East Bay man gets 50 years to life for killing ex in front of child

MARTINEZ — A Contra Costa County judge on Friday sentenced a 39-year-old Pinole man to 50 years to life in state prison for fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend in front of their 4-year-old son.

Jeffery Kendall’s sentence comes nearly three months after a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder in the killing of 30-year-old Brittany Elizabeth Ligdis, as well as child endangerment for placing their child in a situation that threatened his safety.

Kendall shot and killed Ligdis at her home on Feb. 16, 2024, just 10 days after she broke up with him, according to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office.

A 911 call captured the harrowing encounter as it unfolded. Ligdis told dispatchers Kendall had broken into her home and that she was hiding in the laundry room with their son.

A minute and a half into the call, Kendall entered the room. Ligdis told him, “let go of me” and “you’re scaring him,” before screaming “stop it.” Kendall then shot Ligdis in the head. The estranged couple’s son cried “momma” and ran out of the room.

Kendall left the scene but was arrested the next day. He has been in custody ever since.

Deputy District Attorney Tylyn Wells described the killing as “an execution in front of a 4-year-old child” and asked the court to impose a harsher sentence of 50 years to life, prosecutors said.

At Friday’s sentencing hearing, Judge Glenn Kim called the case “one of the most difficult” he has presided over, prosecutors said. Kim imposed two consecutive terms of 25 years to life and barred Kendall from contacting his son, with limited exceptions subject to court approval, until November 2035, when the boy turns 16 years old.

In a separate bench trial, Kim also found Kendall guilty of possessing an assault weapon – a 3D-printed pistol capable of semi-automatic fire – and ruled that half a dozen aggravating sentencing factors tied to that charge were true, prosecutors said.

Kendall remains in Contra Costa County jail and is awaiting transfer to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to begin serving his sentence.