Teen Killer's Father Says He Has No Idea Why Boy Killed Brother & 4 Others

Alan Thompson's son Austin shot and killed his son James in their home in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 2022, then killed five people in a neighborhood shooting spree that also injured a woman and a police officer. This is 62-year-old Thompson's entire testimony today (Thursday, February 5). He pleaded guilty in September 2024 to misdemeanor failure to store a firearm to protect a minor and received one year of unsupervised probation and a 45-day suspended jail sentence, which would only be served if he violated the terms of his probation Austin, now 18, pleaded guilty to all charges last week and is undergoing a sentencing hearing pursuant to a 2012 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that said people convicted of homicide committed when they were under 18 can't be sentenced to life in prison unless their youthfulness at the time of the offense is considered. The SCOTUS ruling resulted in states enacting new laws to ensure youthfulness is considered, and Judge Paul Ridgeway is holding a hearing in accordance with that before he sentences Austin. 01:29 "So I called Austin, and Austin answered the phone, and I told him, I'm going to the grocery store and pick up two gallons of milk do you need anything? And in a regular, calm voice, he said, No. He said, I'm good. And I was a little ticked off at James, because very rarely to have a call or text him, and he didn't answer his phone." 04:04 :just let you guys know I saw two hour patrol cars fly by to back entrance of Hedingham. I said, I don't know what's going on. I said, just hunker down. I'll see you guys later. And then a regular kind of voice he responds, okay." 09:11 "And so she said she was on the way home. So that's another reason I'm not concerned. I know my sons. I mean, I know them very well." 11:18 "They told me, 'They said we found Austin.' They said, 'He's in a shed.' I said, 'Well, let me go talk to him.' They said, 'You can't do it.' I said, 'Let me go and talk to him. I can get him out the shed.' They refused." 13:46 "I said, 'I'll sign anything you want. You got to make me a promise.' I said, 'You promise me find out why he did this.' And he said, 'I will.'" 15:27 "He had a traumatic brain injury, and he it was just, it was weird, because I'm looking at him and he would just stared straight ahead." 23:27 "Did you ever hear of, or know of any bullying incidents where he was being bullied at school or elsewhere?" "Two times it did happen..." 28:14 "I got along great with both of them. They were my they were my best friends." 32:52 "Did you ever take him to a range here around Raleigh?" "I took him probably three, four times when I went." 38:49 "Were they able to just to spend the money as they wanted, or did y'all have some some parameters on that as parents?" 39:21 "You just mentioned that James had been saving for a car. Was there anything that you knew of that Austin was saving up money for or really wanted?" 42:45 "You've seen some photographs of some of that ammunition and lunch, like plastic bags, Ziploc bags. Was that a way that you kept the was that normal?" "No, no, that never, I never used a Ziploc bag for anything." 43:55 "I raised my sons the same way that I was raised. Yeah, you know firearm safety. Then on top of that, a lot of folks might not know, but above age 12, you can be in possession of a long rifle, and so if I'm not home, or Elise is not home, I would hope that they will be able to protect themselves." 45:28 "Was there anything that you can think of that you feel like now might have been cause for concern with regards to Austin?" "No, if there was, I would have addressed it, just like at school, I would have addressed it. I would not have hesitated a bit." "There was no signs if there's going to be any signs, it would definitely have been during those two phone calls. I mean, even to this day, I do not understand how, first of all, how you can kill your brother." 50:19 "He was a great athlete. James. He was special from, from day one, from because he first was my first child." 53:33 reads letter 57:03 "We've been fully cooperative with the Raleigh Police Department and hope that we would receive an answer to why Austin did this. From their investigation to date, it still remains unknown to me. While this tragedy occurred, we lost both of our sons in one afternoon. I cannot even begin to describe the pain we feel every day." 58:58 Cross from Austin's lawyer 59:35 "And what is your relationship with Austin like since this happened?" "When James died, part of me died. And with Austin, I mean, I still love him, but I just don't understand why. The problem I have, I can't put two and two together. The person I raised and the person who did these things? I can't put them together." ****************************************************************************** Subscribe to Legal Affairs and Trials with Meghann Cuniff: https://www.legalaffairsandtrials.com...