KTVU28%
Pinole man who murdered ex-girlfriend in front of their child sentenced to 50 years to life 10%
7/31/2026, 6:41:57 PM
BS Summary: This article contains 13 faulty reasoning types, including Confirmation Bias, Framing Effect, and Biased Writer Voice, with Negativity Bias as the most egregious example at 17.3% saturation with 79 hits. Analysis detected 602 faulty-reasoning hits from 457 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 22.5% and a BS Rank of 10% (22,948 of 25,472 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 90.10% of the article peer group.
The man who in 2024 killed his ex-girlfriend in front of their then-four-year-old son was sentenced on Friday to 50 years to life in prison.
A jury found 39-year-old Jeffery Kendall guilty of first-degree murder for shooting Brittany Elizabeth Ligdis in the head, and of child endangerment, for placing the couple’s child in danger.
Deputy District Attorney Tylyn Wells described the killing as "an execution in front of a four-year-old child," and argued that the murder was not the result of a mental break, but rather an escalation of an ongoing pattern of domestic violence.
Given the circumstances of the murder, Wells asked the court during the trial to impose a sentencing enhancement, which increased Kendall’s potential sentence to 50 years to life.
Kendall was also found guilty — by Judge Glenn Kim — of possessing an assault weapon, a 3D-printed pistol capable of semi-automatic fire.
Kendall’s lawyer petitioned for that charge to be tried before the judge, rather than a jury.
Kim also ruled that six aggravating sentencing factors tied to the weapons charge were true.
Kim called the case "one of the most difficult" he has experienced.
He imposed two consecutive terms of 25 years to life, totaling 50 years to life.
Kim also barred Kendall from contacting his son, with limited exceptions subject to court approval, until the child turns 16 in 2035.
Kendall is being held in Contra Costa County jail awaiting transfer to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, to begin his service.
Kendall shot Ligdis the morning of Feb. 16 inside her basement apartment on Summit Drive.
Ligdis’ Aunt Nancy O’Neil, following the murder, told KTVU that Ligdis had called the police when Kendall broke into her home, and then hid in the laundry room with her son.
The 911 call captured the murder.
About 90 seconds into the call, Kendall entered the laundry room.
Ligdis is heard pleading for him to let her go, telling Kendall he’s scaring their son, and to stop what he’s doing.
At that point, according to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office, Kendall shot Ligdis in the head.
"The couple’s four-year-old son cried, ‘Momma’ and fled the room; Kendall fled the scene shortly after," a release from the District Attorney’s office states.
Kendall was seen on a neighbor’s doorbell camera running down the street moments after the shooting.
California Highway Patrol officers arrested Kendall in Santa Cruz later that night.
Family members said Ligdis had ended her relationship with Kendall shortly before she was murdered, and that he was struggling with mental illness and had a history of drug use, but no history of abuse or violence.
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