A mother wanted by police for allegedly stabbing her stepfather in the back has claimed she’s ‘not a bad person. An Adelaide mother on the run, accused of stabbing her stepfather in the back, has broken her silence, saying she’s “not a bad person”. A warrant for the arrest of Sammi Kendrick, 25, was issued by SA Police after she allegedly stabbed 49-year-old Terrence Kerslake on September 11 at a Camden Park property along Patricia Avenue in Adelaide’s southwest. When police arrived at the scene at about 6.30 pm, Ms. Kendrick had fled and been on the run for about ten days. The victim was taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
On Sunday night, she broke her silence for the first time since the domestic incident in a series of posts on various social media platforms. The woman made highly defamatory claims in a TikTok video and shared several Facebook statuses NCA NewsWire cannot publish for legal reasons. In one post, Ms. Kendrick said if she had wanted to kill her stepfather, “it would have been done a lot more valuable (sic), savage, smart and planned”.
“I’m not a bad person,” Ms. Kendrick said in her 26-second video. “I didn’t viciously attack him at all.” Mr. Kerslake said the woman stabbed him with a steak knife, cutting a blood vessel. “(It) then nicked my lung,” he told 7 News. “It’s probably best for her to hand herself in, making it easier.” The accused’s mother, Melissa Kendrick, said she was “furious” at her daughter because the stab wound was close to Mr. Kerslake’s heart. “The more she runs, the worse it is,” she said. It’s been reported an argument was sparked the night of the incident over who was caring for the family dog.
In July this year, Ms. Kendrick was also previously charged for allegedly stealing an electric wheelchair from a disabled pensioner’s backyard in Richmond. At the time, SA Police released CCTV footage showing a man and a woman scoping out the area. The woman in the video was then seen riding the wheelchair near the man, walking away from the scene. The wheelchair was returned to its owner days later after being found dumped at a Cowandilla address, about one km from where it was stolen. Ms. Kendrick later turned herself in and was charged with property damage and theft. Police have appealed to the public to help locate the woman. They’ve asked anyone who sees Ms. Kendrick or knows where she is asked to call immediately at 131444 or triple-0. Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers at 1800 333 000. She has been described as about 156cm tall with a slim build and long brown hair and is regularly around the southern suburbs.
