Dad kills mom in front of three young sons during child visitation exchange (Kansas City, Kansas)

The killer daddy is identified as JEDIDIAH ALEXANDER. Once again, a mother was facilitating custody/visitation with a violent criminal father, and paid for it with her life. So much for daddies murdering moms because they are "frustrated" from lack of access. Not discussed here whether this visitation was court-ordered.

http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/4b77210cb0d048ea8ccddf998a1a23a6/KS--Murder-Suicide-Survivors

Kansas woman raises 3 small grandsons left orphans after father killed mother in front of them

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS January 19, 2013 - 2:19 pm EST

KANSAS CITY, Kansas — Three young Kansas City, Kansas, boys who saw their father shoot their mother before killing himself are being cared for by their grandmother, who vows to keep them together despite the emotional and financial struggles she has faced since the deaths.

Bridget Mitchell, 40, said she's so busy adjusting to life with her grandsons — ages 2, 3 and 4 — that she hasn't had much time to grieve for her 24-year-old daughter, Alyshia Alexander, The Kansas City Star reported (http://bit.ly/XhvCfU ).

On March 13, 2012, Alexander drove to the home of her estranged husband's mother in Kansas City so the boys could visit their father, Jedidiah Alexander. When he got into the family's car and shot Alyshia before shooting himself, the boys cowered in the back seat and covered their ears to muffle the sound of gunshots.

Before that awful day, Mitchell worked full time and had only her 15-year-old daughter, the youngest of her four children, still at home. Since then, she lost her job because of the time she had to spend with the boys and had to raise money to pay for her daughter's funeral.

"It's been a tough nine months," she said.

 She also has had to learn how to find resources to help her through the situation.

"I don't know how to be unemployed," she said.

Mitchell, who became a parent when she was a teenager, said being a caregiver for Jaedin, 2; Jeremiah, 3; and Jedidiah, 4, keeps her busy around the clock.

After buying furniture and other necessities for the boys to move into her three-bedroom duplex, Mitchell said her first priority was getting the boys counseling, and she said that has gone very well. The two older boys share a bedroom while the youngest has a bed in her room.

The boys know their mother won't be coming back, she said.

"I tell them that mommy is in God's house," she said.

Mitchell said the boys don't ask about their mommy as much as they used to, but random things sometimes trigger questions. Their therapist said that shows they feel safe and secure, she said.

She said the first Christmas without her daughter was difficult because Alyshia always decorated the tree. It took Mitchell awhile to put a tree up, but she did it because she "needed to be strong" for the boys. She tried to use lots of lavender and silver — her daughter's favorite colors — on the tree. One special ornament had Alyshia's picture on it.

Mitchell is seeking legal guardianship, using legal aid because she can't afford a lawyer. Family members provide her with periodic breaks, but most of the time her life is hectic.

But she said she feels blessed that she been able to pay her bills and have her grandsons in her life.

"It's full time, all the time, until they're grown up or until God decides to call me home," she said. "There's no question about that."