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 is behind bars after she allegedly shot her boyfriend to death and then tried to clean up the scene and take a shower — only to have blood on her face and bloody footprints in the house when cops knocked on her door.
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 home in the 1500 block of Illinois Road in Clearwater for a shots fired call. A neighbor said they heard a loud noise and a female yell “I have a gun,” the affidavit said. Deputies reportedly knocked on the door and 38-year-old Amanda Tenney answered.
Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.
Tenney appeared “freshly showered” but had “blood transfer” on her face, legs and feet, deputies noted. There were also bloody footprints in the home, the affidavit said. Cops walked in and found 60-year-old Patrick Denney dead in a bedroom with a gunshot wound to the head. Investigators recovered the alleged murder weapon, a .45 caliber Smith & Wesson, in another room.
After receiving her Miranda warnings, Tenney allegedly admitted to grabbing a gun and taking it into the backyard but denied firing a weapon. The affidavit noted that as a convicted felon, she is prohibited from having firearms. Detectives also discovered bullet holes in the neighbor’s fence and window, and recovered a projectile inside the neighbor’s home, deputies said.
Deputies initially arrested Tenney on charges of felon in possession of a firearm and shooting into a dwelling. On Tuesday, she was charged with first-degree murder. Police have not publicly divulged 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.
