Bradenton man gets prison after girlfriend shot in the head, killed on Easter Sunday

A Bradenton man who was arrested for shooting his girlfriend on Easter Sunday in 2019 has been sentenced to life in prison, the 12th Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office said in a news release Thursday.

The sentence was handed down after a jury found Deundre Dunn, 34, guilty of second-degree felony murder.

On April 21, 2019, Dunn shot his girlfriend, Laura McLeod, in the head while her teenage daughter was in a nearby room, State Attorney Ed Brodksy’s office said in the release.

The girl told Bradenton Police Department detectives that her mother and Dunn were arguing over a cellphone, the Bradenton Herald reported at the time.

She was told to go to her room and later heard a click and a gunshot.

Dunn fled the home and threw the gun in the Manatee River, where it was later found by law enforcement, the state attorney’s office said.

He was arrested a few blocks away from the home and has since remained in custody at the Manatee County Jail.

“We are pleased with the jury’s ability to stay focused on the relevant evidence that was presented throughout the trial and holding the defendant responsible for his heartless actions,” Assistant State Attorney Charlie Lawrence said in the news release.

“This could not have been done without the investigative skills of the men and women of the Bradenton Police Department. Laura Mcleod and her family have obtained justice for her senseless death.”

This story was originally published April 6, 2023 at 3:05 PM.