Ex-boyfriend convicted of attempted murder, sentenced to 25 years
August 6, 2025
A Richland County jury convicted Terence Stukes of attempted murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime on July 31. The Honorable Milton G. Kimpson sentenced the 40-year-old to 20 years in the South Carolina Department of Corrections for attempted murder, plus a consecutive five-year sentence for possession of a weapon during a violent crime.
During the four-day trial, witnesses described a domestic violence-related stabbing and beating that happened on the evening of May 21, 2023. Stukes attacked the victim after she rejected his attempt to rekindle their romantic relationship earlier that day.
The defendant ambushed the victim as she was walking through her driveway to pick up her children from her neighbor’s house. Wearing a ski mask, Stukes beat her with a baton and stabbed her multiple times with a tactical knife. The victim pulled up his ski mask, revealing the defendant during the attack.
The victim’s child, at the neighbor’s house, heard her screams for help and alerted the neighbor, who tried to intervene. Stukes confronted the neighbor with the knife before fleeing the scene on foot.
The victim survived her nearly fatal stab wounds and identified Stukes as her attacker to law enforcement. She gave a detailed description of the knife, and eyewitnesses identified him as the attacker.
Three days later, Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) deputies arrested Stukes. Deputies found the knife in his pants pocket with red stains on the blade. The baton used in the attack was recovered from the victim’s yard.
RCSD Investigator Jacob Oxendale led the investigation. The Fifth Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Office, represented by Assistant Solicitor Stephanie Taylor, Deputy Solicitor Anna Browder, and Assistant Solicitor Morgan Monroe, prosecuted the case.