From the outside, the Kenney family of Lakeland, Florida, presented a picture of domestic bliss. Behind the social media smiles, however, lay a tragic reality that erupted in violence just days before Christmas, leaving a wife dead, a child fighting for her life, and a community in shock.
A Picture-Perfect Facade Cracks
Jason Kenney, 47, and his wife Crystal, married for less than two years, appeared deeply in love online. He frequently posted affectionate tributes, calling her his "sexy wife" and "best friend." The blended family, which included Crystal's 13-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son from a previous relationship, had recently welcomed a baby girl, Harlyn, at the end of the previous year. Her first birthday was celebrated with a sweet photo posted on December 11.
Yet, this carefully curated image hid a darker truth. During a search of the family home after the shootings, Polk County deputies discovered a handwritten note from Crystal to her husband. The note pleaded with Jason to seek help, stating: 'You're drinking, you're using cocaine again. This is not the way the family should be. You need God,' according to Sheriff Grady Judd.
A Deadly Argument Over Football
The horrific chain of events began on the evening of December 22. Jason was drinking while watching a Monday Night Football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Indianapolis Colts in a shed behind their home. Earlier that day, he had posted an ominous social media message tagging his wife alongside a video caption warning, 'Satan wants your wife.'
When Jason came inside for the final minutes of the game, an argument erupted after Crystal suggested they watch something else. The confrontation escalated rapidly. Sensing the danger, Crystal told her 12-year-old son to run to a neighbour's house and call 911. As the boy fled, he heard gunshots.
Deputies arrived at the home on Bent Tree Loop to a scene of devastation. They found Crystal Kenney dead from a gunshot wound to the head. In a bedroom, they discovered her 13-year-old daughter critically injured, shot twice—once in the shoulder and once in the face. The girl later told Sheriff Judd she begged, "don't shoot me," before Jason fired.
Miraculously, the bullet that struck her face hit the bridge of her nose and travelled upwards, exiting the top of her head. Sheriff Judd called her survival "a Christmas miracle." The couple's one-year-old daughter was found unharmed, asleep in her crib.
A Violent End and Shattered Lives
After the attack, Jason Kenney fled the scene. During his drive, he called his sister in New York, telling her he had "done something very, very bad" and that the next time she saw him would be "on the news." He then drove to his father's home, barricading himself inside a shed.
When deputies tracked him to the location and attempted to negotiate, a single gunshot rang out. Jason Kenney was found dead inside the shed, having taken his own life.
The case has left the extended family and investigators distraught. Crystal's aunt, Lynda Kenney, wrote online: "Jason and Crystal are gone. Booze, drugs and guns. A deadly combination. My heart breaks for my little grand niece and her sister and brother."
Sheriff Judd emphasised the tragedy's timing, noting the family's Christmas tree surrounded by presents. All three children are now in the custody of their maternal grandparents. The 13-year-old girl remains hospitalised in critical but stable condition, alert and able to speak, as the community grapples with the violent end of a family that seemed to have it all.
