A Florida man was sentenced for a brutal Ponte Vedra Beach stabbing attack against his ex-girlfriend, her mother, and a witness.
At the conclusion of a full-day hearing, defendant Spencer Pearson was sentenced to life in prison for attempted first-degree murder with a weapon and aggravated battery causing serious bodily injury with a weapon.
The defendant and Madison Schemitz, only 17 years old at the time, dated for about six months before breaking up in April 2023. For the two months following the break-up, Pearson stalked her and harassed her on social media.
On June 3, 2023, Schemitz and her mother Jaclyn Rogé went to dinner with friends at a restaurant in Ponte Vedra Beach. They decided to leave when they noticed the defendant sitting at a nearby table. However, Pearson followed them outside.
He held down Schemitz and stabbed her with a knife seventeen times. Rogé tried to intervene and was stabbed in the forehead, hand and leg. Witness Kennedy Armstrong was able to separate Pearson from the victims, but he was also stabbed in the hand.
The defendant then attempted to harm himself. He survived his injuries and was arrested for the attack.
Armstrong sustained nerve damage to his hand and had to have multiple surgeries. Rogé also had a hand surgery. Schemitz went to the hospital with two collapsed lungs, a broken rib and a laceration to her spinal cord. She had spine stabilization surgery, but was left paralyzed.
However, Schemitz worked hard during physical therapy treatment and beat the odds. She regained the ability to walk before graduating from Ponte Vedra High School and going off to college.
Following the sentencing, Schemitz presented her heroes Rogé and Kennedy with the Carnegie Medal, which is given out to individuals in the United States and Canada who risk death or serious physical injury to an extraordinary degree saving or attempting to save the lives of others.
“We are extremely grateful that Madison not only survived the attack – she touched us all with her amazing recovery and inspiring spirit,” State Attorney R.J. Larizza said about the case. “The defendant’s brutality shocked our community. Today’s sentence is our best attempt to hold him accountable and bring justice home.”
The case was investigated by the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant State Attorney Jennifer Dunton and former Assistant State Attorney Kaitlyn Payne successfully prosecuted the case for the state. The Honorable Lee Smith presided over the case and pronounced sentence.
Spencer Pearson pleaded guilty in July to two counts of Attempted First-Degree Murder with a Weapon and Aggravated Battery Causing Serious Bodily Injury with a Weapon.
