Investigators in Central Florida say a handwritten note discovered inside a Lakeland home is shedding light on the turmoil that preceded a deadly domestic shooting tied to alcohol, drugs, and a night of NFL viewing.
According to the New York Post, authorities say Crystal Kenney was killed Monday night after an argument with her husband, Jason Kenney, erupted following hours of drinking.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office reported that the dispute escalated when Crystal asked Jason to turn off the football game he was watching — a matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the Indianapolis Colts.
Deputies responding to the scene found Crystal dead inside the home. Her 13-year-old daughter had been shot in the face and shoulder but was still alive. Nearby, investigators located a letter written by Crystal that directly addressed her husband’s behavior.
“You’re drinking, you’re using cocaine again. This is not the way the family should be. You need God,” the note states, Sheriff Grady Judd told reporters Tuesday.
The letter was not dated, but Judd said it was left in plain sight and appeared to be intended to be read.
“We have no idea whether or not she wrote the letter [the night of the shooting] or this has been built up over time. That will be part of the investigation into the future,” Judd said.
“But it was there and it was open for the detectives to see. It’s not like we had to search it up in the house.”
Family members later told investigators that Jason Kenney, 47, had a history of physically abusing Crystal, though law enforcement had never received domestic violence calls from the residence.
“This is a family disturbance that apparently had gone on for some time. We talked to another family member and that family member said, ‘Oh, he’s been beating on her for a while,’” Judd said.
The sheriff said Crystal’s words in the note echoed what relatives described.
“She tells him, ‘You need God. You’re slipping into abuse of drugs and alcohol,’ and it ends up this way. And quite frankly, it’s not surprising. Some women protect their husbands.”
Authorities confirmed Jason Kenney had no prior criminal record.
After the shooting, investigators say Kenney fled to his late father’s home in nearby Lake Wales. As deputies surrounded the property, Kenney went into a shed and shot himself in the head.
“Quite frankly, I don’t want to sound sinister, but the only thing he did right that night was shoot himself after those horrible deeds,” Judd said. “If he felt that way, he could have taken himself out and not hurt those two beautiful people.”
The wounded 13-year-old girl was rushed to a local hospital and is expected to survive, which Judd described as a “Christmas miracle.”
“She said, ‘I begged him, don’t shoot me, don’t shoot me, don’t shoot me, and he shot me anyway,” Judd said the teen told investigators.
Another stepchild, a 12-year-old boy, escaped unharmed after running to a neighbor’s house to get help. A 1-year-old girl shared by the couple was also unharmed and was found asleep in her crib.
