A drunken Florida man fatally shot his wife, wounded his 13-year-old stepdaughter in the face, and then turned the gun on himself — all after a trivial dispute over his demand to watch Monday Night Football, police said.
Jason Kenney, 47, later took his own life in a shed just hours after fatally shooting his wife, Crystal Kenney, when she suggested he turn off the San Francisco 49ers–Indianapolis Colts game on Sunday, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said during a press briefing.
Kenney had been drinking, and the demand quickly ignited a heated confrontation — so intense that Crystal told her 12-year-old son to dial 911.
Jason Kenney shot his stepdaughter, fatally killed his wife, and then turned the gun on himself. Facebook / Jason Kenney
The boy fled to a neighbor’s home — where he soon heard gunshots ring out.
When officers arrived at the Kenneys’ home, they discovered Crystal dead from gunshot wounds and her 13-year-old daughter suffering gunshot injuries to the face and shoulder.
The teen was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition, where she is now recovering — and was able to share a chilling account of the ordeal with investigators.
“I begged him, don’t shoot me, don’t shoot me, don’t shoot me, and he shot me anyway,” she told investigators, according to Judd.
Jason Kenney had been drinking, and the dispute quickly spiraled out of control, prompting his wife to tell her 12-year-old son to call 911. Polk County Sheriff's Office
Jason Kenney is pictured with Crystal Kenney and her two children enjoying a hockey game in March 2022. Jason Kenney/Facebook
The boy who ran for help was unharmed, and the couple’s 1-year-old daughter, found asleep in her crib, was also safe, police said.
Kenney served as the stepfather to Crystal’s two older children.
Kenney initially fled the scene and called his sister in upstate New York, telling her he had “done something” terrible and that they would never speak again.
Jason Kenney is pictured with his wife, Crystal, in a family photo of unknown date. Facebook / Crystal Kenney
Jason and Crystal Kenney are seen together in a family photo of unknown date. Facebook / Crystal Kenney
When deputies arrived, they found Crystal Kenney dead and her 13-year-old daughter critically wounded with gunshots to the face and shoulder. WFLA News Channel 8/YouTube
He then fled to his father’s home, but police were able to track him down there.
While deputies attempted to get him to surrender from the shed, he turned the gun on himself and died, Judd said.
During a search of the family’s home, deputies discovered a note Crystal had written to her husband, urging him to seek help for his substance abuse.
Officials said the murder occurred after Crystal Kenney suggested her husband turn off Monday’s NFL game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Indianapolis Colts. Facebook / Crystal Kenney
While searching the family’s home, deputies found a note from Crystal to her husband, pleading with him to get help. Facebook / Crystal Kenney
“You’re drinking, you’re using cocaine again. This is not the way the family should be. You need God,” the note states, Judd said.
The surviving children have been placed in the care of their grandparents.
“The entire family was destroyed,” Judd said. “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.”
