PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – An 18-year-old charged with stabbing his ex-girlfriend and injuring her mother and a good Samaritan outside a Ponte Vedra Beach restaurant early last month was arraigned Friday and pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Spencer Pearson is charged with multiple counts of attempted murder and aggravated battery in the attack that left Madison Schemitz, 17, paralyzed from the chest down. Kennedy Armstrong, the good Samaritan who intervened during the attack, was also badly injured and underwent surgery.
Pearson has remained inside the St. Johns County jail, being held without bond. He attempted to cut his throat immediately after the attack. He survived and was hospitalized.
Surveillance video showing the attack was released to media outlets earlier this month, outlining what occurred from the moments Pearson entered the restaurant, to the attack in the parking lot.
This week, Pearson’s attorneys filed a motion for a protective order, saying that evidence should have gone to the defense first. In the motion, his attorneys specify they want to make sure something similar doesn’t happen in the future. That motion was rejected by Judge R. Lee Smith who said the video was not confidential.
Pearson is scheduled to be back in court on Sept. 28.
A month after the attack, Schemitz held a news conference, where she shared her story of survival for the first time, revealing that the attack had left her paralyzed. Despite all she had been through, Schemitz was in good spirits. Her mother, and her physical and occupational therapy team, friends, and loved ones were at her side.
“I believe there is no looking back now, everything happens for a reason,” Schemitz said. “I’m incredibly lucky to be alive today. I will take each day as its own opportunity to live and make a difference in the world.”
Schemitz then announced her plans to start a One Love Foundation chapter at Ponte Vedra High School, where she will be entering her senior year next month. One Love is a nonprofit aimed to spread awareness and education about the warning signs and behaviors of unhealthy relationships.
A GoFundMe page for Schemitz and her mother has raised more than $150,000 to date.