Police say blood patterns and injuries pointed away from the shower where Lindsey Barnett was found and toward the couple’s bedroom.

LAKEWOOD, Colo. — A large amount of blood on a bed, a trail leading toward a bathroom and relatively little blood around the shower became central to the murder case against Patrick “Ted” Barnett after his wife, Lindsey Barnett, was found dead inside their Lakewood home, according to an arrest affidavit and prosecutors.

Patrick Barnett, 40, is charged with first-degree murder after deliberation, tampering with a deceased human body and tampering with physical evidence in the Aug. 13 death of his 37-year-old wife. He had told a 911 dispatcher that Lindsey Barnett had cut her throat and was not breathing, according to investigators. Police say the physical evidence inside the house did not support that account. Prosecutors filed the three felony counts Aug. 19 after Lakewood police arrested Barnett on the day of his wife’s death. The charges are accusations, and Barnett is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

Investigators who entered the home in the 1700 block of South Welch Circle found Lindsey Barnett in the shower and a knife nearby, according to the affidavit. But the master bedroom drew immediate attention. Police documented blood on the bed, sheets and pillows, blood on a windowsill and a knocked-over plant. Investigators also reported a trail of blood running from the right side of the bed toward the bathroom. The affidavit said comparatively little blood was found inside the bathroom itself. Police concluded from the scene that Lindsey Barnett had died on the bed and had not moved herself into the shower.

Patrick Barnett’s account began with an early-morning 911 call. He told authorities that he had been sleeping in the basement because he and his wife were having marital problems. He said he woke before 6 a.m., went upstairs and heard the shower running. He told investigators that he noticed the knocked-over plant before finding his wife bleeding in the shower. According to the affidavit, he said he moved her head, checked her and called for help. Officers and West Metro Fire Rescue personnel responded, but Lindsey Barnett was pronounced dead at the home.

The condition of Lindsey Barnett’s body raised additional questions for detectives. Investigators documented bruising on several parts of her body along with other recent injuries, including a cut on a finger that police described as consistent with a defensive wound. The affidavit also said her clothing was not saturated with blood and that much of her body was relatively clean despite the amount of blood in the bedroom. Those observations, combined with the blood trail and the location of the body, contributed to investigators’ conclusion that the shower was not where the fatal confrontation occurred.

Detectives also examined Patrick Barnett during interviews. According to the affidavit, officers saw fresh scratches and other marks on his body, including scratches that a crime scene investigator considered consistent with fingernail marks. Barnett attributed some injuries, including an injury to his hand, to playing ultimate Frisbee. Investigators also reported finding what appeared to be dried blood on his neck and behind an ear. Police questioned why that blood would be present while his hands appeared clean, given his account that he had handled his wife while checking her condition.

The couple had been married for about five years and had two young children, who were at the house when Lindsey Barnett died, according to CBS Colorado. Patrick Barnett told police that he and his wife had been dealing with differences involving communication, parenting and intimacy and had begun sleeping on separate levels of the home. He said they were trying to repair their relationship and had recently traveled to Scotland. He initially told investigators there had been no infidelity, the affidavit says. That assertion changed after another woman contacted police later on Aug. 13.

The woman called authorities seeking a welfare check on Patrick Barnett because she had not heard from him, according to the affidavit. She described him as her boyfriend and told investigators they had met online about three months earlier. She said she had been led to believe Patrick and Lindsey Barnett were separated and that Lindsey no longer lived in the home. Police said Patrick Barnett acknowledged the relationship during a later interview and claimed his wife knew about it. Authorities have not publicly established a motive for Lindsey Barnett’s death, and the existence of the relationship by itself does not prove the homicide charge.

Investigators also examined statements about Lindsey Barnett’s mental health after Patrick Barnett told them she had experienced depression connected to pregnancy and childbirth. The other woman said Patrick Barnett had described Lindsey as having serious mental-health problems and having recently tried to harm herself, according to the affidavit. Lindsey Barnett’s mother disputed that account. She told investigators that her daughter had experienced depression but had never expressed suicidal thoughts or previously attempted suicide. Her parents said she was making plans for the coming school year.

That school year was supposed to include Lindsey Barnett’s work as an art teacher at Hutchinson and Westgate elementary schools in Jefferson County. School officials remembered her as deeply committed to students and art education. Her family described her as a devoted mother, daughter, sister and teacher and said her love of nature and art was central to how they remembered her. The loss affected two school communities just as classes were preparing to resume, adding a public dimension to a case that began inside a private home.

Patrick Barnett was arrested shortly after 7 p.m. on Aug. 13 after detectives had conducted an initial interview, examined the scene and gathered additional information, according to the affidavit. The First Judicial District Attorney’s Office later charged him with murder after deliberation, a Class 1 felony, along with felony counts alleging that he tampered with Lindsey Barnett’s body and with physical evidence. He remained in custody without bond when he appeared before District Court Judge Andrew Poland on Aug. 21 with attorneys Sarah Varty and Tyler Smith.

The Aug. 21 hearing lasted about 10 minutes and was attended by members of Lindsey Barnett’s family and friends. His attorneys did not comment afterward, according to the Denver Gazette. At that point, a status conference was set for Sept. 14 and a preliminary hearing was considered possible later in the fall. Publicly available reporting reviewed for this article did not establish the outcome of the Sept. 14 proceeding. The criminal case therefore remains an allegation unless and until the charges are resolved in court.

Author note: Last updated September 28, 2026.