‘She’ll never forgive me if she is alive’: Girl, 13, accused of fatally stabbing mother

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — A 13-year-old Pennsylvania girl is accused of fatally stabbing her mother after an argument on Friday, authorities said.

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The teen, from Wilkes-Barre, faces several charges as an adult, including criminal homicide, two counts of aggravated assault, and tampering with evidence, WYOU-TV reported.

Although she is being charged as an adult, Cox Media Group is not naming the teen because of her age.

The girl is accused of fatally stabbing Temeeka Tucker, 44, of Wilkes-Barre, and injuring an 11-year-old boy, according to the Times-Leader.

The Wilkes-Barre Police Department responded to a residence on South Sherman Street after receiving a 911 call at about 12:30 p.m. EDT about an unresponsive woman, WYOU reported.

Officers arriving at the scene found Tucker with stab wounds to her chest and back, according to WNEP-TV. She was pronounced dead by Luzerne County Coroner Jill Matthews. The 11-year-old also suffered stab wounds but is expected to survive, the television station reported.

According to a criminal complaint, the girl allegedly told an officer “I killed my mom.”

“She’ll never forgive me if she is alive,” the suspect allegedly added.

The affidavit stated that officers arriving at the residence did not see any knives or sharp objects in plain view, WYOU reported. They noticed that kitchen drawers and cabinets were padlocked, and that one padlock had been broken and was on the floor, according to the television station.

The teen allegedly told police she tossed the knife she used in the attack on a neighbor’s doorstep, the Times-Leader reported. Home security video confirmed her statement, WNEP reported.

According to the criminal complaint, the teen allegedly kicked at the cage of the patrol car where she had been placed and yelled, “I’m the reason my mom is dead,” the television station reported.

“I deserve to be in jail,” the suspect allegedly said, according to police.

The exact nature of the argument between the suspect and her mother was unclear. Officers said that at one point, she allegedly told officers that she did not have a cellphone because her mother took it before their fight, “I don’t have my phone because my mom took it before our fight,” according to WYOU.

Luzerne County Chief Public Defender Joseph Yeager, who was later appointed to represent the teen, told officers she would not agree to an interview, WNEP reported.

In a statement released Saturday, Luzerne County officials say they do not believe the suspect has other immediate local family members. She was booked into the Luzerne County Correctional facility without bail.

A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled for April 10 in Luzerne County Central Court, WNEP reported.

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