Her husband wouldn't apologize to her father — so she shot him, police say

RIVERVIEW — A Riverview woman shot and killed her husband Saturday because he punched her father and wouldn't say sorry, the Hillsborough Sheriff's Office said.

Sabrina Michelle Hendley, 40, faces a first-degree murder charge in the death of Mark A. Hendley, 51.

Sabrina and Mark Hendley were arguing just after midnight in Hendleys' house on the 10500 block of Anglecrest Drive, the Sheriff's Office said. That fight led to a physical altercation between Mark Hendley and Sabrina's father, Mike Irwin.

Irwin told the Tampa Bay Times he was in the back of the house when he heard a commotion outside. He said Mark Hendley was dunking Sabrina and a friend in the swimming pool and not letting them come up for air, and also waving a knife around.

"When I came out, (Mark Hendley) turned around, and all of his anger focused on me," Irwin said. "He was pretty much hell-bent on violence."

Irwin said Mark Hendley punched him several times in the face and choked him, then walked away to a bedroom. Sabrina Hendley followed him, "trying to get some sanity back into the man's head," Irwin said.

Irwin said he didn't know what happened in the bedroom. The sheriff's report said Sabrina Hendley demanded her husband apologize to her father. When he refused, she pulled out a handgun and shot her husband once in the upper body.

Mark Hendley was taken to a local hospital, where he died. Sabrina Hendley was taken to the Hillsborough County Jail, where she was being held without bond.

Sabrina Hendley is a U.S. Postal carrier, jail records said. Mark Hendley was scheduled to go out of town on duty with the National Guard, Irwin said. Irwin lives in Indiana but was visiting to help Sabrina with her two daughters while Mark was away.

Irwin said he had to explain the situation to the girls, ages 6 and 8, as best he could Saturday morning.

"They knew something was going on (Friday) night, but they didn't know what," he said. "I had to tell them today. Their mom's not here and there's blood in the house."

Contact Jeffrey S. Solochek at jsolochek@tampabay.com. Follow @jeffsolochek.