Mom Called 911, Admitted She Killed Her Children, and Waited for Police with Blood on Her Hands: Prosecutor

Police say they literally caught a Pittsburgh-area mother with blood on her hands.

Authorities in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, say Krisinda Ann Bright, 48, shot and killed her own two children, left her unloaded gun on her dining room table, called 911, and waited on her front porch for officers to arrive.

When they did, they asked Bright if she was bleeding. She said she wasn’t. She said the blood on her hands, arms, and clothing was from her slain children.

According to online court records reviewed by Law&Crime, Bright, of Ambridge, is now charged with two counts of criminal homicide.  She’s behind bars pending further proceedings; a judge denied bail.

Bright told 911 dispatchers that she shot and killed Jeffrey “JJ” Bright, 16, whose birth name was Kiara, and Jasmin Cannady, 22.

PRISM of Beaver County, Inc., an area outreach group for the LGBTQ+ community, held a vigil for both Jasmine and “JJ.”  The group later set up a GoFundMe to assist with funeral expenses. Organizers asked journalists to refer to JJ as male, even though county officials used his birth name on official documents, the Beaver County Tribune reported.

Though court documents do not list an official motive, the vigil turned into a de facto referendum on support and respect for members of the LGBTQ+ community.  A friend told the Tribune that JJ deserved “to be respected, at least, as he’s laid to rest.” That friend, Kit Heming, also said JJ struggled to be recognized by his chosen name.

“I guess some places wouldn’t change the name unless a family member confirmed it, but a lot of transgender people don’t have supportive family,” Heming said in the report.

Friends at the vigil said the victims had a “complicated” relationship with their mother.

According to a criminal complaint, which Law&Crime obtained Wednesday morning, Bright waived her Miranda rights in writing and agreed to speak with the police in an interview room.  The documents say Bright admitted she shot Cannady while the young woman was laying in bed upstairs. She then said she went downstairs, pointed her gun at JJ, and pulled the trigger; however, the gun didn’t fire.

According to the complaint, JJ then said “[p]lease don’t shoot[;] I’m gonna call the police.”

Bright said she “fixed” the gun and shot JJ in the face. When she realized JJ wasn’t dead, she went back upstairs, got another gun, and again shot JJ “in the head because she didn’t want [JJ] to suffer,” the complaint document says.

Crime scene investigators found both victims with apparent gunshot wounds to the face and head.

Rick Mattia, the executive director of a local mental health organization, told WPXI-TV that he knew both victims.

“They were happy,” Mattia said, especially “when they were with their friends . . . but obviously they had some things that they had to deal with being a part of the LGBTQ community and not being understood all the time.”

RIGHT NOW: A huge show of support from the Ambridge community as a vigil is underway to remember the children who were shot and killed in Ambridge yesterday. #wpxi pic.twitter.com/zZ9J6vufVC

— Michele Newell (@micheleWPXI) February 23, 2021

Friends will gather tonight to remember Jasmine Cannady and Jeffery Bright. The two siblings were shot and killed inside of their Ambridge home. https://t.co/daoSUN8vA0 pic.twitter.com/KTNQATIH2i

— Sarafina James (@SarafinaWPXI) February 23, 2021

A few people, including the Beaver County District Attorney, are at P.J. Caul Park to hold a vigil for Jeffrey and Jasmine. pic.twitter.com/fHOIK8EkHO

— Sarafina James (@SarafinaWPXI) February 23, 2021

Bright is currently accused of two counts of criminal homicide under § 2501 (A) of commonwealth law. Under Pennsylvania law, that charge is defined broadly as the causing of another person’s death “intentionally, knowingly, recklessly or negligently.” More specific charges are possible under the statute.

Bright is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on March 2 at 10:00 a.m.

Read the relevant documents below.

Krisinda Ann Bright Crimina… by Law&Crime

Watch KDKA-TV’s coverage of some of the events below:

[image via Beaver County, Pennsylvania District Attorney’s Office]

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