RALEIGH, N.C. —The confessed teen shooter in the Hedingham killings wrote in a note found at his home that he hated humans for destroying the planet and that he was sane at the time of the October 2022 mass shooting.

Raleigh Police Detective William Tripp read two notes Austin Thompson left: a short one in the master bedroom where his brother James was found dead, and another in his bedroom beside a blue ink pen and a .22 caliber rifle.

Tripp read the note left in the bathroom which stated “James dead don’t look inside.”

The second note read:

“The reason I did this is because I hate humans. They are destroying the planet/earth.”

“[James] kept breathing, so I stabbed him. Stopped breathing about 10-15 minutes later.”

“I don’t have a goal”

“Death is like sleep. That’s why I don’t care if I die.”

“I have never been bullied by Dad. I don’t like you, Mom. Every other family member was good.”

“You were the best dad”

“I don’t want to die, but it’s going to happen anyway”

“I was never bullied in school (cops)”

“I killed James because he would get in my way. I killed James with a subsonic .222 I stole from Cabela’s”

“I have no regrets. I’m not mental, either. I was sane when I did this.”

Tripp also read notes police found rolled up in a hollowed-out chapstick tube with several diagrams of what appeared to be different explosives, including a trip wire and pipe bomb. Tripp read two notes of ingredients commonly used for explosives and instructions for making explosives.

Tripp testified that he recalled a search on Thompson’s phone with similar wording to his claim that humans are “destroying the planet.” While at the hospital, Thompson also made inappropriate comments and pointed finger guns at the nursing staff, though Tripp testified he didn’t personally witness those actions.

‘There’s a shooter over there’

Prosecutors on Thursday also played video from neighbors’ security cameras piecing together the early events of the shooting.

One video from Sahalee Way showed Nicole Connors and Lynn Gardner walking their dogs before they left the frame. Thompson leaves his house, jogging as he aims his rifle at the women.

The video cut off before Thompson fired shots. Tracey Howard, Connors’ widower, put his face into his hands, and two friends and relatives came behind him to rub his back for comfort. Audio from subsequent videos revealed eight gunshots: five from the rifle, three from a pistol.

Prosecutors also played security footage from the Hidden Cove Mobile Home Estates just outside the Hedingham neighborhood that captured Thompson walking with his rifle in camouflage clothes and appearing to tell someone “there’s a shooter over there.”

Thompson’s search history

Prosecutors asked Raleigh Police Sgt. Robert Pike, an expert in digital forensics, to read through Thompson’s Google search history, some items dating back to 2020. Pike testified that Thompson entered searches for:

—“Can I shoot people scenarios”

—“Do people inside the police station respond to a school shooting” (search on Oct. 1, 2022, 12 days before the Hedingham shooting)

—“Do police go into the woods to search for a [dangerous] suspect” (searched on Oct. 5, 2022, eight days before the shooting)

—“Minimum sentence for first degree murder” (searched in July 2021)

—“How many years is a life sentence without parole” (searched in May 2022)

—“Deadliest high school shootings” (searched in January 2020)

—“Can juveniles get the death penalty”

—“How much time do you get for aggravated assault”

—“Dead body picture of Orlando mass shooting”

—2011 Norway attacks

—Video of Buffalo shooting

—Uvalde shooter

—Multiple searches of Knightdale High School photos (Thompson was a student at Knightdale)

Prosecutors also pulled up a spreadsheet police compiled of Austin Thompson’s search history, showing a search of “do most people scream after being stabbed in the neck” in September 2022, one month before Austin stabbed James in the neck 49 times. Other searches in the month before the shooting included:

—“Beslan massacre”

—“Worst school massacre in the world”

—“Does [Miranda] have to be read when [arrested]”

—“How fast does a .22 have to go to penetrate a skull”

—“Toxic masculinity” three times

Thompson’s search history also showed him searching for news articles and asking if police go into the woods to capture suspects while police were searching for him, Pike testified.

Thompson faces five life sentences

Thompson, 15 at the time of the shooting, pleaded guilty to five counts of first-degree murder on Jan. 21. He faces life sentences for each of the five murders plus up to 133 years for the other felonies.

Prosecutors said the Hedingham shooting began Oct. 13, 2022, at Thompson’s house. After playing video games with his brother James, Austin Thompson grabbed a .22 rifle and shot James in the back of the head.

James managed to stumble to the bathroom before Austin stabbed him 49 times, prosecutors said. Austin then left the house in camouflage clothing with several guns, spotting Connors and Gardner as they were walking their dogs. Austin fired five shots, killing Connors and her dog and fracturing Gardner’s face.

Prosecutors said neighbors saw Thompson jogging up to Raleigh police officer Gabriel Torres’ car. He shot through Torres’ windshield and killed him before getting on the greenway and killing Mary Marshall and Susan Karnatz.

Thompson hunkered down in a shed and got into a shootout with police, prosecutors said. Thompson shot officer Casey Clark in the knee. Thompson also suffered a gunshot wound to his forehead — apparently self-inflicted.

The sentencing hearing is expected to last through next week.

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