gregg was taking medication for borderline personality disorder, a mental illness that causes dramatic mood swings.

Doctors told DailyMail.com the symptoms Gregg's friends and classmates described were consistent with BPD.

The classmate said Gregg spoke with great hatred about people she didn't like, 'and she talked about how she didn’t like her mom'.

'Nobody raised concerns because she had always been that way. It always sounded like venting,' they said.

Gregg also frequently claimed to friends that she was abused at home, but there is no evidence to support her allegations and police cleared her stepfather of any wrongdoing.

Gregg was charged as an adult with murdering her mother and the attempted murder of her stepfather

Tributes posted outside the door to Ashley Smylie's classroom at Northwest Rankin High School

Another classmate said Gregg had 'death symbols' stuck on her laptop.

A third said: 'I was friends with her last year and never saw any signs. It's just heartbreaking.'

Friends said there was no change to her behavior on the day of the shooting, and the entire school was at a loss to understand it.

'Even though we are a big school, everybody has usually heard or seen everybody else. And word spreads extremely fast,' one said, noting that most students knew about the shooting within half an hour of police being called.

Another student said Gregg's negative attitude towards her mother was not reciprocated.

'Anyone who had her class knows that she always talked so proudly of her daughter,' they said.

Students speaking in the days after the shooting described their teachers breaking down and a suffocating feeling of dread.

'The atmosphere is so thick with sadness and confusion. We are all confused and lost,' one said.

'The rest of my teachers are so down and the energy this school usually has is gone. I walk past the same teachers every day and even the principle and say hi and today there was barely any glances. 

'We have counselors and mental health specialists here but this is not something I’d ever think would happen at my school.'

Gregg jumped over a backyard fence and ran away, but was caught by police about half-an-hour later after they hunted her in a helicopter

'My algebra teacher came in the class and her voice was cracking so bad she burst into tears and left for 30 min, we didn’t even do work,' another said.

'Everyone was so down and depressed... our school was so vibrant and joyful and then this happened and it's just so gloomy now.'

Gregg had a Tumblr with no posts, but wrote 'cheezitz and heinous war crimes' as the about section.

Police have not given any indication about a possible motive for the alleged murder. 

Gregg was charged as an adult with murdering her mother and the attempted murder of Heath Smylie, Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey said. 

The teenager was taken to Rankin County Juvenile Detention Center but moved to the adult jail after the charges were laid.

Gregg briefly appeared at Rankin County Court before Judge Kent McDaniel last week where she pleaded not guilty and was given a $1 million bond.

Smylie taught math at Northwest Rankin High, where she was beloved by her students and  named new teacher of the year in 2022.

'This was my son's favorite teacher, he is so upset about it,' one parent wrote on social media.

'We miss Mrs Smylie, today was really hard for everyone at the school she has impacted us so much everyone loves her and passing her classroom today was so hard and just being at the school was hard,' one student said.

'I cried all night last night and cried 10 times at school today.'

Gregg (right) receiving a martial arts award

Smylie (right) with some of her family. Her funeral was held on Thursday

Former students recalled how a much younger Gregg sometimes accompanied her mother to class.

'I never thought that sweet girl would do something like this,' one wrote.

Her fifth grade teacher Shawn Mitchell said Gregg was a straight-A student and she couldn't wrap her head around her allegedly killing her mother.

'Never would I have ever thought she'd do something like this. She had the sweetest mom! Breaks my heart,' she posted. 

Friends and family posted tributes to Ashley Smylie online and vented their grief at her daughter's alleged actions.

'My precious cousin Ashley was absolutely one of the sweetest people you will ever meet. Her quiet, kind ways blessed those around her. We miss her greatly,' her cousin Karen Bedells wrote.

'Please send any positive thoughts you can spare to my family, especially my aunt and uncle. Ashley was a sweet, genuine person who didn't deserve this,' another cousin, Robin Breland, posted.

'You probably won't see this, I don't care if you do, but really you coulda reached out to [somebody] other than take the life of an amazing WOMAN,' a friend commented on Gregg's social media page.

'We can't do nothing now but grieve because of the mistake YOU made, you didn't need to take someone's life to get away from the problems you had. 

Ashley Smylie was found dead at her home on Ashton Way near Jackson, Mississippi, on Tuesday afternoon when her husband came home

Gregg briefly appeared at Rankin County Court before Judge Kent McDaniel Wednesday morning

'Because now you have made an even bigger problem with yourself and others, did you feel proud?

'Did your heart sink deeper into your chest when you pulled the trigger? Do you feel what WE FEEL NOW? 

'I pray for you, and may God bless you but what you have done will stick with everyone forever.'

Less than four weeks before the shooting, Gregg posted a series of photos of the family's two dogs and three cats, writing 'I love my animals'.

The Mississippi House of Representatives adjourned on March 20, the day after Smylie's death, as a tribute to her.

Ashley Smylie previously taught at Warren Central High School for five years.

Her body was taken to State Medical Examiner for an autopsy by Rankin County Coroner David Ruth to investigate her death.

Her funeral was held on Thursday. 

The school suffered another tragedy a week later when Cameron Horne-Crook, 14, an eighth-grade student at Northwest Rankin Middle School, was shot dead on Monday.

John Foote, 17, and Maxle Mooneyham, 16, were charged as adults with his murder.