@meghannmcuniff: Laura Wright is a career development coordinator at Knightdale High School in Knightdale, North Carolina, who taught Austin Thompson before he murdered five people including his brother, and injured two others in his family's Raleigh neighborhood on Oct. 13, 2022. Wright testified this week in Thompson's sentencing hearing about a comic strip Thompson drew for an assignment that depicted a hero turning into a villain and shooting people. She said she gave the drawing to police after Thompson's arrest and has talked with others about whether she may have missed a warning sign. "I was assured I didn't create the assignment. ... I followed it, and he did the assignment. When I look back, we did everything that we could possibly do, and there was nothing that I could have did more at the time," Wright testified. "And in the time that you dealt with the defendant, did you ever see any drastic alterations in his moods or behavior?" Wake County Assistant District Attorney Luke Bumm asked. "No, he was consistent every day. Same thing every day," Wright answered. "Would you have considered him to be normal in your dealings with him? A normal teenager?" Bumm asked. "Yes," Wright answered. You can watch another teacher testify about strictly banning first-person shooter video games because of Thompson here @Meghann Cuniff. Thompson was 15 when he killed his 16-year-old brother, James, then murdered four people, including a Raleigh Police Department officer on his way to work in an Oct. 13, 2022, shooting spree that also injured a woman and another Raleigh police officer. Thompson pleaded guilty last week to all charges, including five counts of first-degree murder and two counts of counts of attempted murder. He’s being sentenced pursuant to a 2012 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that said people who committed a homicide when they were under 18 can’t be sentenced to life in prison without parole unless their youthfulness at the time of the offense is considered. Judge Paul Ridgeway in North Carolina’s 10th Judicial District is holding a hearing that will continue next week. #law #crime #court #school #teacher

Meghann Cuniff

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Friday 06 February 2026 22:35:26 GMT