A Florida man’s ability to kill his estranged wife is raising serious questions about how well the state protects domestic violence victims. Loyd Alan Kerr, a resident of Starke in Bradford County, had been arrested multiple times for domestic violence. His wife did everything she could to protect herself and her children from him, but Kerr was still able to get to her. And despite all of her efforts, his wife is now dead. Kerr shot her before killing himself in her home — a home he wasn’t supposed to be able to get into. Now their two young children are orphans, and it makes you wonder who the system actually helps.
About 5:15 a.m., the Bradford County Communications Center received a 911 hang-up call, Bradford County Sheriff Gordon Smith shared in a Facebook post. The county’s tracking information led them to a home, where they found a man dead in the front entrance from a gunshot wound to the head.
Deputies searched the rest of the home for any other victims. In the yard, they found an unresponsive woman with a gunshot wound in her neck. Lifesaving measures were taken, but the woman was declared dead shortly after EMS arrived.
“The preliminary investigation indicates this to be an ongoing domestic violence case between an estranged husband and wife,” Smith wrote in the post.
The estranged couple were identified as 50-year-old Loyd Kerr and 43-year-old Rachael Renee Kerr. According to WCJB, Loyd Kerr had recently been released from Clay County Jail, where he faced domestic violence and stalking charges. He wasn’t supposed to have contact with Rachael Kerr.
“He just got out just a short time ago, and she was taking every precaution that she could, but he was able to get into the house. And we’re very discouraged, the deputies that had arrived on scene, because minutes counted and we just didn’t get there in quite enough time,” Bradford County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Major Brad Smith shared.
Rachael Kerr woke up in the early morning thinking her home had been broken into, First Coast News reported, citing the sheriff. She called 911, but the call was disconnected. According to Gordon Smith, Loyd Kerr entered the home and took their 9- and 11-year-old children out to a vehicle. He also tried to get his estranged wife into the vehicle, but she escaped with injuries.
Loyd Kerr then took the children back into the home. He asked them if they wanted to “go to heaven with dad” before he killed himself. The children fled, running to a neighbor’s home.
The sheriff confirmed that deputies had been called to the Kerr home many times before the murder-suicide, per First Coast News. The husband had multiple pending domestic violence cases, and his wife had an active restraining order against him. His recent arrest took place in November 2025.
The family’s landlord also lives on the property, according to WCJB. She tried to break up an argument between the Kerrs, but Loyd gestured with a gun, causing her to run. When their father shot himself, the children ran to her home.
The Department of Children and Families got involved, and the children are now in the care of their maternal grandmother.
Deputies said that based on evidence they found, Loyd Kerr carefully planned the shooting, but they didn’t give any additional details.
“I feel sorry for the kids. Totally sorry for the kids because now they don’t have mom or dad anymore,” neighbor Richard Wright Sr. said, per WCJB.
If you or someone you know has been the victim of domestic abuse, you can find help and support at DVIS.org, the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or by contacting your local women’s shelter (domesticshelters.org).
