Argument Over NFL Game Turns Deadly Inside Florida Home
A Florida family’s holiday season was shattered by an act of domestic violence that began with something painfully ordinary. A disagreement over an NFL game.
According to authorities, a Florida man took the life of his wife and shot his stepdaughter before ending his own life following an argument inside their home on December 22.
Law enforcement identified the suspect as Jason Kenney, 47. His wife, Crystal Kenney, lost her life during the incident. A 13-year-old girl was also shot but survived and is currently recovering in the hospital.
Investigators say the argument started when Crystal asked Jason to turn off an NFL game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Indianapolis Colts. What should have been a harmless request spiraled into deadly violence.
Authorities say Jason had been drinking. That detail matters. Alcohol often lowers inhibitions and raises aggression, especially in already tense situations. Things escalated quickly.
At one point, Crystal told her 12-year-old son to call 911.
He never got the chance.
Children Flee as Gunfire Erupts Inside the Home
As the argument escalated, the situation turned terrifying for the children inside the home.
Authorities say the 12-year-old boy ran to a neighbor’s house after hearing gunfire. He escaped unharmed. Deputies arrived shortly after and were met with a devastating scene.
Crystal Kenney was found dead.
Nearby, a 13-year-old girl had been shot in the shoulder and face. Miraculously, she survived and is now recovering in a hospital. Doctors expect her to live, but the emotional scars will take far longer to heal.
During a press briefing, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd shared chilling details from the investigation, including the girl’s account of the moments before she was shot. “She said, ‘I begged him, don’t shoot me, don’t shoot me, don’t shoot me, and he shot me anyway,’”
That quote sits heavy. It’s the kind that doesn’t leave you.
Inside the same home, deputies also found Jason and Crystal’s 1-year-old daughter. She was unharmed. She slept peacefully in her crib while chaos unfolded around her.
That detail alone shook investigators.
It’s a painful reminder that violence doesn’t just harm its direct victims. It ripples outward. It rewrites childhoods. It steals futures.
Suspect Flees, Confesses to Sister, Then Takes His Own Life
After the shooting, Jason Kenney fled the scene.
Authorities say he called his sister in upstate New York. During that call, he told her that he had “done something” wrong. He also told her it would be the last time they ever spoke.
Deputies later tracked Jason to his father’s home. He was hiding inside a shed on the property. As law enforcement attempted to get him to surrender, Jason ended his own life.
The violence ended there. But the damage did not.