Inset: Amanda Tenney (Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office). Background: Home in Clearwater, Florida, where Tenney allegedly killed her boyfriend Patrick Denney (Google Maps).
A Florida woman has been detained after allegedly shooting her boyfriend to death, then attempting to clean the scene and take a shower — only for officers to find blood on her face and bloody footprints throughout the house when they arrived.
According to a probable cause affidavit reviewed by Law&Crime, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office responded shortly after 1 a.m. on Aug. 19 to a residence in the 1500 block of Illinois Road in Clearwater following a report of shots fired. A neighbor reported hearing a loud noise and a female voice shouting, “I have a gun,” per the affidavit. Deputies reportedly knocked on the door, which was answered by 38-year-old Amanda Tenney.
Tenney appeared “freshly showered” but had “blood transfer” on her face, legs, and feet, deputies observed. Additionally, there were bloody footprints in the house, the affidavit stated. Officers entered and discovered 60-year-old Patrick Denney dead in a bedroom with a gunshot wound to his head. Investigators recovered a supposed murder weapon, a .45 caliber Smith & Wesson, in a different room.
After being read her Miranda rights, Tenney allegedly confessed to taking a gun into the backyard but denied firing it. The affidavit highlighted that as a convicted felon, she is forbidden from possessing firearms. Detectives also found bullet holes in the neighbor’s fence and window and retrieved a projectile inside the neighbor’s home, deputies reported.
Initially, deputies arrested Tenney on charges of a felon in possession of a firearm and shooting into a dwelling. On Tuesday, she was charged with first-degree murder. Authorities have not publicly disclosed a motive for the killing.
Tenney remains in the Pinellas County Jail. She has entered a plea of not guilty.
According to his obituary, Denney owned Missouri Collision and Paint in Clearwater.
“Outside of work, Pat enjoyed spending time with his beloved dogs, racing sports cars, offshore fishing, and lending a helping hand to his friends and neighbors,” the obituary said.
