ABC11 has learned that Thompson's attorneys filed motions for a guilty plea from the defendant.
Austin Thompson is accused of killing five people in the Hedingham neighborhood and his trial was scheduled to begin on Feb. 2.
The three-page filing obtained by ABC11 states Thompson wants to plead guilty to all charges to spare the community of a trial and inflict more trauma. It goes on to say that by moving straight to the sentencing hearing, he hopes what comes out during sentencing brings peace and as much closure as possible.
Full filing below
NOW COMES Austin Thompson, by and through his attorneys, and notices his intention to plead guilty to all charges. Austin was 15 years old when these events occurred. While the serious brain injury he suffered has made it such that Austin cannot explain why he committed this shooting, he has always accepted that he did this. He recognizes the deep pain he has caused the victims' families as well as his own family. After lengthy discussions with his attorneys about how a trial would proceed, he has decided he wishes to save the community and the victims from as much additional infliction of trauma as possible. Austin understands he can never change what happened, but he hopes that pleading as charged and moving into a sentencing hearing only will allow for the victims, the community, and his family to be spared a trial, and he hopes that the material presented at the sentencing hearing brings as much peace and closure as possible.
This the 20th day of January, 2026.
Hedingham Victims
Mary Marshall was one of five people killed in October of 2022 and ABC11 spoke with her fiancé, Robert Steele.
"The evidence was just overwhelming and it should have been done a year ago," said Steele. "We know he's guilty. He knows he's guilty. There's no way to fight this because he wrote it in his admission letter about killing his brother. There's no way we can get away with it."
He says the expected plea will provide him with closure after such a tragedy.
"I'm glad it's going to finally be over," said Steele. "I've done the best I can to move on through almost three-and-a-half years since the shooting. I've done pretty good with that, but closure is going to make it easier to finally move on."
Sherry Rogers has lived in Hedingham for more than 30 years and is relieved Thompson has decided to enter a guilty plea.
"Nobody needed the trauma of the trial," she said. "To put us through a trial and the cost in the show, and it just seemed really ludicrous. So I'm so grateful they had the good sense to come to this plea today."
Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman says her office is ready to move forward with the plea and that Thompson's sentence hearing would be held in February.
Thompson's attorneys have filed a number of motions ahead of the trial.
In the latest one last week, requesting that a medical professional be present in the courtroom throughout the trial, citing a head injury that makes Thompson prone to seizures and in need of special medical attention. They are also seeking a special hearing to determine how to ensure his safety.
Earlier this month, longtime judge and legal expert Carl Fox said the prosecution faced some obstacles in this case, including establishing a motive.
"Jurors do like to know why something happened," he said. "It isn't necessary, but it's one of those things that jurors are curious about in a case like this."
Fox says jury selection will be another hurdle for the prosecution, considering how many people know about this case.
The Hedingham shooting drew national attention.
"I would suspect that they would summon 100 or so jurors a day," said Fox. "It's gotten a lot of publicity and that's what makes it harder to try than other cases that don't see this kind of publicity."
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His defense attorney did not want to comment on the filings.
SEE ALSO | Hedingham mass shooting video released by Raleigh Police shows capture of suspect Austin Thompson