here is my blog! This is not the end by Tara Ashby: On August 20, 2026, the Mississippi Supreme Court issued its long-awaited decision in Gregg v. State of Mississippi. The Court affirmed Carly’s convictions for first-degree murder, attempted murder, and tampering with evidence. It also affirmed the sentences imposed by the trial court.
For everyone who has followed Carly’s case, fought for her, prayed for her, supported her family, or simply believed that children deserve the opportunity to become more than the worst thing they have ever done, it was truly a difficult day.
However… IT IS NOT THE END OF CARLY’S STORY.
The Court specifically clarified that Carly’s sentence is “life imprisonment,” NOT life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The Court concluded that Carly is potentially eligible for parole. That ruling is critically important and deserves to be understood. That distinction matters. A LOT.
What it does NOT mean..
It does not mean Carly is coming home tomorrow.
It does not erase the devastating loss of Carly’s mother, Ashley Smylie.
It does not erase the injuries suffered by Carly’s stepfather, Heath Smylie.
And it certainly does not diminish the devastation of what happened on March 19, 2024.
What it DOES mean…
It means the door to a future outside of prison has not been permanently closed. And that distinction is ENORMOUS.
One of the most important parts of the opinion can easily get lost in “Carly’s conviction was affirmed” headline. The Court did NOT say that everything about Carly’s trial was perfect. In fact, the Court addressed multiple errors including issues surrounding the mental-health evaluation, evidentiary rulings, jury instructions, sentencing, and prosecutorial comments.
The Court specifically concluded that the trial court erred in allowing testimony regarding the plot of Crime and Punishment but determined that the error did not contribute to “beyond a reasonable doubt” verdict. Again, that distinction matters.
A 14-year-old is NOT a 40-year-old.
At the heart of our advocacy there has always been one fundamental truth: Carly was a child.
And this is where the hypocrisy of our justice system and society blows my mind. Our society recognizes that children are different from adults in countless ways.
• We don't allow individuals to drive until they reach 16 years of age.
• We don't allow them to vote or enlist in the military until they are 18.
• We don't allow them to legally consume alcohol until they are 21.
Yet we are willing to impose adult-level consequences on a 14-year-old child?
• A child who legally can’t yet have a driver’s license,
• A child who legally can’t yet vote or fight for our country
• A child who legally can’t yet consume alcohol.
In fact, just a few years prior to 14 believed in Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy. If someone can logically explain how a child can be considered too young to make countless adult decisions, yet old enough to be defined for the rest of her life by the worst decision she made at 14, we are listening…..and still waiting……
All of the above hasn’t even scratched the surface of mental illness.
In Carly's case, we continue to raise serious questions about the role that her mental health, medications, and her treatment may have played in what happened.
We all acknowledge the profound devastation caused by Ashley's death while also acknowledging that a 14-year-old's capacity for growth is fundamentally different from that of an adult.
• Children change.
• Their brains develop.
• Their understanding of consequences evolves.
• Their ability to regulate emotions develops.
• And perhaps most importantly, children have the capacity to become completely different people than the children they once were.
That is why juvenile justice exists.
The U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly recognized that children are constitutionally different from adults when it comes to punishment and the possibility of rehabilitation. And that is why we will continue to believe that a sentence imposed on a 14-year-old should never be viewed as the final definition of who that person will become.
Our advocacy has never:
• denied what happened.
• claimed that Carly didn't contribute to the death of her mother.
• denied the enormous void that now exists because Ashley Smylie is gone.
We don't have to deny those things to advocate for Carly.
What we DO say and what we DO believe: Carly, while being held accountable for this horrific act, should NOT be denied the possibility of becoming someone better. Those ideas are not contradictory. They are the foundation of meaningful juvenile justice. Accountability does not have to mean abandoning hope. Justice does not have to mean giving up on rehabilitation. And punishment does not have to mean deciding that a child is permanently beyond redemption.
Where do we go from here?
The Mississippi Supreme Court's ruling means the direct appeal did not provide the relief Carly’s family and supporters had hoped for—but it does not mean the fight is over. There are still legal avenues to explore, and the possibility of parole remains an important part of Carly’s future.