Instagram (Spencer Pearson) Spencer Pearson and Madison Schemitz.
Spencer Pearson is an 18-year-old Florida high school football player who is accused of stabbing his ex-girlfriend Madison Schemitz as she dined at a restaurant with her mother in Ponte Vedra Beach on June 3, 2023, according to a GoFundMe page and the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Department.
The New York Post identified the victim as Madison Schemitz, a high school student.
“The suspect has been identified as Spencer Ross Pearson (DOB: 8/20/04). This incident was a targeted attack by Pearson who was known to the primary victim,” the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Department wrote in a post on its Facebook page.
Schemitz survived her wounds but has a long road to recovery, according to a GoFundMe page set up to help the 17 year old.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Spencer Pearson, Who Posted About Madison Schemitz in His Instagram Story, Is Accused of Holding the Victim’s Arm While Stabbing Her 15 Times, Reports Say
According to News4Jax, citing an arrest warrant, when Schemitz and her mother entered Mr. Chubby’s Wings, they saw Pearson at a table in the restaurant and “tried to avoid him and leave.”
Pearson posted photos showing him with Schemitz to his Instagram story. “Missing you,” he wrote with one. “Someone God knew you needed.”
Another photo in the Instagram story proclaimed, “Ur Valentine!”
Pearson is accused of following them to the parking lot, where he “held the teen’s arm and stabbed her at least 15 times,” News4Jax reported.
The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Department called the attack an “attempted murder/attempted suicide” in the Facebook post.
On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at approximately 4:30 p.m., deputies with the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office “responded to a call for service in reference to a stabbing in the 100 block of Valley Circle in Ponte Vedra,” the statement says.
“The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit will continue their investigation,” it adds.
“Should the suspect survive his self-inflicted injuries, he will be charged with multiple felony charges, including attempted murder,” it adds. First Coast News reported that Pearson is still in the hospital.
News4Jax, citing an arrest warrant, reporting that Pearson is “facing two counts of attempted murder and one count of aggravated assault.”
2. The Sheriff Says 2 Other People Were Injured When They Tried to Help Madison Schemitz
According to the Sheriff’s Department release, bystanders tried to help Schemitz.
“Two other individuals were injured when they intervened to render aid to the primary victim. All parties involved were transported to local area hospitals with serious injuries sustained from sharp force trauma,” the release says.
In an earlier statement, the Sheriff’s Department wrote, “4 individuals sustained injuries and were transported to local area hospitals.”
The other victims were not named by authorities. However, News4Jax identified them as Schemitz’s mother, who was “stabbed in the leg and forehead.” The television station reported that Jimmy Stepp and Kennedy Armstrong, who stopped by the restaurant after work, intervened. According to the television station, Armstrong suffered a slashed hand.
3. Madison Schemitz Was Described as a ‘Star Softball Player’ in a GoFundMe Page Formed by ‘Ponte Vedra Moms’
According to the GoFundMe page set up to help Schemitz, “Ponte Vedra Beach moms are forming a group to help Madison Schemitz who was brutally attacked outside Mr. Chubby’s on Saturday June 3rd with her mom, Jacki Roge.”
The page continues,
Madison is a rising senior at PV High and a star softball player. Madison is a sister to five siblings and she will have a long road to recovery as she is in critical condition at Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville. Jaclyn Rose Roge, mother of Madison is the designated beneficiary of this GoFundMe & is entrusted with these funds, as she recovers in Memorial Hospital to withdraw as needed for medical expenses, unforeseen expenses, and wage supplement until she can return to work. Any amount you are willing to contribute is greatly appreciated by Jacki, Madison & Family. Thank you and please share.
In an update on the GoFundMe page, Schemitz’s mom wrote, “I am about to go into surgery, my muscles were severed from the bone on my hand. Madison has 2 chest tubes and a spinal cord injury but she’s a fighter, just please continue praying for her.”
A woman wrote in the GoFundMe page’s comment thread, “Madison is a warrior.”
4. Spencer Pearson Is Accused of ‘Harassing’ Madison Schemitz, Who Is Now Paralyzed, for 2 Months After They Broke Up
According to News4Jax, Pearson is accused of “harassing the 17-year-old victim for two months.” Tatiana Cruceta, Madison’s oldest sibling, told First Coast News that Schemitz and Pearson had dated but broke up a few months before the attack.
“There were some issues in the past after they’d broken up, where he was threatening her safety. My mother was looking to get a restraining order against him, so this was definitely premeditated,” Cruseda said to First Coast News. “Madison is a fighter, you know. She’s going to make it through this, and I know she is going to walk out of this hospital.”
Family members told First Coast News that Schemitz is now paralyzed.
5. Madison Schemitz’s Friend Described Seeing Spencer Pearson, a Former High School Football Player Who Was Wearing Clothing With a School Logo, Running Toward Schemitz in the Parking Lot
According to his Instagram page, Pearson was a high school football player.
Shemitz’s friend, Casey Estep, who was present during the attack, told First Coast News, “She’s like my soulmate as a sister, per se, as a friend.”
Estep and her daughter Cloey Criggall with “softball friends” with Schemitz and drove over to get something to eat with her.
“I saw a boy get up that had the same school logo on, I was like, ‘Oh, he must go to the same school,'” said Estep to First Coast News. “They were like, ‘Oh, we’ve got to go.’”
As Estep was paying the check, she saw the suspect “running toward the other three in the parking lot,” First Coast News reported.
“She did what any mother would and put herself in harm’s way,” said Estep of Schemitz’s mother, to First Coast News.