RALEIGH, N.C. — The confessed killer in Raleigh’s worst mass shooting has only vague memories of his violent path across Hedingham and may never be able to explain why he killed five people and wounded two more, a psychologist testified Thursday.

Dr. Jennifer Sapia examined Austin Thompson two years after the 2022 shooting, during which he suffered a self-inflicted shotgun wound to the head that left him with a partially prosthetic skull.

She noted that his IQ test scores had increased from 73 to 91 during his recovery, and that he presented himself as “personable” and “easy to talk to” while in juvenile detention.

But when she asked about the day of the mass shooting, he displayed a “general amnesia,” and it seemed unclear whether he recalled events directly or through other people’s accounts.

“He doesn’t specifically remember,” Sapia said. “I don’t think Austin’s ever been able to explain the why.”

The clearest picture of the teen’s motive so far are the notes police found in his house, where Thompson killed his other brother James with a shot to the back of the head and roughly 50 knife wounds to the neck. In one, the teen wrote, “I hate humans.”

“He does not remember writing the notes,” Sapia testified. “He does not know what they mean.”

Sentence comes soon

Thompson, now 18, has pleaded guilty to all five murders in the 2022 shooting and faces life in prison. Thursday marked the final day of testimony, and a decision on the teen’s future could come Friday.

Last week his mother, Elise Thompson, testified that she had no idea why her son killed his older brother, a neighbor, a police officer and two strangers on the Neuse River greenway, along with two others he seriously wounded with shotgun fire.

On Tuesday, his defense attorneys pointed to acne medication minocycline, which they say may have triggered a violent spree in his otherwise normal childhood.

Throughout the week, defense witnesses have repeatedly testified to his quiet but inquisitive nature, his honor-roll grades and his normal-kid demeanor. Sapia said he still adopts “magical thinking” about the consequences for his crime, saying he knows he has to spend a lengthy term in prison, but still hopes to be a dental hygienist one day.

Prosecutors pointed out that although Thompson does not remember the attack, he did make an attempt to explain it in his note, and he did pack a survival kit in a backpack that included hundreds of rounds of ammunition, face-paint and toilet paper.

The final testimony in Thompson’s seven-day sentencing hearing came from Robert Fermanides, a volunteer chaplain at the juvenile detention center in Fayetteville.

He said Thompson seemed uninterested in church services, the Bible or even the gospel of forgiveness at first, but he gradually warmed to the idea and took an active role. Fermanides called him a “flip-ologist” because he was always first to find Bible passages, even without trying hard.

Favorite things

He recalled one visit from Thompson’s parents and a grandmother, who asked, “Have you received forgiveness? Have you received God’s salvation?” Fermanides recalled. “He responded yes.”

Two weeks before his 18th birthday, Thompson got baptized, a ceremony performed with sprinkles from a water bottle. Defense attorneys asked if he could name his favorite thing about the teen.

“He’s an overcomer,” said Fermanides. “He’s very genuine, real, as real as a 15- to 18-year-old could be.”

Prosecutors asked the chaplain if he could name his favorite things about any of Thompson’s victims.

He could not.

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