ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — The man accused of stabbing his then-17-year-old ex-girlfriend and two others in Ponte Vedra Beach on June 3, 2023 has pleaded guilty to three of the five charges he is facing.
Online St. Johns County court records show that Spencer Pearson, now 20, pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted first-degree murder with a weapon and one count of aggravated battery causing serious bodily injury with a weapon.
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Action News Jax told you in July 2023 when Pearson first pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The main target of the attack was Madison Schemitz, a senior and athlete at Ponte Vedra High School, left paralyzed from the chest down from her wounds after the attack outside Mr. Chubby’s Wings. Madison’s mom was also injured in the attack as was Kennedy Armstrong, the man who jumped in to save them.
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Action News Jax told you previously that Pearson attempted to slash his own throat during the attack. Twenty days later, he was booked into the St. Johns County Jail, where he has since been held on no bond.
On the first anniversary of the attack, Schemitz shared a video of her journey on Instagram, showing the moments in rehab that led up to her being able to walk across the stage at her graduation from PVHS.
She said in part:
“I am so grateful to be alive and will continue to use each day as an opportunity to live and make a difference. If there’s one thing I’ve learned it is to live in the present, because tomorrow is not promised. And, ‘If you’re going through hell, keep going’, because it will always get better. I love you all so so much. My story is just beginning.”
Pearson’s sentencing is set for Sept. 13 at 9 a.m.
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