Woman accused of attempted second-degree murder to stand trial in September

Shelly Michelle Hammer, in a booking photo from a Jan. 19, 2014, arrest in Brown County, Kansas.

A woman charged with attempted second-degree murder will stand trial in September after waiving her right to a preliminary hearing Thursday afternoon.

Shelly Michelle Hammer, 39, is accused of stabbing fellow Lawrence Community Shelter resident Kendra Denise Parrish, 26, in the face and neck with a pair of small scissors during a car ride on the evening of June 23.

The charge stems from an incident that occurred after Hammer and Parrish had been drinking together and arguing at a local bar, Lawrence Police Department spokesman Trent McKinley said in a news release last month. After leaving the bar, the two continued arguing in a vehicle driven by a third person, with Hammer in the back and Parrish in the passenger seat, the news release said.

Parrish told investigators that at some point along the drive she told Hammer to get out of the vehicle, which allegedly prompted Hammer to begin stabbing Parrish several times in the face and neck with the scissors, McKinley said. McKinley said the driver then separated the two and left the area on foot while the victim went for help at a nearby bar and grill, where employees called police.

Parrish was transported by ambulance to Lawrence Memorial Hospital and later to a Kansas City area trauma center for additional treatment, McKinley said. Hammer was interviewed after the incident and booked on suspicion of attempted second-degree murder into the Douglas County Jail, where she has remained on a $100,000 bond since the incident.

Hammer pleaded not guilty to the charge on Thursday and was bound over for a Sept. 2 trial. Hammer will be back in court on Aug. 8 for a hearing at which Douglas County District Judge Paula Martin will decide whether recorded statements Hammer made to investigators after the incident can be introduced as evidence at trial.