A teenage girl is fighting for her life after being shot in the head by her stepfather, who moments earlier had murdered her mother following a drunken argument over an American football game, just days before Christmas.
A Festive Evening Descends into Horror
The horrific chain of events unfolded on the evening of 22 December at the family home in Polk County. Jason Kenney, 47, had been drinking while watching the San Francisco 49ers versus Indianapolis Colts NFL game in a shed behind the house. He returned inside for the final minutes, where his wife, Crystal Kenney, suggested they watch something else as the match's outcome was seemingly decided.
This simple request sparked a furious argument that escalated with terrifying speed. During the violent row over control of the television, Crystal instructed her 12-year-old son to run to a neighbour's house and call 911. As the boy fled, he heard gunshots ring out from his home.
The Attack and a Miraculous Survival
When deputies arrived minutes later, they discovered a scene of domestic carnage. Crystal Kenney was found dead from a gunshot wound to the head. Her 13-year-old daughter was located in a bedroom, critically injured with gunshots to her shoulder and face.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd recounted the girl's harrowing words to him: "I begged him, don't shoot me, don't shoot me, don't shoot me, and he shot me anyway." The sheriff detailed that a bullet struck the girl on the bridge of her nose before redirecting upwards and exiting through the top of her head, a trajectory he described as "a Christmas miracle" that likely saved her life.
The couple's one-year-old daughter was in the home during the shooting but was found unharmed and sleeping in her crib.
Aftermath and a Family Shattered
After the attack, Jason Kenney fled. While driving, he called his sister in upstate 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 barricaded himself in a shed at his father's property, where deputies later tracked him down. After attempts to coax him out, a single gunshot was heard from inside. Kenney was found dead, having taken his own life.
Investigators later found a handwritten note from Crystal to her husband, which read: "You're drinking, you're using cocaine again. This is not the way the family should be. You need God." Sheriff Judd contrasted the violent scene with the home's festive setting, noting "a beautiful Christmas tree with lots of Christmas presents under it, just like the nuclear family should be."
All three of Crystal's children are now in the custody of their maternal grandparents. A GoFundMe page has been set up by loved ones, paying tribute to Crystal as 'the foundation of her family and the steady presence her three children depended on every day'. Funds raised will help cover funeral costs and support the children.
The page states: "What has happened to this beautiful family is a tragedy and it is unimaginable." Jason and Crystal had been married for less than two years, and their social media profiles painted a picture of a happy couple, making the violent outburst all the more shocking.
