Matthew Jamal Kendrick, on the left, and Shateria Unique Kendrick née Watkins, on the right. (Perry Police Department; Obituary)
A self-widowing Georgia man will spend the next several decades behind bars for the murder of the young woman he married only 10 days prior to violently taking her life.
Matthew Jamal Kendrick, 24, literally had blood on his hands when he was arrested for the death of his then-recent bride, Shateria Unique Kendrick, 20, who was stabbed nine times in the parking lot of Creekwood Park in the central Georgia city of Perry on Jan. 11, 2022.
Earlier this month, jurors spent “roughly 15 minutes” deliberating before rendering their verdict and finding Matthew Kendrick guilty on one count of malice murder, according to the Houston County District Attorney’s Office. The quick turnaround was perhaps presaged by the brevity of the trial itself — which went on for some three days.
On Monday, Houston County Superior Court Judge G.E. “Bo” Adams sentenced the killer to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years, according to Macon NBC affiliate WMGT.
The condemned man himself called 911 on the day in question, the DA’s office said in a press release. His actual culpability was never in doubt — Matthew Kendrick admitted to stabbing his wife during that first call to law enforcement. When interviewed later that day, however, he claimed he had stabbed his wife in self-defense.
Matthew Kendrick claimed Shateria Kendrick née Watkins had tried to run him over with his car while the two were at the park.
Investigators quickly put the lie to that claim.
In surveillance footage obtained by the Perry Police Department, the couple could be seen entering the car together. Then, the raging husband exits, walks over to his wife’s door, “forcefully” opens said door, repeatedly stabs her, gets back in the car, leaves her dying body in the parking lot, and speeds off, the video evidence showed.
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The murderer then drove to his wife’s home to wait for police.
The murder weapon was found near the murderer — also covered in blood. DNA testing would show that the blood on the man’s hands, as well as the blood on the knife, belonged to his wife.
Meanwhile, Shateria Kendrick was rushed to Perry Hospital where she eventually succumbed to her wounds.
“Shateria was only twenty years old when she was murdered,” Assistant District Attorney Justin Duane said after the conviction. “She had her whole life ahead of her and to call what happened to her a tragedy is an understatement. My heart goes out to her family.”
During trial, jurors also heard evidence about a prior incident of domestic violence where an irate Matthew Kendrick fired a gun during an argument with his then-girlfriend, months before their marriage.
“Domestic violence was on full display during the trial this week, especially when the defendant testified,” the ADA continued. “He blamed everyone else for his own actions and his lack of remorse was that of a textbook domestic abuser. This case demonstrates how domestic abuse always escalates over time. I’m happy that we were able to get justice for Shateria, her family, and the community.”
Prosecutors had pushed for the defendant to be sentenced to life without the possibility of parole due to the “heinous nature of the killing,” according to The Telegraph. In the end, the judge acceded to the defense request for Matthew Kendrick to eventually try and prove himself rehabilitated in a state correctional facility.
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