EXCLUSIVELAFD Assistant Chief Kristina Kepner was accused of brutally assaulting ex-girlfriend... who claims boss Crowley 'covered it up' and promoted her
A senior official at the Los Angeles Fire Department made 'homicidal and suicidal' threats, strangled and chased her girlfriend with a carving knife, court documents claimed.
LAFD assistant chief Kristina 'Kady' Kepner then wrote a suicide note after cutting herself according to a 2021 domestic violence restraining order filed by the ex in a Los Angeles court.
During an argument at their home, the LAFD official allegedly 'lunged' at her ex and began strangling her, while saying that she was going to "f***ing kill" her, the November 17, 2021, court filing said.
A judge dismissed both claims in February 2022, and LAFD says it investigated and cleared Kepner, who is currently in charge of the department's Emergency Operations Center.
But the violence allegations have now resurfaced amid criticism of LA City's top brass over this month's wildfires that wiped whole neighborhoods off the map.
The ex claimed that Kepner put her in a headlock, knocked her to the floor and forcibly kissed her, and that later that day she allegedly started waving a 'large butcher knife' around, 'holding it up to her [own] neck and chest threatening to stab herself in the heart or neck' – then wrote a suicide note.
The alleged threats and attempted strangling were caught on video, the court documents claimed, and included screenshots from the alleged footage.
Kepner told DailyMail.com her ex had ‘orchestrated a campaign to attempt to ruin my career’ with ‘bogus’ claims.
LAFD Assistant Chief Kristina Kepner was accused of strangling her ex-girlfriend, chasing her with a carving knife, kicking her, and writing a suicide note after cutting herself, in a 2021 domestic violence restraining order filed by the ex in a Los Angeles court
The ex claimed in her court documents that Kepner put her in a headlock, knocked her to the floor and forcibly kissed her
Kepner allegedly started waving a 'large butcher knife' around, 'holding it up to her neck and chest threatening to stab herself in the heart or neck', and then wrote a suicide note
Kepner’s attorney, John Fowler, added that the claims were ‘false’ and his client, an ‘experienced and respected leader’ in LAFD, had been ‘exonerated in multiple forums’ including the fire department, police and the District Attorney’s office.
DailyMail.com agreed to keep the 48-year-old ex anonymous, as she's an alleged victim of domestic violence.
Kepner's job, which reportedly involved oversight of HR complaints and misconduct probes, earned her more than $500,000 in 2023.
The LAFD official, 49, said in her own court filings that her ex was lying about the violence and had herself attacked and harassed Kepner, which the ex denied.
DailyMail.com interviewed Kepner's ex, who claimed that LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley knew about the alleged abuse and continued with plans to promote Kepner anyway.
The ex accused Crowley and LA Mayor Karen Bass of a 'cover up'.
'I did message Kristin Crowley in 2022 and I let her know that I have it on video, that Kady threatened to kill me – she attacked me,' Kepner's ex told DailyMail.com.
'Crowley went ahead with plans to promote her anyway.'
A memo by Crowley dated January 5, 2022, announced Assistant Chief Kepner as the next commander of one of four LAFD bureaus, a top role in the department.
But after local journalist Daniel Guss publicly revealed some of the abuse claims on his blog in March 2023, Kepner's planned promotion was allegedly rescinded.
Pictures listed in the restraining order exhibition filed by Kepner's ex which show her scraped knees from the alleged attack
The filing was submitted by Kepner's ex-girlfriend against her on November 17, 2021
Guss sent the story to Mayor Bass's office and got receipts saying his emails were read.
'Two weeks later the guys in the department were telling me that she's no longer to be a deputy chief,' the ex-girlfriend claimed in an interview with DailyMail.com.
'I'm sure Karen Bass called Kristin Crowley like, "what the f*** is this?" Then two weeks later Kady gets demoted,' she added, referring to Kepner's promotion allegedly being rescinded.
'Bass and Crowley definitely covered that up.'
The Mayor and Fire Chief did not respond to requests for comment.
Kepner's LinkedIn page says she has remained an 'assistant chief' since 2019, with no mention of the 2022 promotion.
She earned $483,000 in 2022 and $521,000 in 2023 in that role, including overtime and benefits, according to data from Transparent California.
Kepner's ex described the alleged assault in detail and explained where she got her bruises and cuts from – she also said Kepner's later filing was in retaliation for texting her about the assault
Kristina 'Kady' Kepner (left), and LAFD Deputy Chief Kristin Crowley attended the 2019 MAKERS Conference in Dana Point, California in February 2019
The November 17, 2021, filing by Kepner's ex claimed that during an argument at their home, the LAFD official 'lunged' at her, began strangling her, while "saying that she was going to f***ing kill" me'.
The ex said she filmed the attack and put screenshots allegedly from the footage in her court filing.
The ex also claimed in her court documents that Kepner put her in a headlock, knocked her to the floor and forcibly kissed her.
'As she was on me, she started forcefully starting jamming her tongue in my mouth,' the filing said. 'She was saying something like, "you love me so much here you want to kiss me".'
Later that day, Kepner allegedly started waving a 'large butcher knife' around, 'holding it up to her neck and chest threatening to stab herself in the heart or neck', and then wrote a suicide note.
The alleged threats and attempted strangling were caught on video, Kepner’s ex claimed, and she said she told Chief Crowley about it. Kepner said in her petition for a restraining order that these videos were taken as a threat to ruin her career
These texts included in the ex’s court filings show the aftermath of the alleged attack and she describes feeling 'horrible' about the alleged forced kiss and how she felt Kepner wanted 'to kill her'
A copy of Kepner's alleged suicide note was included in the filings. The note describes her ex as a 'selfish, immature woman' and said she ruined her life after trying to move forward with a new girlfriend
On the backside of the note, Kepner blames the ex again and lists off paragraphs to her family and friends before concluding 'this was my decision and mine alone'
Kepner allegedly slashed the knife across her chest, drawing blood, while the ex was 'pleading with her to please stop'.
A copy of the alleged note was included in the filings, along with a photo of Kepner sitting writing with a large knife on the floor beside her, and an apparent cut on her chest
'I am writing this letter to say I’m sorry to a few people in my life who I know will miss me,' the alleged suicide note said.
Kepner allegedly ended the note by saying: 'At the end of the day this was my decision, and mine alone. While [the ex] is the one who caused me to break, I made this choice.'
The ex claimed that when she went down the street to Kepner's mother's house for help, the LAFD official went 'chasing after me, with the knife that had been on the floor'.
She said Kepner taunted her, claiming law enforcement would side with the firefighter not the girlfriend.
'She told me no one would believe me because she was in the fire department,' the ex wrote in the filing.
Kepner denied it all at the time, writing in a January 31, 2022, court filing: 'I was never abusive towards her. I have never physically harmed her and have no history of violence or abuse.'
Kepner also filed her own domestic violence restraining order against her ex on October 25, 2021
These texts from Kepner's ex-girlfriend were including in the assistant chief's domestic violence restraining order against her ex
Kepner claimed she had split with her ex a year before the restraining order filing, but that the girlfriend refused to move out of the house she owned
Kepner said the turbulent couple began dating in April 2018 and moved in together seven months later.
She claimed they had split a year before the restraining order filing, but that the girlfriend refused to move out of the house Kepner owned.
'I never strangled [the ex] or even put my hands around her neck,' the assistant chief wrote.
'The only reason I had a knife next to me in my house was because I was contemplating harming myself as I had no other way out of this abusive relationship.'
Kepner also filed her own domestic violence restraining order against her ex on October 25, 2021.
She accused the ex of kicking her and shoving her to the ground in the October 2021 altercations, putting a tracker on her car, gaining access to her iCloud account without permission and threatening to ruin her career with videos of their fights.
The ex denied the claims.
Kepner's restraining order request was initially granted and police removed the ex from her home, but the judge dismissed both women's cases after a February 4, 2022, hearing, adding the ex 'did not sustain the applicable burden of proof' for a new restraining order.
Kepner's ex asking her to come home for tea and saying she missed her
The restraining order was initially granted and police removed the ex from her home, but the judge dismissed both women's cases after a February 4, 2022, hearing, adding the ex 'did not sustain the applicable burden of proof' for a new restraining order
Kepner's ex also filed a report with LAPD. Guss's blog reported in 2023 that police investigated and referred the case to the district attorney, but the office declined to file charges.
In a statement to Guss in 2023, the fire department initially denied knowledge of the domestic violence claims, then gave an updated statement.
On March 8, 2023, a spokesperson wrote to Guss, claiming: 'The Department has not received information about an alleged domestic violence incident involving [...] Chief Kepner.'
But when he followed up showing them he had evidence to the contrary, the spokesperson changed their tune two hours later.
'The complainant made allegations against Chief Kepner in late 2021. The Fire Department conducted a full and thorough investigation of the domestic violence claims, which were unsubstantiated,' the new statement to Guss said.
'Chief Kepner was detailed to another bureau during the course of the investigation.
'In addition, the complainant pursued criminal charges against Chief Kepner, which were dismissed.'
She claimed to DailyMail.com that the investigation into her claims was flawed from the beginning because Kepner was in charge of the LAFD's internal affairs division.
'When the department contacted me to essentially interview me for the incident, I refused to cooperate with them because I didn't feel that her peers of 20-30 years should be investigating her,' the former girlfriend said.
'They're even people that worked for her, because she did, and currently still does, run the Professional Standards Bureau, which essentially is their internal affairs for the fire department.
'I was saying you guys have to send this to a third party, a law firm or something. Your friends shouldn't be investigating this.'
In a statement to DailyMail.com, Kepner said her ex was ‘vindictive’ and that the claims were investigated and dismissed.
‘Since I was a young girl all I ever wanted to become was a firefighter. I dedicated my life through training, education and hard work to serve my hometown community,’ she said.
‘Now, a vindictive ex-partner has orchestrated a campaign to attempt to ruin my career as well as the lives of my friends and loved ones. I cooperated fully with investigators who found that her claims were bogus and declined to file charges.
‘I have tried to stay out of the way and allow the legal process to adjudicate the facts, but I won't stand by silently in the face of unending attacks on the people who I love and admire.’
Kepner’s attorney, John Fowler, said Kepner’s ex ‘time and again […] used manipulation and deceit to try to exert control over a woman who no longer wants to be a part of her life.’
‘Kristina Kepner has been subjected to harassment and relentless false claims,’ Fowler added. ‘She was exonerated in multiple forums including police reports, restraining orders, the findings of an LAFD investigation which determined [the ex’s] allegations to be unsubstantiated, and the District Attorney's decision declining to file charges.
‘Ms. Kepner is a decorated leader in the Los Angeles Fire Department who has never faced any professional complaints in her decades of service, and now, more than ever, the City of Los Angeles needs experienced and respected leaders like Ms. Kepner on the job.’
