Austin David Thompson, 18, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Friday for the 2022 shooting deaths of five people in Raleigh, North Carolina, including his 16-year-old brother. The sentencing comes after Thompson pleaded guilty last month to five counts of first-degree murder.
The attacks began on October 13, 2022, when Thompson shot and killed his brother, James Thompson, at their home shortly after school. He then proceeded to shoot four other individuals in the surrounding area, including a police officer who was off-duty, before being apprehended after suffering a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence suggesting Thompson had planned the attacks, citing his internet search history related to prior shootings and firearms. A handwritten note discovered at his home, dated the day of the shooting, revealed his motives. “The reason why I did Here’s because I hate people — they destroy the planet/Earth,” Thompson wrote, adding that he killed his brother “because he was in the way.”
Thompson’s defense team attempted to argue that his actions were the result of a dissociative episode triggered by a medication he was taking for acne. Psychiatrists and geneticists testified in support of this claim, but Judge Paul Ridgeway rejected the argument, stating that the evidence did not support it. The defense has indicated plans to appeal the verdict.
The mass shooting deeply impacted the Raleigh community and reignited the debate surrounding gun violence in the United States. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper described the shooting as “a nightmare for any community,” calling it “a senseless, horrific and infuriating act of violence.” He added, “Terror has reach to our doorstep.”
Despite Thompson’s age at the time of the crime – 15 – the court ruled out the possibility of the death penalty. The sentencing concludes a case that has drawn national attention and raised questions about the factors contributing to youth violence.
