Calif. man sentenced for killing ex-girlfriend in front of their 4-year-old after she ended the relationship

PINOLE, Calif. (TCN) -- A 39-year-old man has been sentenced to 50 years to life in prison after being found guilty of first-degree murder and child endangerment.

Jeffery Kendall fatally shot his ex-girlfriend, 30-year-old Brittany Elizabeth Ligdis, on Feb. 16, 2024, 10 days after she broke up with him, The Press Democrat reports. Ligdis dialed 911 and told dispatchers Kendall had broken into her apartment and she had taken their 4-year-old son with her into the laundry room to hide. 

While Ligdis was on the phone with dispatchers, Kendall entered the laundry room. Ligdis could be heard on the call asking him to let go of her and saying that he was scaring the child. Kendall then shot Ligdis in the head and the child could be heard on the call crying, “Mama,” before running out of the room, per the Press Democrat. 

Kendall was arrested the following day in Santa Cruz, California, according to KTVU. Kendall did not have a history of abuse or violence at the time of the killing but does allegedly have a history of drug use.

After the breakup, Ligdis had reportedly texted a friend that she was fine but said Kendall was being “very unpredictable,” according to Law & Crime. 

In a press release from the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office, Judge Glenn Kim called the case one of the most difficult he has ever presided over before sentencing Kendall to two consecutive terms of 25 years to life in prison on July 31. In addition, Kendall is forbidden from contacting his son until 2035. The child will be 16 years old at that time.

Kendall was also found guilty of possessing an assault weapon in a separate bench trial, per the Press Democrat. 

Ligdis’ and Kendall’s 4-year-old son is now living with relatives, per Law & Crime. Following witnessing his mother’s fatal shooting, he reportedly “keeps saying ‘mommy’s dead, mommy’s dead.’ … We replay it in our heads over and over every day,” according to Ligdis’ aunt.

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