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8 months ago
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A 20-year Air Force veteran has broken his silence after losing his leg alleging his ex-wife is at the center of a plot that saw him gunned down in his own driveway.
Kevin Kessler was shot at his Farmington, Michigan, home on November 1, 2022, just moments after he called police to report his truck tires had been slashed, according to FOX 2 Detroit.
The father of two - who was in the midst of a divorce from his ex-wife Nicole Kessler - was waiting for police to arrive when a man drove by and fired at the veteran.
Police determined the gunman was Nicole's lover, Matthew Jones, who was later convicted and sentenced to 60 to 80 years in prison.
'They told my family to plan for a funeral. They gave me a 1 percent chance. They did not 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 caused him to lose his leg
Kevin Kessler was shot at his Farmington, Michigan, home on November 1, 2022, just moments after he called 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 to plan for a funeral. They gave me a one percent chance. They did not think I was going to make it'
'"Why?" I remember saying that – "Why?" I was thinking about my girls and my family. I didn't know if I was going to see them again.'
Kevin said of Jones, 'I think he was scamming in a way. I think he saw the 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 actually found a full bullet in my belt,' he said.
'I still have bullet fragments that have been removed as recently as a few weeks ago, I still have more than I feel. I still have a drain hole that doesn't stop.'
Nicole was sentenced to a year and prison and three years of probation after pleading guilty to lying to police during the investigation of her ex-husbands shooting, reported FOX 2 Detroit.
Prior to her sentencing, Kevin said in court: 'Why would Nicole lie about her whereabouts if she wasn't hiding the fact that she was involved in me being shot? At minimum she knew I was shot after the fact.'
Kevin's ex-wife, Nicole Kessler, was sentenced to a year and prison and three years of probation after pleading guilty to lying to police during the investigation
A judge said her relationship with the shooter as well as the fact she removed Kevin's gun from the home and gave it to Jones was 'suspicious'
Police determined the gunman was Nicole's lover, Matthew Jones (pictured), who was later convicted and sentenced to 60 to 80 years in prison
A judge said her relationship with the shooter as well as the fact she removed Kevin's gun from the home and gave it to Jones was 'suspicious.'
'I'm sorry. Just would like to say I'm sorry for what happened to Kevin. Everything the girls have gone through. What Kevin's family gone through, what my family's gone through,' Nicole said on the stand.
Nicole served nine months of her sentence and was released from prison last week.
'I still have my beliefs that she had something behind it,' Kevin said. '(Wednesday) was actually one of my first times I jumped and had to sit there for a minute because someone dropped their trashcan when I was outside, I was in the driveway.'
Another woman believed to be romantically involved with Jones, Kristina Peterson, was also arrested and charged in connection to the shooting.
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