Case Against Cheyenne Teen Accused of Killing Mother Shifts to Juvenile Court
The legal proceedings against a 14-year-old Cheyenne boy accused of shooting and killing his mother in March are now being handled within the juvenile system, sealing public access to future updates. Laramie County District Attorney Sylvia Hackl confirmed the procedural change to the Wyoming Tribune Eagle, shifting the homicide prosecution away from public view.
Havoc Leone was originally being tried as an adult in Laramie County District Court on a first-degree murder charge carrying a maximum penalty of life in prison. Following the transition, court filings and scheduling updates have become confidential. Defense attorney Emily Williams declined to comment when asked about the shift by the Wyoming Tribune Eagle.
Dispute Over a Tablet Preceded the Shooting
The criminal case stems from a March 7, 2026, confrontation at a residence in the 2300 block of Pine Avenue. According to court documents detailed during subsequent hearings, Havoc Leone and his mother, Theresa McIntosh, argued over a stolen tablet. Court documents state that McIntosh called her son “retarded” during the dispute, triggering an angry response from the 14-year-old.
Court records state that Havoc retrieved a notebook containing the device password along with a Taurus 9mm handgun he later admitted to taking from his mother’s car a week prior. When McIntosh leaned forward to grab the paper, the firearm discharged. Thomas Leone, the boy’s father, told investigators he was in the basement wearing headphones and gaming when he heard a single pop. Upstairs, he discovered McIntosh unconscious in an upper-level bedroom and immediately initiated emergency medical aid while emergency responders were dispatched for an initial report of a suicide.
McIntosh was transported to Cheyenne Regional Medical Center and subsequently transferred to UC Health in Fort Collins, Colorado, where she died from her injuries later that same day. Medical personnel examining the wound noted an absence of close-contact marks or exit wounds, findings they determined were inconsistent with a self-inflicted gunshot. That medical assessment prompted the Cheyenne Police Department to launch a homicide investigation, culminating in Havoc Leone’s admission to detectives after roughly an hour and a half of questioning.
Prosecution Argues Premeditation While Defense Challenges Hearsay Evidence
During a March 18 preliminary hearing before Circuit Court Judge Sean Chambers, Laramie County Sheriff’s Detective Miles DePrimo outlined the investigative timeline and the statements gathered from the household. The prosecution relied on those accounts to argue premeditation and malicious intent, pointing to the prior theft of the weapon and the teenager’s admission that he had thought about killing his mother at the time he took the gun.
Defense counsel challenged the state’s reliance on what she characterized as hearsay, arguing that the evidence failed to establish premeditation and noting that no gunshot residue tests had been administered on the day of the shooting. Judge Chambers denied defense motions to lower the murder charge to second-degree murder and declined to adjust the $500,000 cash bond at the circuit court level. A subsequent bond reduction request filed by Williams in district court to lower the amount to $50,000 was similarly rejected by Judge Robin Cooley, who maintained that the community remained safe with the defendant detained.
Unanswered Questions Remain as Docket Seals
With the matter transferred to the juvenile docket, key details surrounding the case’s current trajectory remain undisclosed. As of publication time, it remains unclear whether the proceedings are actively moving through juvenile court adjudication or if the file has reached a final disposition. Public observers and media outlets no longer have access to dockets, leaving defense counsel and the defendant’s family as the sole potential channels for any future public statements.
