Live updates: Austin Thompson sentenced to life without possibility of parole for killing 5 people

Austin Thompson's defense team called his mother, Elise, back to the stand, and she testified for about an hour and a half Tuesday.

Graphic pictures that she took of Thompson after he shot himself in the head were shown in court.

The photos show Thompson hooked up to several tubes, and massive stitches were visible where he shot himself in the center of his forehead.

"I tried to cover my mouth because I started to scream, and I remember that they caught me because my knees just buckled," said Elise Thompson. "The bullet went in his forehead, it went out the upper left side of his skull, and they had to, he did not have a skull for, I want to say, till the following March."

A psychiatrist who examined Austin Thompson after the Hedingham mass shooting took the stand during today's hearing.

Dr. George Corbin examined Thompson after he shot himself and was released from the hospital.

Thompson pleaded guilty to murdering 5 people in October, 2022.

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The mother of Austin Thompson took the stand in her son's defense during his sentencing hearing.

The defense asked her about the family's life before the shooting and after. Not about the day of the shooting.

Pictures were shown of the Thompson children when they are young.

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Today begins the second week of testimony in the hearing that will ultimately decide Austin Thompson's fate.

Last week the state closed its case with an FBI profiler.

Now the defense will present their case and we are expecting to hear from Thompson's mother once again.

Throughout last week, a Raleigh police investigator says leading up to the shooting Thompson searched serial killers and school
shooters upwards of 25 times, but less than .5% of content in his phone included assaults and shootings.

An alleged confession letter was also read where Thompson himself wrote why he killed his brother and others.

SEE ALSO: Follow our live updates for the Austin Thompson sentencing

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