‘I need punishment’: mum awaits fate after killing ex
A woman who walked in on her allegedly abusive ex-husband, causing fatal injuries, has admitted responsibility but said she couldn’t remember why.
Samantha Hooker, nee Stone, accelerated towards her ex-husband Peter on August 8, 2023, mounted a curb and pinned him against the wall of a house in Schofields in Sydney’s west.
“I understand he was hurt, I just wanted him to leave me alone,” he told consultant forensic psychiatrist Andrew Ellis in April.
“I understand that I must be punished.”
Mr Hooker suffered serious injuries and died from complications three weeks after the incident.
His ex-wife was found not guilty of murder in March after a jury heard he had been subjected to extreme provocation and suffered a serious mental disorder after years of abuse.
He pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter and is awaiting sentencing in the NSW Supreme Court.
Judge Hament Dhanji heard that in April, on the same day that Hooker hit her ex-husband, he drove to her home and physically assaulted her.
In a report submitted to the court, Dr. Ellis wrote that Hooker could not remember why she was driving toward her ex-husband or recall prior events.
He wrote that the 47-year-old met criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder.
Drone footage played to the court showed the route she took as she headed towards her ex-husband.
While tire tracks can be seen on the pavement, a silver hatchback bearing the Medlab Pathology brand remains with its front end crashed into the side of the brick house.
Other court documents seen by AAP reveal Hooker’s mental distress after he was charged.
In the statement made by lawyer Michael Large, it is stated that he became extremely emotional during his hearing in August 2025, cried and grabbed his arm while making his defense.
“I observed Ms. Stone exit the courtroom and collapse on the ground a short distance from the courtroom,” he wrote.
“I saw him throw up on the floor.”
Mr Large wrote that paramedics were called to help on this occasion and on two other occasions when he fainted during the hearing.
Hooker was supported in court by numerous family and friends.
In a character reference, Lisa Stone said she knew about the toxicity that damaged the relationship between her 47-year-old sister and the woman’s husband.
He said he tried to break it up years ago.
“It continues to be my great regret that I was unable to persuade him to leave,” he wrote.
“I feel like I failed them.”
His former employer, Fiona McLoughlin, wrote about the empathy, compassion and resilience Hooker showed while working as a room attendant at Ronald McDonald House Charities from 2018 to 2020.
“Nanny Sam” had a caring nature, buying food out of her own pocket for parents of sick children and raising thousands of dollars for charity by cutting her long hair.
In a brief one-page victim impact statement from Mr Hooker’s mother, Tracey Hooker-Dargin, she said her son’s death had caused great harm to her and her family.
“I wake up from nightmares and can’t go back to sleep,” he wrote.
“I’ll never get over this.”
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