PERRY, Ga. — A man was convicted of malice murder by a Houston County jury on Wednesday after stabbing his wife to death in January 2022, according to a press release from the Houston County District Attorney's Office.
24-year-old Matthew Kendrick was arrested on January 11, 2022, after he made a 911 call saying he stabbed his wife in the parking lot of Creekwood Park in Perry.
Kendrick says he stabbed his wife in self-defense because she tried to run him over with his car, the release says.
During the investigation, the Perry Police Department discovered a video from a park camera. It showed Kendrick and his wife, 20-year-old Shateria Watkins, parked in Kendrick's car.
The release says the video shows Kendrick leaving the car, forcefully pulling the car door open, and stabbing his wife multiple times.
It says Watkins drove to her house nearby after Kendrick stabbed her nine times. Kendrick and Watkins had only been married for 10 days before her murder, the release says.
Kendrick was later found near the park and was arrested. When he was found, Perry Police officers saw blood on his hands and the murder weapon, the release says. They determined the blood belonged to Watkins.
At trial, evidence was presented of another violent incident between Kendrick and Watkins. The release says Kendrick fired shots at Watkins during an argument five months before her murder.
Kendrick was on trial for Malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and three counts of possession of a knife during the commission of a felony. The release says the jury was also allowed to consider a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter but rejected the lesser charge.