A Clay County man has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder following a shooting that claimed the lives of a woman and man earlier this week in Ivydale, according to a criminal complaint filed in Clay County Magistrate Court.
Michael Wayne Adkins, 58, of Duck, was formally charged last Thursday in connection with the fatal shootings of Brenda Lee Dennis and Richard Bishop, who were found dead Tuesday night inside Dennis’s residence on Big Otter Highway.
According to the complaint, officers were alerted to the scene by Robert Daniel Dennis, who discovered the bodies of Brenda Dennis and Richard Bishop inside the home. Responding officers found both victims with gunshot wounds. Dennis suffered a single gunshot wound to the chest, while Bishop had been shot three times—in the chest, back, and head.
Spent 9mm shell casings were recovered at the scene, and the area was secured as a crime scene investigation began. Wiseman transported Adkins to the West Virginia State Police Clay Detachment for questioning later that day.
During a recorded interview, Adkins allegedly confessed to the killings, stating that an argument with Dennis preceded the fatal encounter. Adkins told investigators that Bishop had threatened him before he opened fire with a 9mm pistol. He reportedly admitted to shooting Bishop three times and Dennis once.
Robert Dennis, in a statement made to police, said that Brenda Dennis and Richard Bishop were dating, but that Michael Adkins was also “as Ms. Dennis’s residence nearly every day” and “that Mr. Bishop and Mr. Adkins did not get along, and that Mr. Adkins was obsessed with Ms. Dennis.”
Adkins allegedly stated during his interview with police that he had known Brenda Dennis for approximately three years, and “he had taken her anywhere he wanted to go and did anything she asked. Mr. Adkins advised that he was tired of being used by her.”
The murder weapon—a Sig Sauer P250 handgun—was later recovered buried beneath an outbuilding at another home. Investigators say Adkins led them to the location after giving consent for a search.
Adkins remains in custody without bond pending further proceedings. The case is being investigated by the West Virginia State Police.
