A tragic case unfolded in Wyoming where a teenager stands accused of murdering his mother, reportedly due to a heated exchange involving a derogatory term. Fourteen-year-old Havoc Leone, facing charges of first-degree murder, appeared in Laramie County District Court on Monday to enter a plea of not guilty. The young defendant is alleged to have fatally shot his 41-year-old mother, Theresa McIntosh, at their Cheyenne home on March 7 following an argument over a seemingly stolen tablet.

During the court proceedings, Leone’s defense team presented a narrative of enduring verbal abuse, claiming the situation reached its breaking point when McIntosh used an offensive slur against her son. The defense argued that McIntosh had asked her son a derogatory question, which reportedly triggered the tragic event.

As reported by Cowboy State Daily, a local Wyoming news source, Leone’s defense attorney recounted to the court how the confrontation escalated. When McIntosh posed the question, the teen allegedly responded, “Yes, Mom,” before tragically firing a fatal shot to the back of her head using her own Taurus 9 mm handgun.

Further details from Law&Crime reveal that the incident was precipitated by a conflict involving McIntosh, her common-law husband, and Leone over a tablet believed to be stolen from a client of McIntosh. When confronted, McIntosh instructed her son to retrieve the password for the device. Leone reportedly went to his bedroom closet, ostensibly to get a notebook with the password but also allegedly retrieved the firearm, which he was accused of taking from his mother’s vehicle the previous week.

Court documents indicate that Leone tossed the notebook toward his mother while she was working on a puzzle on the floor, her back turned to him, before allegedly pulling the trigger and ending her life.

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.