Jeffrey Kendall: California man arrested for fatally shooting ex-girlfriend in front of her son, 4, as they hid in laundry room

SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA: A California man was recently arrested for breaking into his ex-girlfriend's house to kill her. The woman was discovered dead with a gunshot wound to the head while she was hiding in the laundry room with their 4-year-old son.

According to court documents, Jeffrey Kendall, 36, has been accused of killing Brittany Ligdis, possessing an assault weapon, and intentionally harming a child.

Commander Matt Avery of the Pinole, California, police department described it as a "tragic case of domestic violence."

Brittany Ligdis found dead from a gunshot wound

On February 16, 2024, after receiving a report of a man breaking into a house, Pinole police discovered Ligdis, 30, dead from a gunshot wound in a residence in the 500 block of Summit Drive.

After spotting Kendall leaving the scene on home security footage, police named him as the suspect and issued a "be on the lookout" alert for his Hyundai Elantra.

Later that night, after a traffic stop, California Highway Patrol troopers found the car and arrested the driver.

Kendall has a $1.2 million bail and is being held at the Contra Costa County Jail. According to documents, he is expected to be arraigned on the charges on Friday, March 1.

In an interview with Bay Area Fox affiliate KTVU, Ligdis' aunt Nancy O'Neil revealed the horrific details of her niece's death. When Kendall allegedly broke into O'Neil's house, Ligdis reportedly called the police.

While her son was watching, the victim reportedly hid in the laundry room, where Kendall is said to have found her and shot her in the head. O'Neil stated that the boy is still traumatized by the death of his mother.

“He keeps saying, ‘Mommy’s dead, mommy’s dead,'” O’Neil told KTVU. “We replay it in our heads over and over every day,” the grieving aunt added.

Brittany Ligdis and Jeffrey Kendall broke up a week before the murder

It seems that Ligdis and Kendall had broken up approximately a week before the murder. In an interview with the outlet, her friend Kassandra Santiago claimed that Ligdis texted her to let her know that Kendall wasn't handling the breakup well.

"She said to me ‘I’m doing OK, but it’s really hard. He’s very unpredictable right now,'" she remarked. According to Santiago, Ligdis was pursuing a nursing degree at Diablo Valley College.

Santiago told KTVU that Ligdis was well-known for her love of nursing and her readiness to assist other students. “She had so much going for her,” she added.

According to the family, Ligdis' son is currently staying with relatives. To raise money, friends of Ligdis' mother, Cathy Ligdis, created a GoFundMe page.

“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.