A Wake County judge explained his reasoning for sentencing the 2022 Raleigh mass shooter to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Judge Paul Ridgeway released a 23-page court document explaining his reasoning for sentencing Austin Thompson to life in prison without the possibility of parole on five counts of murder.
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“[Thompson’s] crimes reflect permanent incorrigibility and irreparable corruption,” Ridgeway wrote.
Thompson pleaded guilty earlier this year to killing five people on Oct. 13, 2022, in the Hedingham neighborhood of Raleigh. Off-duty Raleigh police officer Gabriel Torres; James Thompson, the older brother of the shooter, Nicole Conners, 52; Mary Marshall, 34; and Susan Karnatz, 49, died in the shooting.
In addition to the five people killed, two others were injured.
Thompson was 15 years old at the time of the shooting.
A civil lawsuit related to the 2022 mass shooting is scheduled to move to trial on July 6. It is expected to last two weeks.