A sheriff in Florida revealed this week that a note left by Crystal Kenney, the wife of a football enthusiast, accused her husband of alcohol and drug issues. The note was found after she was fatally shot by her husband, Jason, on Monday night.
Authorities reported that Jason had been drinking and became enraged, demanding the cancellation of the Monday Night Football game featuring the San Francisco 49ers and Indianapolis Colts.
When law enforcement arrived at their Lakeland home, they discovered Crystal dead, while her 13-year-old daughter had been shot in the face and shoulder. The police found a letter in which Crystal pleaded with Jason to change his behavior.
In the note, she stated, “You are drinking and using cocaine. This is not how a family should be. You need God,” as shared by Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd during a press briefing.
The letter was undated and seemed to be left for anyone to find, according to the sheriff.
“I’m not sure whether she wrote it the night of the incident or if it was something she had expressed over time. That’s something we will look into further,” Judd mentioned.
He pointed out that the letter was simply lying out in the open, requiring no search to uncover it.
Family members informed the police that Jason had a history of abusing Crystal, but there had been no prior domestic violence reports at their home.
“It seems like this was a long-standing issue. One relative mentioned, ‘He’s been hitting her for a while,'” Judd said.
Crystal had urged Jason to seek help for his substance abuse, which tragically culminated in this violent episode. It’s, well, sadly not unexpected in some cases where women might protect their partners, even when abuse is apparent.
Jason Kenney didn’t have a criminal record, as confirmed by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
After the shooting, he drove to his late father’s residence in Lake Wales, where he took his own life as law enforcement surrounded the area.
“Honestly, without wanting to seem too harsh, the only thing he did right that night was to end his own life after committing such a horrific act,” Judd remarked. “He could have chosen to seek help instead of resorting to violence.”
Meanwhile, the 13-year-old girl was immediately taken to the hospital and is expected to survive, described by Judd as a “Christmas miracle.”
The girl reportedly said, “Please don’t shoot, don’t shoot, don’t shoot, but he still shot me,” during interrogations.
Another of Jason’s stepchildren, a 12-year-old boy, escaped to a neighbor’s house for assistance after Crystal told him to call 911. Thankfully, he was unharmed, as was a 1-year-old girl who was found asleep in her crib during the investigation.
