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Authorities discover chilling letter after Florida man killed wife in Christmas shooting over TV remote before taking own life
A Florida mother, Crystal Roure, is being remembered as a hero following a tragic shooting incident at her home in Highland City, Florida, just days before Christmas in 2025.
Crystal lost her life while trying to protect her children from a violent attack by her husband, Jason Kenney. The incident, which unfolded after an argument over a Monday Night Football game, has left the local community in shock.
Authorities say that Jason Kenney, 47, had been drinking when he came inside the family home after watching the game in a shed. An argument broke out when Crystal expressed her disinterest in watching the football game.
This led to a violent confrontation in which Kenney shot Crystal, before turning the gun on their 13-year-old daughter, who survived the attack. Their one-year-old child was fortunately unharmed and found asleep in a crib.
Details of the tragic event
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office revealed that, in a desperate bid to protect her children, Crystal urged her 12-year-old son to run to a neighbor’s house and call 911. Tragically, as the child fled, he heard a single gunshot.
When deputies arrived, they found Crystal dead in the living room and the teenage daughter critically wounded in her bed. The young girl’s injury was severe, but she survived after the bullet ricocheted through her head.
After committing the horrific act, Kenney fled the scene and later contacted his sister, telling her that he had "done something really bad" and that he wouldn’t be going to jail. Authorities later found him dead in a shed at his late father’s property in Lake Wales, having died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Family and community reaction
Crystal’s sister, Stephanie Roure, spoke about her sister's courage in the wake of the tragedy, emphasizing that Crystal had acted heroically to save her children. "My sister died a hero for protecting her children and getting my nephew out of the house to make the 911 call," she said.
Stephanie added that, despite his promises to change, Kenney had been abusing Crystal for some time, with relatives confirming his history of alcohol and drug use.
A letter Crystal had written to her husband revealed her frustration and plea for him to change. The letter read (via Fox News), "You’re drinking, you’re using cocaine again. This is not the way a family should be. You need God."
Sheriff Grady Judd also shared his thoughts on the impact of the crime, stating, "He absolutely destroyed a family." Investigators discovered a letter written by Crystal to her husband, urging him to get help for his substance abuse.
Despite having no prior records of domestic violence calls, the sheriff’s office confirmed that Crystal had been dealing with Kenney’s issues for years, and her tragic death marks a heartbreaking end to the holiday season for the surviving family members.