2022-02-23 Leontre Hayes

Mesa Verde shooting and Leontre Hayes

The Mesa Verde shooting occurred on February 23, 2022, at a residence in the 3200 block of Mesa Verde Drive in northeast Amarillo, Texas. A 13-year-old girl, identified in early reporting as Serenity Janae Flores, was found with a gunshot wound and later died at a hospital. Eighteen-year-old Leontre Hayes was arrested that day and initially booked into the Potter County Detention Center on a murder charge.^[1][2]

Hayes was subsequently indicted on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection with the shooting. Evidence reportedly discovered during the investigation later led to additional indictments on five counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and ten counts of possession of child pornography.^[3][4] In December 2024, Hayes pleaded guilty to the child-sex-offense charges and received an eight-year prison sentence. The murder charge arising from the shooting was dismissed.^[5]

Shooting

At approximately 12:57 p.m. on February 23, 2022, officers with the Amarillo Police Department were dispatched to a reported shooting in the 3200 block of Mesa Verde Drive. When officers arrived, a man at the residence led them to a 13-year-old girl who had suffered a gunshot wound. She was transported to a hospital with life-threatening injuries and later died.^[1:1][2:1]

Police arrested Hayes in connection with the shooting later that day. He was booked into the Potter County Detention Center on a murder charge and was reportedly held in lieu of a $350,000 bond. The Amarillo Police Department continued to investigate the case.^{[1:2][2:2][5:1]}

Indictments

Shooting-related charge

In April 2022, a Potter County grand jury indicted Hayes for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The indictment alleged that Hayes shot Flores during the February 23 incident. Contemporary reporting noted that he had originally been booked on a murder charge.^[3:1]

Child-sex-offense charges

In October 2024, a Potter County grand jury indicted Hayes on five counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and ten counts of possession of child pornography. The charges arose from evidence reportedly discovered during the investigation of the shooting.^[4:1]

According to a criminal complaint cited by ABC 7 Amarillo, Hayes allegedly told police that he had shot the victim and had been involved in what he described as a sexual relationship with her. Because the victim was 13 years old, she could not legally consent to the alleged sexual conduct. Investigators alleged that assaults occurred between June and September 2021.^[4:2]

Police said Hayes consented to a search of his cellular telephone. Investigators reportedly found videos depicting sexual assaults of the victim. The complaint also stated that DNA evidence recovered from the victim during her autopsy indicated that alleged sexual contact had occurred after September 2021.^[4:3]

Plea and sentencing

Hayes appeared in the 108th District Court on December 5, 2024. A December 6 account states that he pleaded guilty to ten counts of possession of child pornography and five counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child. The account specifically reports that the court assessed an eight-year sentence in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and that an order dismissing the murder charge was signed.^[5:2]

The available account does not explain why the murder charge was dismissed or state whether the aggravated-assault charge was separately dismissed, merged, or otherwise resolved.

Notes

• Early news reports identified the victim as Serenity Janae Flores. In its 2024 coverage, ABC 7 Amarillo did not name her because she was also identified as the victim of an alleged sex crime.^[3:2][4:4]
• Arrests, criminal complaints, and indictments are allegations rather than findings of guilt. Hayes's guilty pleas applied to the child-sex-offense charges described in the December 2024 account.^[5:3]

References