Austin Thompson sentenced to life without parole, closing a painful chapter in Raleigh as the court rejects the defense’s medication argument and orders the teen gunman to spend the rest of his life behind bars.
RALEIGH, N.C. — It’s officially over for Austin Thompson.
The teen who terrorized a Raleigh neighborhood in 2022 and killed five innocent people will spend the rest of his days in prison. On Friday, Wake County Superior Court Judge Paul Ridgeway handed down the sentence that many families had been waiting years to hear.
Raleigh Police Seize Veterans Dodge Charger in Auto Theft Investigation
Thompson, who was just 15 years old at the time of the massacre, received five consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole — one for each count of first-degree murder. On top of that, he was sentenced to an additional minimum of 157 months for each attempted murder conviction, to be served after the life terms.
In plain terms. Austin Thompson will die in prison.
JUDGE REJECTS “ACNE MEDICATION” DEFENSE
Before reading the final judgment, Judge Ridgeway carefully recounted the testimony from grieving families who took the stand. Then he addressed the defense’s argument that acne medication — specifically minocycline — played a role in Thompson’s mental state.
The judge wasn’t buying it.
“The court finds that the theory the defendant was overtaken by dissociation at the time of the murders is belied by other facts and circumstances in the case,” Ridgeway said. “The theory of minocycline is not supported by evidence and rejected by the court.”
According to evidence presented in court, Thompson had conducted prior research and planning. Prosecutors pointed to his search history and bomb diagram notes that were discovered hidden inside a hollowed-out ChapStick tube.
Judge Ridgeway said the evidence showed Thompson knew exactly what he was doing. Because Thompson was a juvenile at the time of the crimes, he was not eligible for the death penalty. However, the judge described him as the rare juvenile offender whose crimes reflect what he called “irreparable corruption.”
Wake County Schools Pay 800K Settlement in Delvin Ferrell School Shooting Death
As the sentence was read, family members of the victims cried out — some sobbing, others audibly reacting as the reality set in. Thompson showed little visible reaction as deputies escorted him out of the courtroom to begin serving what will be the remainder of his life behind bars.
