Man murders his wife for telling him to turn off Monday Night Football

Authorities in Florida are investigating a tragic murder-suicide that left a mother dead and her 13-year-old daughter critically injured, police say. The incident began after an argument erupted when the suspect’s wife asked him to turn off the Monday Night Football game.

According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded just before 11 p.m. Monday to a shooting on Lemon Avenue in Lakeland. A 12-year-old boy ran to a neighbor’s home for help, reporting that his mother, Crystal Kenney, and stepfather, 47-year-old Jason Kenney, were fighting. The boy said he heard gunshots as he ran.

Deputies arrived to find Crystal Kenney dead and her 13-year-old daughter suffering from gunshot wounds to the face and shoulder. A 1-year-old girl in the home was unharmed. Crystal Kenney was pronounced dead at the scene, while the 13-year-old was taken to a hospital, where she is in critical but stable condition.

Sheriff Grady Judd described the girl’s injuries during a press conference: “The bullet hit her on the bridge of the nose, went straight up, and out the top of her head. She is alert and talking. That’s a Christmas miracle.”

Investigators identified Jason Kenney as the suspect. He fled in his truck and called his sister in upstate New York, saying, “I did something terrible and this is the last time you’ll ever talk to me. 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,” according to Sheriff Judd.

Kenney drove to his father’s home in Lake Wales and hid in a shed. Deputies tried to coax him out but later heard a gunshot. When they entered, they found Kenney dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Investigators said the shooting began after an argument over the TV. Sheriff Judd said Kenney shot his wife in the head and then turned the gun on his stepdaughter. The 13-year-old told detectives, “I begged him, don’t shoot me, don’t shoot me, don’t shoot me,” but he shot her anyway.

Authorities also found a letter written by Crystal Kenney expressing concern over her husband’s drug and alcohol use.

Sheriff Judd called the incident “horrific,” noting the devastating impact on the family, particularly during the holiday season. “He just absolutely destroyed a family and the mental health of two children without their mother, and an infant who will grow up without a mother and a father, three days before Christmas,” he said.

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