Man accused of killing wife and four young children claims ‘TV told him’ to do it
Warning: This article contains discussion of gun violence which some readers may find distressing.
An agent has testified an Alabama man said the 'TV told him to kill' his wife and four children.
On July 18, 2024, Kelsey Kendrick, 24, eight-year-old Colton Daniels, six-year-old Kaleb Kendrick and six-year-old Haley Daniels and two-year-old Kynli Kendrick were killed.
Brandon Kendrick, 32, Kelsey's husband, is accused of fatally shooting his partner and the four children - two of who are reported as being his kids and the other two relatives.
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The shooting took place at a property belonging to Kendrick's grandfather, Pastor Kendrick, near West Blocton, in Bibb County, Alabama.
Pastor Kendrick previously spoke out about what he remembered from the night during a congregation, as quoted by WBRC: "Ten minutes before I heard a gunshot, my grandson was sitting in my bedroom with me and Gay, laughing, talking, talked about the first time we ever took him to a restaurant for his 13th birthday.
"We were laughing and talking. His wife had gotten home. She laughed and talked with us and left. He got up 10 minutes later, and we heard pow.
"I told Gay that there was a gunshot there. He walked in with a gun in his hand. She was closest to him. She grabbed the gun, and it went off. I don't know how it kept from hitting her.
"I was able to subdue him. And once that happened, he didn’t know where he was at. He started asking me and Gay where he was at."
A document filed with the arrest warrant reports all of the victims were shot in the head with a handgun.
Sheriff Jody Wade told CBS News that 'even seasoned officers' who attended the scene found it 'horrific' and it was 'the worst thing they've ever seen'.
When Kendrick was first arrested and taken into custody, Wade says he didn't say anything about a possible motive.
However, on December 5, ALEA State Bureau of Investigation Agent Ivy Hornsby testified in court at a preliminary hearing, alleging Kendrick had since spoken out about the attacks.
During Kendrick's preliminary hearing earlier this month, Agent Hornsby testified while he was 'reluctant to go into detail', Kendrick allegedly 'said he shot his wife, his children and his niece and nephew,' AL.com reports.
Agent Hornsby continued: "He said the TV told him to kill his family, and he said something about radio towers."
Kendrick is charged with five counts of capital murder and he has pleaded not guilty by reason of mental illness or defect.
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Topics: US News, Crime, True crime
Poppy Bilderbeck