Timothy T. Duax U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa
Terrance Payne Hayes, a 40-year-old resident of Sioux City, has been sentenced to over seven years in federal prison. The sentencing on March 25, 2025, follows Hayes' guilty plea on October 16, 2024, for illegal possession of a firearm as a felon and drug user, and for having been convicted of domestic violence.
The charges against Hayes emerged during an investigation into a home invasion and homicide in July 2023. During the incident, an individual entered Hayes’ residence armed with knives to reclaim a stolen firearm that Hayes possessed. In the ensuing confrontation, Hayes was stabbed multiple times but managed to shoot and kill the intruder with the stolen weapon.
Hayes has a record of violent behavior described by the court as "stunning." His criminal history includes repeated convictions for domestic abuse assault and various other offenses involving violent conduct. Examples include threatening individuals with a gun, breaking property, stalking his girlfriend at her workplace, and making threats to witnesses.
United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand handed down a sentence of 90 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
United States Attorney Timothy Duax remarked on the case: “Individuals like Mr. Hayes who repeatedly assault and threaten the citizens of our district will be caught, prosecuted, and punished. I compliment the Sioux City Police Department, the Woodbury County Attorney’s Office, and the ATF for their fine work which resulted in a dangerous criminal being removed from our streets.”
The prosecution was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative by the Department of Justice aimed at reducing violent crime through community collaboration and evidence-based strategies.
Hayes remains in United States Marshal’s custody pending transfer to a federal prison.
The case was investigated by local law enforcement agencies including the Sioux City Police Department and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office along with federal authorities from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild led the prosecution.
