A teenager in Wyoming is facing first-degree murder charges after allegedly shooting his mother, Theresa McIntosh, and killing her. The teen had allegedly been considering shooting and killing his mother for some time because they frequently argued about his grades and behavior. On the day she was killed, the catalyst was reportedly an argument about him apparently stealing from someone his mom worked for. Both of his parents were at a loss for what to do with the teen’s pattern of stealing. For everyone involved, it was the final straw. But despite his desire to kill his mother, the teen still lied to police and told them she killed herself.
At first, her death was believed to be self-inflicted.
About 12:50 p.m. March 7, 2026, deputies from the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call about a 41-year-old woman with a gunshot wound to the head, a news release announced.
When deputies arrived at the home, they found the victim unconscious but breathing. She had a “visible gunshot wound to the back of her head,” according to the release. First, she was taken to Cheyenne Regional Medical before being airlifted to UC Health in Fort Collins, Colorado. Unfortunately, she died from her injuries.
“A juvenile was taken into custody at the scene,” the release read. At the time, the names of the suspect and victim were withheld “due to the age of the suspect and the sensitive nature of the case.”
Since then, the suspect has been identified as 14-year-old Havoc Leone by the Wyoming Tribune Eagle after obtaining court documents. He allegedly shot his mother, identified as McIntosh. At first, however, Leone told police that his mom had shot herself.
The teen later admitted to shooting his mother.
About two hours before McIntosh was killed, she and the boy’s father, her longtime partner, were arguing with the teen about a tablet he stole from one of her cleaning clients, Cowboy State Daily reported. She was in the boy’s room doing a puzzle.
At the time of the argument, McIntosh allegedly called her son “retarded” and a “thief.” It was after that argument that he made the decision to shoot her. He had previously thought about killing his mom when “she would make him do things he didn’t want to do,” per Cowboy State Daily.
About a week before the shooting, Leone had reportedly taken McIntosh’s gun out of her car and hid it in a boot in his closet. The teen allegedly took the gun “after a ‘big fight’ which began after Leone had received a ‘D’ in math.”
“He was angry right before he shot Mcintosh and couldn’t tell her how much he hated her because she doesn’t understand him,” investigators wrote in the documents. “He was mad McIntosh was calling him names.”
Rght before he shot McIntosh, she had asked for the password to the tablet, which the teen had written in a notebook. He went to get the notebook and retrieved the gun. After concealing the gun from her view, he threw the notebook.
She was still yelling at him when she picked up the notebook. Then “he shot her in the back of the head, holding the firearm with both hands,” according to court documents, Cowboy State Daily reported.
The boy’s father was home when McIntosh was shot but had no idea what happened.
At the time of the shooting, the teen’s father was in their basement wearing noise-canceling headphones while playing video games, according to theTribune Eagle. He told investigators he heard a “pop,” believing it to be a balloon. Still, he went upstairs to see what happened.
When he got upstairs, he saw Leone outside his room. The teen told his father “I don’t know, it just went off.” The man then called 911.
“I don’t want to think what I think happened … I don’t even want to put it into words,” he told authorities, per the Tribune Eagle. “It’s a really f—ed up thing for a parent to think,” he said. “It’d be a lot easier to accept that she killed herself than my son tried to kill her.”
McIntosh’s partner admitted that she had been taking medication for her mental health, but he was unaware of any suicidal ideation.
According to Oil City News, Leone is being charged with first-degree murder as an adult. If convicted, he could face a life sentence. His bail was set at $500,000.
