Lawyers for the Ponte Vedra man who repeatedly stabbed his ex-girlfriend outside a restaurant in June 2023 claim he didn’t intend to attack her that day.
In a sentencing memorandum filed ahead of his Friday sentencing, the attorneys wrote that Spencer Pearson, then 18, had planned to kill himself in the ocean and went to Chubby’s Wings in Ponte Vedra Beach for a “final meal.”
Madison Schemitz, her mother, Jaclyn Roge, and two friends happened to walk in after he was already seated, the lawyers state.
“When saw Madison Schemitz begin to exit the restaurant, Spencer had chased after her,” the filing says. “Spencer stabbed Schemitz seventeen times with the knife he intended to use to take his own life. As a result of the attack, Ms. Schemitz suffered serious injuries, including a partial severance of her spinal cord, leaving her partially paralyzed.”
Pearson then cut his own throat in an unsuccessful suicide bid after bystanders wrenched him off Schemitz.
He now faces sentencing guidelines of 19 years to life in prison after pleading guilty to attempted murder charges.
The judge in the case can impose a more lenient term at his discretion, and Pearson’s legal team has asked for 12 years along with 15 years of supervised release.
Their memorandum to the court acknowledges the permanent damage wrought by Pearson’s actions.
“However, there also exists extraordinary mitigation on behalf of Spencer, including his young age at the time of the offense, brain injuries and serious mental health disorders, to warrant a downward departure from the bottom of the recommended guidelines under the Criminal Punishment Code,” they wrote.
The filing depicts Pearson as a socially awkward and anxiety-ridden outcast for much of his life.
“Spencer reports a constant feeling of fear with basic human interactions, and felt as if he was ‘always making a fool of himself,'” the lawyers wrote.
Pearson’s relationship with Schemitz while both attended Ponte Vedra High School soothed some of his self-doubt, the filing states.
But the softball player would ultimately tire of having to placate his insecurities, calling their union “exhausting.” They split in April of 2023, two months before the attack.
“The breakup between Ms. Schemitz and Mr. Pearson caused Spencer to lose a major part of his identity, as well as his friend group,” the papers state.
The renewal of his social isolation, they argued, triggered a rapid emotional descent.
The filing cites an evaluation from noted forensic psychologist Dr. Harry Krop that diagnosed Pearson with a host of afflictions, including autism, Social Anxiety Disorder, and Major Depressive Disorder.
His lawyers also broached the possibility that Pearson’s football career — which began at age six and continued through high school — damaged his brain still further.
Prosecutors filed a 69-page victim impact statement on behalf of Schemitz, her mother and hero bystander Kennedy Armstrong, but the filing is not public.
