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Background: The home in Cheyenne, Wyo., where Theresa McIntosh was allegedly shot by her son Havoc Leone on March 7 (Google Maps). Inset: Theresa McIntosh (Facebook).
A Wyoming teenager stands accused of murdering his mother, reportedly driven by a history of verbal insults culminating in being called a derogatory term.
Fourteen-year-old Havoc Leone entered a plea of not guilty to first-degree murder charges in Laramie County District Court on Monday. Leone is alleged to have shot his mother, 41-year-old Theresa McIntosh, at their Cheyenne home on March 7. The incident reportedly stemmed from an argument over a supposedly stolen tablet, after which Leone allegedly retrieved a firearm from his closet and fatally shot his mother.
In court, Leone’s defense team argued that the teenager had been subjected to years of derogatory remarks from his mother, reaching a critical point when she questioned if he was “r—ed.”
According to courtroom coverage by Wyoming’s Cowboy State Daily, a defense attorney recounted how, upon his mother’s inquiry, Leone responded, “Yes, Mom,” before allegedly shooting her in the head with her own Taurus 9 mm handgun.
Law&Crime detailed that the altercation involved McIntosh, her common-law husband, and Leone, centered around accusations of a stolen tablet from McIntosh’s work client. When McIntosh asked for the tablet’s password, Leone reportedly went to his room to retrieve a notebook with the information. It was during this time, he allegedly took a gun he had been accused of stealing from his mother’s car the previous week.
According to court documents, Leone threw the notebook at his mother, who was doing a puzzle on the floor of the bedroom. While she was facing away from her son, he allegedly fired the fatal shot.
During Leone’s arraignment, his defense lawyers argued that McIntosh had allegedly verbally abused her son “his whole childhood,” often calling him “r—ed” and allegedly slapping him and pulling his hair. Leone’s defense attorneys claimed McIntosh was “mentally ill.”
Prosecutors painted a different picture, telling the court that Leone had been planning to kill his mother for a long time, according to interviews with detectives. He allegedly stole his mother’s 9 mm handgun after he and his parents argued over his unsatisfactory grades a week prior to the alleged shooting. On the day of the alleged shooting, McIntosh reportedly also called her son a “thief” for stealing the tablet. Assistant District Attorney Kelly Strickland said, “Right before pulling the trigger on the gun, Theresa yelled at him again if he was ‘r—ed.’ He said, ‘Yes, Mom,’ and pulled the trigger.”
A judge denied the defense’s request to reduce Leone’s bail. The teenager, who is being charged as an adult with first-degree murder, will remain in custody on $500,000 bond. His trial was scheduled for Aug. 10.