Man murdered wife for telling him to turn off Monday Night Football, then turned gun to stepdaughter

Authorities in Florida are investigating a deadly domestic violence incident that ended in a murder-suicide and left a 13-year-old girl critically injured after an argument over a television remote, according to law enforcement. The shooting happened late Monday night in Lakeland, a city in central Florida.

Deputies with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office responded just before 11 p.m. to reports of gunfire at a home on Lemon Avenue. According to investigators, the chaos began when a 12-year-old boy ran to a neighbor’s house seeking help. The boy told neighbors his mother, Crystal Kenney, and his stepfather, Jason Kenney, were arguing. As the child fled the house, he heard gunshots behind him.

When deputies arrived at the home, they discovered a devastating scene. Crystal Kenney was found dead inside the residence. Her 13-year-old daughter had been shot in the face and shoulder and was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. A 1-year-old girl was also inside the home but was not physically harmed.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd later detailed the severity of the teenager’s injuries during a press conference. “We later learned, the bullet in the face hit her on the bridge of the nose, went straight up and out the top of her head,” Judd said. Despite the horrifying injury, the sheriff said the girl survived and was conscious.

Judd described her condition as “alert and talking,” adding, “That’s a Christmas miracle.” Investigators quickly identified 47-year-old Jason Kenney as the suspect and learned he had fled the scene in his truck. As he drove away, Kenney reportedly called his sister, who lives in upstate New York, and made a chilling confession.

“I did something terrible, and this is the last time you’ll ever talk to me,” he told her, according to Judd. “You’ll see me on the news, but I am not going to jail. I’m not going to jail for the rest of my life.” Authorities tracked Kenney to his father’s property in nearby Lake Wales, where he hid inside a shed.

Deputies attempted to negotiate with him, urging him to surrender peacefully. During those efforts, officers heard a single gunshot. When deputies entered the shed, they found Kenney dead from what authorities say was a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

As investigators pieced together the events leading up to the violence, they learned the argument reportedly started when Crystal Kenney asked her husband to turn off or change the channel from the Monday Night Football game near its conclusion.

Sheriff Judd said Kenney became enraged. “He pulled out a gun and shot her in the head,” Judd said. After killing his wife, Kenney then turned the weapon on his stepdaughter. Detectives later spoke with the 13-year-old survivor, who recounted her terrifying moments.

“She said, ‘I begged him, don’t shoot me, don’t shoot me, don’t shoot me,’ and he shot me anyway,” Judd said, quoting the girl. During the investigation, deputies also discovered an undated letter Crystal Kenney had written to her husband. In the letter, she expressed concern about his struggles with drugs and alcohol, shedding further light on the family’s turmoil.

Judd called the incident “horrific,” emphasizing the timing and the lasting impact on the children left behind. “He just absolutely destroyed a family, literally, and the mental health of two children without their mama and an infant that will grow up without a mother and a father three days before Christmas,” Judd said.

The investigation remains ongoing as authorities continue reviewing evidence and supporting the surviving children in the aftermath of the tragedy.

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