Police say Jason Kenney was drinking and watching football when he became so angry with his wife that he killed her and shot and killed their 13-year-old daughter. Letters they found indicated he was also using cocaine.
Editor’s note: This story contains content about domestic violence and suicide. Anyone facing domestic violence can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or visit their website for a virtual chat. If you or someone you know is in need of mental health resources and support, please call or text us or chat Visit the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or visit 988lifeline.org for 24/7 access to free and confidential services.
A Florida man killed his wife and shot his stepdaughter in the face after an argument over watching a football game, authorities said.
Jason Kenney, 47, was drinking and watching Monday Night Football at his cabin in Highland City, just east of Tampa, until about 11 p.m. on Dec. 22, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said at a news conference the next day. Judd said Kenney then went into his home and wanted to continue watching the game in the living room with his wife, Crystal.
An argument ensued because Crystal Kenney didn’t want to watch football. Judd said the fight escalated and Crystal told her 12-year-old son to run to a neighbor’s house and call 911.
The first gunshots were heard as the boy ran out of the house. Responding deputies found Crystal dead inside, her 13-year-old daughter shot in the face and shoulder, and Jason Kenney missing. Judd said the infant daughter the couple shared was uninjured, and their 13-year-old daughter survived the gunshot wound, although the bullet hit the bridge of her nose and missed the top of her head.
“The 13-year-old girl begged not to be shot. ‘Please don’t shoot me. Please don’t shoot me,'” Judd said. “And he shot her twice.”
After shooting his wife and stepdaughter, Kenney drove to his late father’s home in Lake Wales in his truck, called his sister and told her he had “done something very, very bad,” that it would be in the news and that it would be the last time they spoke, Judd said.
Kenny ends up in a cabin on his father’s old property. Deputies pursued him and as they called for him to come out, they heard a single gunshot. They found Kenny dead inside.
Judd said the sheriff’s office has no record of any domestic violence reports or charges, but a relative told the sheriff that Kenney had been hitting Krystal “for some time.” Judd said Jason Kenney had no criminal history.
Officers found a letter written to Crystal’s husband in the room where her body was found. In it, she wrote, “You are drinking and using cocaine. This is not how a family should be. You need God.”
Judd said the tragedy hit close to home for lawmakers, especially since it occurred three days before Christmas.
“He completely destroyed his family,” Judd said. “Our homicide detective is distraught. He walks in there and sees a beautiful Christmas tree and a bunch of Christmas presents under the tree. Exactly what a nuclear family should be…and it ends up like this.”
The sheriff encouraged anyone in crisis to call 911 for help. The National Crisis Hotline number is 988.
“How can an argument over a TV show end in murder, attempted murder, and suicide?” he said. “That shouldn’t happen. Get help… Don’t hurt yourself, don’t hurt the people you love.”
Crystal Kenney’s 12-year-old son and her baby daughter, Jason Kenney, are currently in the care of their grandparents as the Florida Department of Children and Families determines long-term placement, Judd said.
