A 20-year Air Force veteran has broken his silence after losing his leg, claiming his ex-wife was at the center of a plot that saw him gunned down in his own driveway.
Kevin Kessler was shot at his home in Farmington, Michigan, on November 1, 2022, moments after calling police to report that his truck’s tires had been slashed, according to reports FOX 2 Detroit.
The father of two – who was in the middle of a divorce from his ex-wife Nicole Kessler – was waiting for police to arrive when a man drove by and shot at the veteran.
Police determined that the shooter was Nicole’s lover, Matthew Jones, who was later sentenced to 60 to 80 years in prison.
“They told my family they had to plan a funeral. They gave me a 1 percent chance. They didn’t think I was going to make it,” Kevin told the local news station.
Kevin Kessler, a 20-year Air Force veteran, spoke out after his wife was released from prison for lying to police during the investigation into the shooting that left him without his leg.
Kevin Kessler was shot at his home in Farmington, Michigan on November 1, 2022, moments after calling police to report his truck tires had been slashed
The Air Force veteran was hospitalized for two months and had his right leg amputated at the hip, leaving him wheelchair-bound
Kevin said: “They told my family they had to plan a funeral. They gave me a one percent chance. They didn’t think I would make it.”
‘”Why?” I remember saying that, “Why?” I thought about my girls and my family. I didn’t know if I would see them again.’
Kevin said of Jones, “I think he was cheating in a way. I think he saw payday with a divorce.”
The Air Force veteran was hospitalized for two months and had his right leg amputated at the hip, leaving him wheelchair-bound.
“They found three entry and exit holes, and they even found a full bullet in my belt,” he said.
“I still have bullet fragments that were removed a few weeks ago, I still have more than I feel. I still have a drain hole that won’t stop.’
Nicole was sentenced to one year in prison and three years of probation after pleading guilty to lying to police during the investigation into her ex-husband’s shooting, reported FOX 2 Detroit.
Before her sentencing, Kevin said in court: ‘Why would Nicole lie about her whereabouts if she wasn’t hiding her involvement in the shooting? At least she knew I was shot afterwards.”
Kevin’s ex-wife, Nicole Kessler, was sentenced to one year in prison and three years of probation after pleading guilty to lying to police during the investigation.
A judge said her relationship with the shooter and the fact that she removed Kevin’s gun from the house and gave it to Jones was “suspicious.”
Police determined the shooter was Nicole’s lover, Matthew Jones (pictured), who was later sentenced to 60 to 80 years in prison
A judge said her relationship with the shooter and the fact that she removed Kevin’s gun from the house and gave it to Jones was “suspicious.”
‘I’m sorry. I just want to say I’m sorry for what happened to Kevin. Everything the girls have been through. What Kevin’s family went through, what my family went through,” Nicole said on the stand.
Nicole has served nine months of her sentence and was released from prison last week.
“I’m still convinced there was something behind it,” Kevin said. “(Wednesday) was actually one of my first times where I jumped and had to sit there for a minute because someone dropped their trash can while I was outside, I was in the driveway.”
Another woman believed to have had a relationship with Jones, Kristina Peterson, was also arrested and charged in connection with the shooting.