Lakeland Female Found Deceased, Teenager in Serious Condition Following Homicide-Suicide Related to Television Argument

 LAKELAND, Fla. — An argument over a TV channel resulted in the deaths of two individuals and left a 13-year-old girl in critical condition in Lakeland on Monday night, as reported by Sheriff Grady Judd.

Officials stated that the altercation started when Crystal Kenney proposed switching the channel during the conclusion of a football match she was watching with her spouse, Jason Kenney. The discussion quickly turned into a physical confrontation. Fearing for her safety, Crystal instructed her 12-year-old son to dial 911. As he ran to a neighbor's house, he heard a gunshot.

When law enforcement arrived shortly thereafter, they discovered Crystal Kenney inside their residence, fatally shot in the head. In one of the bedrooms, her 13-year-old daughter was found with two gunshot wounds—one in the shoulder and another that went through her nose and exited from the top of her head. Sheriff Judd characterized the girl's injuries as critical, but remarkably, she was conscious, responsive, and managed to talk with the officers. She recounted pleading with her stepfather not to shoot her, but he did so regardless.

Additionally, present in the home was Jason Kenney’s one-year-old biological child, who was unharmed.

After the shootings, Jason Kenney left the premises, contacting his sister to express that he had "done something bad" and did not want to be imprisoned for life. He drove to his deceased father's residence in Lake Wales, where deputies later found him in a shed. Authorities reported hearing a single gunshot from within the shed, and upon investigation, they discovered Jason dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the forehead.

Sheriff Judd remarked, “He completely destroyed a family. Truly. Not to mention the psychological impact on two children who have lost their mother, and now their father just days before Christmas… The only correct choice he made that night was to take his own life.”

The children are now in the custody of their grandparents. The father of the 12- and 13-year-olds resides in California and has had no communication with them. As a result of this tragedy, the one-year-old is now left without a parent.

Law enforcement continues to examine the incident, which has left the community in shock and mourning just prior to Christmas.