A quiet Florida evening shattered on December 22nd, irrevocably altered by a senseless act of violence stemming from a disagreement over a football game. The tragedy unfolded in Polk County, leaving a family decimated and a community reeling from the sudden loss.
Jason Kenney, 47, escalated a heated argument with his wife, Crystal, after she asked him to turn off the Monday night football game. Fueled by alcohol, the dispute quickly spiraled out of control, culminating in a horrific act of domestic violence.
Crystal, sensing the danger, desperately urged her 12-year-old son to call for help. The boy, fearing for his life, fled to a neighbor’s house as the sound of gunshots ripped through the home.
Deputies arriving at the scene discovered Crystal Kenney deceased. A 13-year-old girl, her stepdaughter, lay wounded, struck by gunfire to the shoulder and face. She is currently hospitalized and fighting for recovery.
The chilling details emerged from the victim’s own harrowing account. “She said, ‘I begged him, don’t shoot me, don’t shoot me, don’t shoot me, and he shot me anyway,’” Sheriff Grady Judd revealed, painting a heartbreaking picture of Crystal’s final moments.
Remarkably, amidst the chaos, a one-year-old daughter slept peacefully in her crib, unaware of the tragedy unfolding around her. She was discovered unharmed by responding officers.
Following the shooting, Jason Kenney fled, making a final, agonizing phone call to his sister in upstate New York. He confessed to “doing something” wrong, a chilling premonition that it would be their last conversation.
He then drove to his father’s residence, where deputies attempted to coax him out of a shed. In a final, desperate act, Kenney turned the gun on himself, ending his life.
A search of the family home revealed a poignant, desperate plea from Crystal Kenney. A handwritten note urged her husband to seek help, confronting him about his drinking and cocaine use, and imploring him to turn to faith.
The surviving children are now in the care of their grandparents, grappling with an unimaginable loss. Sheriff Judd described the scene as utterly devastating, a stark contrast to the idyllic Christmas setting.
“The entire family was destroyed,” Judd stated, his voice heavy with emotion. “Our homicide detectives are distraught. When you go in there, there is a beautiful Christmas tree with lots of Christmas presents under it, just like the nuclear family should be.”
The tragedy serves as a grim reminder of the devastating consequences of unchecked addiction and escalating domestic disputes, leaving a community to mourn the loss of a family shattered by violence.
