A grieving mother shared heartbreaking footage of the doorbell of her happy son, who is leaving for school for the last time – hours before he was “shot by his own father”.
Grayson Kessler was found dead along with her father, John Stacey, 47, in May last year in what police believe to be a homicide.
Shortly after his death, his mother, Ali Kessler, 41, found footage of her and Grayson giggling when he accidentally closed the door when they left home together, and she exclaimed, “Almost punching Mom in the face.”
CCTV shows them walking down the aisle before Grayson is heard shouting “butterfly” as he leaves for school for the last time.
Ali decided to release butterflies at Grayson’s funeral because he loved them, and she held his one-year memorial last month.
Grayson Kessler was found dead along with her father, John Stacey, 47, in May last year in what police believe to be a homicide (
Image:
Kennedy News and Media)
Digital marketer Ali says she watches Grayson’s videos every day while living in “Everyone’s Worst Nightmare” and that the only thing that keeps her going is her campaign to raise awareness about domestic violence.
Ali from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, said: “I found the video after he died and I was just like, ‘Oh my God, he’s screaming he has a butterfly.’ I cried.
“I watch videos with him every day. I happened to take so many pictures of him over the years.
“It’s not even the beginning of what I’m looking back on.
“I shared the video because I want it to be remembered and honored and to raise awareness of what is happening.
A grieving mother shared heartbreaking footage from the doorbell of her happy son, who is leaving for school for the last time – hours before he was “shot by his own father” (
Image:
KENNEDY NEWS)
“He loved butterflies. He was the happiest little boy. He was everyone’s best friend. It was so much fun that it made me cry. He was fearless.
“He loved to sing and dance. He was the best and was so smart that the teacher said he was two years ahead of all the other children.
“It was a nightmare. Every day is a struggle to wake up. The only thing that keeps me going is helping to raise awareness.
“I do not want his death to be in vain. Not only did I lose my son, I lost my life. I am no longer a mother. My world was 24/7 all around Grayson, to make him lunch, to pick him up.
“I have bills to pay, so if I don’t get out of bed in the morning, I’m homeless.”
Grayson Kessler was found dead along with his father, John Stacey, 47 (
Image:
Kennedy News and Media)
Ali was in the process of trying to get a restraining order against Stacey after he sent her insulting messages and she found a tracker attached to her car, but her request was denied the same day Grayson was killed.
Ali says the couple met at an app in New York six years ago and although they dated, they never had a relationship.
She moved to Florida and found out she was pregnant, but Stacey insisted he didn’t want any part of the pregnancy, so Ali was shocked when he also moved to the same state and applied for 50% custody when Grayson was at six months.
However, Stacey became more and more jealous when Ali started dating someone else and started flooding her with disturbing texts. Stacey wrote in a message, “You ruined my life, you fucking piece of shit.”
And in another ominous message, he said, “Are you trying to get a restraining order because of text messages.
“It would be devastating for my career, I hope you know, child support will evaporate and ignite the flames even more.
“If you don’t answer, I guess it’s yes.”
The day Ali was in court trying to get a restraining order, Stacey couldn’t leave Grayson at school, so she showed up at his apartment with a police escort, but there was no answer.
Ali claims her staff told her there was nothing they could do because Grayson was with a parent, leaving her frantically searching for her son.
Grayson Kessler (
Image:
Kennedy News and Media) Ali Kessler’s son, Grayson Kessler, pictured in the video
Image:
KENNEDY NEWS)
She called a locksmith, who entered the house at 11 pm, but at 5 am the next day she found out that her son had been killed.
Ali said: “We haven’t met for a long time, so it’s not like we had a relationship. He didn’t want any part of the pregnancy and he didn’t want to be in our lives. I had the baby, and he wasn’t even on the birth certificate. When Grayson was six months old, he sued me for 50% custody and won.
“He moved here and tortured me for five years.
“During my pregnancy, he sent terrible text messages that I was a terrible person and this was not a way to raise a child.
“He humiliates me and tells me what a terrible person I am. He was harassing me, sending me 60 messages at a time, and there was nothing I could do.
“The model was not very normal. He made my life miserable. I tried to ignore him, unless it was direct for Grayson.
“I started dating and he became very jealous, he put a tracker on my car and I felt that they were watching me, so I took my car to the store and they found a tracker there.
“He sent horrifying messages saying he wanted to see my head separate from my body, he wanted to see me unhappy like him.
“Finally, when I received these messages, I tried to get a restraining order, but I was denied the same day and the same night Grayson’s father came to pick it up and I had to give it to him. He had died the next day. “
“I called his teacher and he was not at school. I asked a police escort to go to his apartment and knock on the door, but no one answered, so they said there was nothing they could do because he was with a parent.
“I called the police about six times that day. I was furious and looking for him. I was in a panic the whole time from 8 am. I thought maybe he took him out of the state.
“I contacted the apartment owners and a locksmith, who entered the apartment at 11 pm and knocked on my door at 5 am, and they were both dead with gunshot wounds from the previous day.”
Ali shares the video to help raise awareness of domestic violence and is campaigning for Grayson’s law to help protect children at risk of injury from their parents.
She also created a website called GreysonsChoice.org.
Ali said: “If someone hurts another person, he should not have a child in their care.
“I never expected him to hurt Grayson. This is the worst nightmare for everyone. I knew he was neither good nor normal and had red flags, but I never thought for a million years that he would kill his own four-year-old. son.
Shortly after his death, his mother, Ali Kessler, 41, found footage of her and Grayson giggling as he accidentally closed her door as they left home together, and she exclaimed, “You almost hit Mom in the face.”
Image:
KENNEDY NEWS)
“I have been asking for help for years. You have to be careful. I had to have help. All I wanted was to be protected. I asked for help and I was denied.
“Every day I receive messages from someone who wants help or advice because he is in a similar situation. This is crazy. It brought me together with other women who have been through exactly the same thing, who have lost their child, and it’s crazy how many of us there are. “
In the months leading up to his death, Stacey said on Facebook that he had donated to suicide prevention charities PAPYRUS, the American Suicide Prevention Foundation and the National Suicide Prevention Line.
A spokesman for the Fort Lauderdale Police Department said: “The Fort Lauderdale Police Department is investigating the deaths of an elderly man and a child in what appears to be a homicide involving domestic murder. The bodies of the two were found on Friday, May 21 around 10 pm The incident took place at 520 Southeast 5th Avenue, Apt 2308 in the town of Fort Lauderdale.
“It’s the worst nightmare for parents. We understand that the mother and the family of the child victim are in great pain at this time. We want to ensure that they and our community conduct a full investigation into this incident.
“Preliminary investigation has revealed that the elderly man shot and killed his four-year-old son before pointing the gun at himself. Based on the information that detectives have gathered so far, it is believed that the shooting took place sometime on Thursday, May 20, at the residence.
“The identification of the child victim is not published under the Martian Law. The elderly man was identified as John Michael Stacey, W / M, 3/4/74.
“The Fort Lauderdale Police Department encourages anyone experiencing a mental health crisis to contact the National Suicide Prevention Line at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).”
A spokesman for The Seventeenth Judicial Circuit said: “Judges are prohibited from commenting on court proceedings and cannot discuss the specifics of any orders.
“As we said at the event, it cannot be emphasized enough that if someone has reason to believe that a child or other person is in danger, they must call law enforcement — in any case.
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