In a high-profile sentencing in Raleigh, a North Carolina judge on Feb. 13, 2026 ordered an 18-year-old man to spend the rest of his life in prison with no possibility of release for his role in a 2022 mass shooting that left five people dead. The decision follows his guilty pleas earlier in the year and rejected defense requests for future parole eligibility.
Harrowing 2022 Shooting and Guilty Plea
Austin David Thompson carried out the Oct. 13, 2022 attack in his Raleigh neighborhood when he was 15 years old, beginning with the fatal shooting and stabbing of his 16-year-old brother at their home. Armed and dressed in camouflage, he then fatally shot four others — including an off-duty Raleigh police officer — along nearby streets and a greenway trail before being arrested after a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
In January 2026, Thompson pleaded guilty to five counts of first-degree murder and other related charges just weeks before his scheduled trial, acknowledging responsibility for the killings and avoiding a full jury trial.
Judge Rejects Parole, Cites Planning and Violence
During Friday’s sentencing, Superior Court Judge Paul Ridgeway opted for life in prison without parole, dismissing defense arguments that Thompson should one day have a chance for release. The judge underscored the extensive premeditation and calculated actions leading up to the shooting, saying it reflected “irreparable corruption” and a rarity among juvenile offenders.
Prosecutors presented evidence, including a handwritten note discovered at Thompson’s home referencing misanthropic sentiments and a long record of internet searches tied to weapons and violence in the months before the attack.
Response From Families and Legal Defense
Family members of the victims wept in court as the sentence was pronounced. Some spoke out publicly, calling for the harshest penalty. Thompson’s defense team signaled intent to appeal, and had argued that his actions were linked to a dissociative episode potentially triggered by medication, a theory the judge ultimately rejected.
