Ashley Smiley, an elementary school teacher, started dating Hit Smiley in 2019. After a few years together, they decided to marry in 2022 and created a new family in Brandle, with Carly Greg, Ashley’s daughter from a previous marriage.
Carly, who was 14 at the time, was described as a troubled teenager. She was involved in a secret relationship, used drugs like marijuana, hid disposable phones to avoid being tracked by her parents, and kept a collection of vapes in her room. All of this was done without the knowledge of her mother, Ashley, or her stepfather, Hit.
Ashley and Hit were concerned about Carly’s behavior, especially because of her rebelliousness and addictions, and tried to intervene to get the young girl to break off the relationship that seemed to be negatively influencing her life. However, Carly continued to meet with her boyfriend in secret.
Day of the crime
On March 19, 2024, Ashley followed her usual routine and took Carly to school, where she also worked as a teacher. During the day, one of Carly’s friends, concerned about her state, decided to tell Ashley about the young girl’s drug use, particularly marijuana, and about the disposable phones Carly had been hiding. This friend reported that he and Carly had argued that morning, and he felt it was the right time to reveal what was happening.
In the late afternoon, around 4 p.m., Ashley picked Carly up from school, and the two returned home. After letting the family’s two dogs out into the yard, Carly spent some time playing with them. Meanwhile, Ashley began searching her daughter’s room for more evidence of Carly’s rebellious behavior. She found four boxes of vapes, which she stored in her own room upstairs before returning to Carly’s room to continue the search.
When Carly came back inside, she realized her mother was going through her things. The young girl then went directly to Ashley’s room, where she knew there was a gun kept in a cabinet. She took the gun, hid it behind her back, and calmly walked downstairs, passing through the kitchen and heading toward her room.
It was at this moment that Carly raised the gun and fired three shots at Ashley’s head, killing her instantly.
Attempt to manipulate the stepfather
After murdering her mother, Carly didn’t panic but adopted a cold and calculated demeanor. She took Ashley’s phone and began sending messages to her stepfather, Hit, pretending to be her mother.
In the first message, she asked, “When are you coming home?” Hit replied that he would be home a little later that day. Carly, still pretending to be her mother, responded with an emoji, trying to keep things normal.
While waiting for Hit to return, Carly called some friends, asking for help without revealing what she had just done. Apparently, Carly wanted someone to share the burden with, but without mentioning the murder.
All of Carly’s movements were captured by the family’s security cameras. In the footage, she appeared strangely calm and indifferent to the gravity of the situation. In one video, Carly is even seen singing to one of the family dogs, showing no sign of remorse.
Friends’ arrival and the confession
Shortly after, one of Carly’s friends arrived at the house. This witness, who chose to remain anonymous, told the court that Carly greeted her with a disturbing question: “Have you ever seen a dead body? Does it make you sick?” Then Carly said, “My mom is inside.” The friend entered Ashley’s room and saw Carly’s mother’s body, with her arms crossed and a towel over her head.
In a boastful tone, Carly confessed to the crime, saying: “I put three bullets in my mom and have three more waiting for my stepdad,” referring to the number of bullets still left in the gun.
When Hit finally arrived home, Carly attempted to shoot him, but missed. Desperate, she fled through the backyard. A video captured by the security camera shows Carly and her friend jumping the back fence and running down the alley behind the house, trying to escape.
Hit, not understanding the gravity of the situation, initially thought he had been targeted by an intruder and began walking around the house with a gun in hand, trying to defend himself. However, he soon discovered what had happened.
Arrest and trial
Carly was captured near her home shortly after her attempted escape. She was charged with the premeditated murder of her mother, the attempted murder of her stepfather, and tampering with evidence. Carly was tried as an adult, despite being only 15 years old at the time of the trial.
In court, Carly claimed she didn’t remember anything that happened after letting the dogs out into the yard. She said her memory only returned when she was standing on the side of a road, wet after crawling out of a sewer pipe, and was approached by the police. The defense claimed that Carly suffered from an unspecified mental illness and that, at the time of the crime, she was not fully aware of what she was doing.
During the trial, psychologists and experts were called to assess Carly’s mental state. Dr. Andrew Clark, a child psychologist, revealed that Carly heard voices and had a history of depression, which worsened after her sister’s death when Carly was only 4 years old.
Forensic psychiatrist Dr. Jason Picket highlighted that Carly’s messages and statements suggested disturbing and “theatrical” behavior, citing an example of a text message where Carly wrote: “You don’t understand how psychotic I was that day. I almost murdered my parents.”
Sentencing
After a highly publicized trial, on September 20, 2024, a Reiken County jury found Carly guilty. She was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for the murder of her mother and the attempted murder of her stepfather. Additionally, she was sentenced to 10 more years for tampering with evidence. The sentences will be served concurrently.
Carly rejected a plea deal offered by the prosecution that would have given her 40 years in prison instead of a life sentence if she pleaded guilty.
