Tenisha Mayberry Charged With Felony Murder After Fatal Chase

Tenisha Mayberry, a 38-year-old woman from Blue Springs, Missouri, has been charged with first-degree felony murder in Kansas after a high-speed police chase that started with a shoplifting call in Owasso, Oklahoma, and ended in a Coffeyville crash that killed 15-year-old Serafina O’Connell. The Tenisha Mayberry felony murder charge was filed in Montgomery County, Kansas, after prosecutors upgraded earlier counts following Serafina’s death on September 30, 2025. Mayberry also faces separate charges in Oklahoma tied to the events that triggered the pursuit.¹

How the Chase Began

Owasso police responded to a larceny call at a retail store on September 26, 2025. When officers tried to make an arrest, Mayberry’s vehicle, with 19-year-old Cortez Wasson Jr. in the passenger seat, struck and dragged an Owasso officer with the driver-side door. The officer was hospitalized with serious injuries and later released.²³

Owasso police and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol pursued the vehicle through several Oklahoma communities and across the state line into Kansas. Speeds exceeded 100 miles per hour. The Coffeyville Police Department picked up the pursuit near U.S. Routes 169 and 166.⁴

The Crash in Coffeyville

Around 4:30 p.m., heading north on Patterson Boulevard and at one point driving onto a sidewalk to get past police vehicles, Mayberry’s Jeep ran a red light at East 8th Street and hit a 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe. Both vehicles left the roadway and overturned, with the Tahoe coming to rest on its roof.⁵⁴

The Tahoe was driven by 17-year-old Maia O’Connell. Her 15-year-old sister Serafina was the passenger. The two were on their way to cheer at a homecoming football game. Maia was treated at Coffeyville Regional Medical Center for minor injuries.⁶⁴⁷

Mayberry and Wasson were taken into custody at the scene, received medical treatment, and were booked into the Montgomery County Jail.¹

The Charges Mayberry Faces

In Kansas, after Serafina’s death, Montgomery County prosecutors charged Mayberry with first-degree murder in the commission of a felony, aggravated battery described in court records as knowingly causing great bodily harm, and fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement by reckless driving.¹⁸ Earlier filings, before the murder charge was added, had listed two counts of aggravated battery with bodily harm, possession of marijuana, and failure to stop at a marked stop sign, with bond initially set at $100,000.⁹

In Oklahoma, Mayberry is charged with assault and battery of an officer, endangering others while eluding police, larceny, and obstruction. Those charges remain pending separately from the Kansas case.¹

Her passenger faces a much lighter set of charges. Wasson was charged in Kansas with possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, and failure to wear a seatbelt, and in Oklahoma with larceny of merchandise from a retailer and obstructing an officer. His initial Kansas bond was $75,000.¹⁰⁹

Why Felony Murder Applies

Mayberry was not accused of intending to kill Serafina. The charge rests on Kansas’s felony murder statute, K.S.A. 21-5402, which treats a killing committed during the commission of, attempt to commit, or flight from an “inherently dangerous felony” as first-degree murder. The statute specifically lists fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, as defined in K.S.A. 8-1568(b), among those qualifying felonies.¹¹

First-degree murder is classified as an off-grid person felony in Kansas, outside the standard sentencing guidelines grid. A conviction carries a mandatory life sentence. For offenses committed on or after July 1, 2014, a defendant must serve a minimum of 25 years before becoming eligible for parole, a provision commonly called “Hard 25.”¹² The statute provides no lesser included offenses for felony murder, so a jury must either convict or acquit on the charge as filed.¹¹

Current Status of the Case

Mayberry is being held at the Montgomery County Jail with bond set at zero, meaning no bond.¹³ No trial date, plea, or pretrial rulings have been publicly reported. The Kansas prosecution is proceeding through the Montgomery County District Court, and her Oklahoma charges remain pending separately.⁴

Scrutiny of the Pursuit

The decision to let the chase continue into Coffeyville has drawn questions from local officials. City Manager Ben Brubaker released a video statement saying he was seeking answers from Kansas representatives about why the pursuit was allowed to continue into the city. The Kansas Highway Patrol’s Critical Highway Accident Response Team, known as CHART, is investigating the crash and has asked the public for witnesses and video.¹⁴⁴

1
KAKE. Woman Charged With Murder for Crash That Killed Kansas Teen
2
KTUL. Owasso Police Officer Injured by Suspect Who Then Leads Pursuit Into Kansas
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KOAM News Now. Officer Hit by Suspect Car as 100 MPH Chase Starts, Heads Into Kansas
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Kansas Highway Patrol. KHP Seeking Witnesses to a Vehicle Pursuit That Ended in Montgomery County
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Four States Homepage. Community Grieves Teen’s Death, Police Agencies Under a Microscope
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KWCH. Chase Involving Law Enforcement Injures Four in Coffeyville
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KAKE. Domino’s Donating 25% of Sales to Family of Kansas Girl Killed in Crash
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KGGF Radio. Local News
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Fox 4 Kansas City. Kansas Teen Dies After Shoplifting Suspects Crash Into Car
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KOAM News Now. High-Speed Chase Ends in Now-Fatal Crash, Coffeyville Teen Dies, Charges Upgraded to Murder
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Kansas Revisor of Statutes. K.S.A. 21-5402
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Kansas Legislative Research Department. Sentencing Overview and Criminal Justice Reform Issues
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Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. Jail Roster
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Fox 23. Coffeyville Kansas Student Killed in Deadly Chase Identified