Sounak Sengupta
NBC’s ‘Dateline: The Crossbow Incident’ describes how then-45-year-old Kenny Creamer was convicted of the murder of his wife, Anna Creamer, in their Virginia Beach residence in January 2006. He keeps on claiming his innocence, alleging it was a “freak accident” and that he did not know a loaded crossbow was in the bag he had casually tossed aside.
Who is Kenny Creamer?
Kenneth “Kenny” Frank Creamer was married to Anna Creamer and lived at 3089 Pope Drive in Courthouse Estates in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The couple had a son, Avery, then 11, and the episode showed how their friends asserted the Creamers had a loving marriage. According to Robert and Charlene Katz, Kenny “worshipped the ground this girl walked on.”
The Katzes conveyed how the Creamers always came over to celebrate Christmas or Thanksgiving at their place and “were as close as a family could be without being family.” Kenny used to work as an insurance agent before an unfortunate motor accident made him live on disability and forced his wife to work as a teacher at a local school to support the family. The Katzes also added Kenny became a stay-at-home dad and was “virtually inseparable” from his son.
According to the show, Avery was introverted and possibly suffered from learning issues, and Kenny used to show up at his school on most days to share lunch with him. A friend of Anna, Kim Choate, stated how she appreciated Kenny’s “constant presence” and his warm and kind attitude toward both Avery and her son. Hence it came as a shock when he was arrested following his wife’s murder in the two-car garage of their suburban home on January 8, 2006.
The Creamer’s immediate neighbor, Randall Howes, a retired Naval officer, had a cold relationship with Anna. He recounted how they had a bitter argument over his dogs making loud noises and was wary of her fierce temper. However, barring one incident where Anna almost drove away, Randall admitted, “the Creamers did seem to get along.” He recounted how he was going to the church on January 8 when he came across Avery in his pajamas asking for his help.
Randall also met a crestfallen Kenny, who kept muttering, “I need help, I need help.” He followed Kenny to their garage, where he saw “Anna laying at the end of the treadmill, with her hands up under her head and with an arrow stuck straight into her back.” What the former military man would observe next became crucial for the case – his vital testimony that sealed Kenny’s fate in the first-degree murder charge brought against him.
Kenny Creamer is Serving His Sentence Today
Randall had heard the incident involved a crossbow from Avery and immediately began searching for the weapon at the scene. He noticed it was on a blue wrapping paper on a box on the top of the refrigerator. However, the prosecution produced images of the crime scene where he observed the crossbow had been shifted to fabricate the scenario – to make it look like an accident.
The prosecutors also produced other credible witnesses like the medical examiner, Dr. Leah Bush, who testified it was a homicide, and a jail inmate, Leonard Speller, who alleged Kenny had confessed to murdering his wife to him. As per court records, Leonard claimed Kenny had “irreconcilable differences” with Anna and hoped to move away from Virginia with his son.
Another critical witness for the prosecution was Julien J. Mason, a forensic expert, who testified he had examined the crossbow and come to the conclusion it could not have fired without any individual pulling the trigger. Coupled with Sue Cotton, a friend of Anna, who testified Kenny had refused to get rid of the crossbow even after accidentally shooting his wife once about 3 months before the fatal incident and inconsistencies in Kenny’s statements, the jury found him guilty of first-degree murder.
Kenny was sentenced to life imprisonment without the chance of parole in September 2008. The episode also featured Kenny, who continually proclaimed his innocence from behind bars and declined all the incriminating evidence brought against him. As per official court records, Kenny, now 61, continues to serve his life sentence at the River North Correctional Center in Grayson County, Virginia.
Read More: Anna Creamer Murder: How Did She Die? Who Killed Her?
