Stockton Girl, 8, Credited For Stopping Dad From Killing Fiancee
STOCKTON (CBS13) — A Stockton girl is credited with saving a woman's life as police say she stopped her father from killing his girlfriend.
The woman who survived a brutal attack spoke to CBS13. She says the man she planned to marry, Sammie Flonnery, beat her and then attacked her with a kitchen knife. She was pinned to the floor by his knees as his 8-year-old daughter watched.
"I can say, I'm awful sure, if it wasn't for that little girl, I would be dead," she said. "She was screaming. Literally, we were both screaming. That's why I don't understand why no one came."
The victim suffered several injuries. She has a cut on her wrist shielding herself from the knife, her tooth was knocked out, and she has several scratches on the side of her neck. She says Flonnery told her he had gone too far, he knew he was going to jail, so it was best to finish her.
She says Flonnery had the knife aimed at her chest. She called out to the girl, saying she thought Flonnery wouldn't hurt her in front of his daughter.
"She was screaming and pulling his shirt to get him off of me. With her braveness, to come out of that room and defy her dad, and stay there with me, that saved my life," the victim said.
Flonnery let his daughter take her to the bathroom to clean off the blood.
"We both sat on the bed and she said 'I don't know what to do,' and I said 'I don't know what to do either," she said.
The victim quietly called her mother who then called police. At one point, she saw an opportunity to run out of the apartment and hide under vehicles. Flonnery was arrested and charged with child endangerment and attempted murder.
The girl was taken to a children's shelter.
The victim says Flonnery had custody of his daughter. The rest of the girls' family lives in Florida.
