Jeffrey Kendall, left, allegedly killed his ex-girlfriend, Brittany Ligdis, right, foreground, at her home in Pinole, California on Feb. 16, 2024. Troopers with the California Highway Patrol took Kendall into custody hours after he allegedly killed her. (Kendall: Pinole police; Ligdis: GoFundMe)
A man is behind bars after he allegedly broke into his ex-girlfriend’s home and fatally shot her in the head as she hid with their 4-year-old son in the laundry room.
Jeffrey Kendall, 36, is charged with murder, willful child cruelty and possessing an assault weapon in the death of Brittany Ligdis, according to court records. Police in the Bay Area city of Pinole, California, called it a “tragic case of domestic violence,” Commander Matt Avery said.
Pinole police found Ligdis, 30, dead from a gunshot wound in a home in the 500 block of Summit Drive on Feb. 16 after reporting to a man breaking into a home. Cops, having identified Kendall as the suspect after he was seen on home surveillance cameras fleeing the scene, put out a “be on the lookout” alert for his Hyundai Elantra. Later that evening, California Highway Patrol troopers spotted the car and took him into custody after a traffic stop.
Kendall is at the Contra Costa County Jail on a $1.2 million bail. He’s scheduled to be arraigned on the charges on Friday, records show.
Ligdis’ aunt Nancy O’Neil relayed the horrifying details about her niece’s death in an interview with Bay Area Fox affiliate KTVU. O’Neil said Ligdis called cops when Kendall allegedly broke into her home. She then hid in the laundry room with her son, but Kendall allegedly found her and shot her in the head with the boy watching. The boy remains traumatized, she said.
“He keeps saying ‘mommy’s dead, mommy’s dead,”” O’Neil told KTVU. “We replay it in our heads over and over every day.”
Ligdis had apparently broken up with Kendall about a week before the murder. Her friend Kassandra Santiago said in an interview with the outlet that Ligdis sent her a text saying Kendall did not take the breakup well.
“She said to me ‘I’m doing OK, but it’s really hard. He’s very unpredictable right now,’” she said.
Santiago said Ligdis was studying at Diablo Valley College to become a nurse. She was known for her passion for nursing and her willingness to help fellow students, Santiago told KTVU.
“She had so much going for her,” she said.
Family said her son is now staying with family members.
Friends of Ligdis’ mother Cathy Ligdis started a GoFundMe page to help with finances.
“Brittany was not only a devoted daughter to Cathy but also a dedicated nursing student and a loving mother to 4-year-old Liam,” the page said.
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