‘Tragedy is an understatement.’ Perry man convicted of killing wife 10 days after marriage
A jury took just 15 minutes to convict a Perry man of malice murder in Houston County Superior Court this week after he was accused of stabbing his wife to death, officials said.
Matthew Jamal Kendrick, 24, faces a life sentence, potentially with or without parole depending on sentencing, for killing his wife Shateria Watkins in January of 2022, according to a statement from the Houston County District Attorney’s Office. Watkins was 20 years old.
“(Shateria) had her whole life ahead of her and to call what happened to her a tragedy is an understatement,” said ADA Justin Duane, who prosecuted the case. “My heart goes out to her family.”
The killing happened Jan. 11, 2022 in the parking lot of Creekwood Park in Perry, Duane said in a statement that went on to state that Kendrick called 911 from near the park and confessed to the killing, describing the stabbing as self-defense. When police found Kendrick, he had blood on his hands and a bloody knife was also found nearby, officials said.
DNA testing confirmed the blood on both the knife and Kendrick’s hands belonged to Watkins, and further evidence surfaced when police reviewed surveillance video of the stabbing, the DA’s office said. Kendrick, who claimed the stabbing had been self-defense because Watkins tried to run him over with a car, can be seen on video in a parked car with Watkins.
Kendrick got out of the car, walked to the passenger side and, after prying the door of the parked car open, stabbed Watkins nine times in the video, according to the DA’s office. The two had been married only 10 days prior to the stabbing, the statement said.
“As our office continues our mission to seek justice and to remind criminals that Houston County is no place for crime, we know that the victim’s family will still mourn the death of Shateria,” Houston County DA William Kendall said in the statement. “We know that this conviction does not bring Shateria back to life, but we hoped to have helped provide some justice to the family.”
Prosecutors also used another incident as evidence where Kendrick fired a gun during an argument with Watkins five months earlier.
Kendrick’s sentencing had not yet been scheduled, the press release said. The trial began Monday and ended Wednesday.
