On a spring day in April of 2018, a disagreement over a trip to Sonic escalated into a tragic event that would claim the lives of two women. Lindsey Livingston, a Caucasian female, and her mother, Kristee Bedgood, age 54, were shot and killed on April 17, 2018, in Elkland, Missouri. The incident occurred at the home of Lindsey's parents, Scott and Kristee Bedgood, where Lindsey and her three children were present.
Lindsey and her husband, Kenneth Livingston, were in the midst of a
divorce. Kenneth had come to the residence to visit his children. An argument over taking the children to Sonic quickly spiraled into a heated dispute about custody inside the garage. The verbal altercation turned deadly when Kenneth produced a firearm. Scott Bedgood heard his wife yell, “he's got a gun,” and ran to the back bedroom to retrieve his own weapon. By the time he returned, he believes both his wife and daughter had been fatally shot. An exchange of gunfire then took place between Scott and Kenneth inside the home. The three children were in other parts of the house during the shooting. Scott Bedgood sustained a gunshot wound to his arm.
Following the shootings, Kenneth Livingston fled the scene but was apprehended by law enforcement officers while en route. He was subsequently detained and brought back to the scene. The next day, Kenneth was formally charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of his wife and mother-in-law. His bail was set at two million dollars.
The legal proceedings that followed saw a change of venue from Webster County to Taney County at the request of the defense. Kenneth Livingston pleaded not guilty to the charges. In October 2021, a jury convicted him of first-degree murder in the death of Kristee Bedgood and second-degree murder in the death of his wife, Lindsey. Additionally, he was found guilty of one count of first-degree assault, one count of assault with a deadly weapon, and three counts of armed criminal action. In March 2022, Kenneth Livingston was sentenced to a total of 150 years in prison. The sentences included life in prison without the possibility of parole for the first-degree murder of his mother-in-law, life in prison with the possibility of parole for the second-degree murder of his wife, and additional time for the assault and armed criminal action charges, with all counts to run consecutively.
