Austin Thompson's mother: 'I know he has to pay for this crime'
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Austin Thompson's defense team called his mother, Elise, back to the stand on Tuesday, and she testified for about an hour and a half.
Graphic pictures 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 are 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."
Thompson's parents stayed at the hospital for weeks after the mass shooting.
"I know he did this horrible crime and that he has to pay for this crime," said Elise Thompson. "I just hope that after, I believe someone told me 40-year sentence, that hopefully he can be reevaluated and have a mental analysis with another neurologist and whatever else needs to be done to see if he can be, go back into society if he's capable of doing that."
Elise Thompson reiterated on the stand that there were no warning signs.
Dr. George Corvin is a psychiatrist and treated Thompson after he recovered from the hospital.
"I'm personally kind of shocked that he not only that he survived, but that he has recovered to the extent that he has," said Corvin.
The mental health professional testified that Thompson has no memory of certain events from the mass shooting.
"He's never been able to explain what he was feeling, what he was thinking, why he would do these things at all," said Corvin.
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