PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — The suspect accused of stabbing a Ponte Vedra High School softball player, her mother, and a bystander was served an arrest warrant Monday.
18-year-old Spencer Pearson, who is also hospitalized with self-inflicted injuries, is charged with two counts of first-degree attempted premeditated murder and aggravated battery. Witness and law enforcement sources tell First Coast News he slit his throat.
Madison Schemitz, a rising senior and star athlete who plays softball for the Ponte Vedra High School team, was stabbed multiple times, including in the back, family members tell First Coast News. Family members say she suffered damage to her spinal cord in the attack and is currently paralyzed, according to her family.
Schemitz's mother Jacki Rogé was also injured in the attack outside of Mr. Chubby's Wings, as was Kennedy Armstrong, who stepped in to help when he saw the attack happen.
Tatiana Cruceta, Madison's oldest sibling, told First Coast News that although her sister is paralyzed at the moment, the family is confident she will recover.
"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.” Cruceta says the teen has already undergone multiple surgeries, and that her mother had surgery Monday for a ruptured artery in her hand.
“Madison’s the sweetest person you’ll ever meet, she’s always smiling, always," Cruceta said. "So as soon as I answered the phone -- we all call her ‘Sass,’ that’s her nickname -- so I said ‘how you doin, Sass, how you feelin?’ And she goes ‘Oh just dandy.’ So she was cracking jokes and trying to be strong.”
"There were some issues in the past"
Pearson's arrest warrant says he reportedly began to follow and harass Maddison Schemitz in April 2023.
Cruseda says Schemitz and Pearson dated but have been broken up for a few months.
"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. "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.”
Cruceta says the teen has already undergone multiple surgeries, and that her mother had surgery Monday for a ruptured artery in her hand.
“Madison’s the sweetest person you’ll ever meet, she’s always smiling, always," Cruceta said. "So as soon as I answered the phone -- we all call her ‘Sass,’ that’s her nickname -- so I said ‘how you doin, Sass, how you feelin?’ And she goes ‘Oh just dandy.’ So she was cracking jokes and trying to be strong.”
'Oh, we've got to go.'
Schemitz was with her mother Jacki Roge and a few friends at Mr. Chubby's Wings when her ex-boyfriend 18-year-old Spencer Pearson walked in.
Casey Estep, who was eating with Schemitz and her mom at the restaurant shortly before the stabbing, told First Coast News that when Schemitz and her mom spotted Pearson, "They were like, 'Oh, we’ve got to go.'"
Estep said they asked for the check and tried to quietly leave, but before she could finish cashing out, Pearson took off running toward Schemitz and her mom.
Kennedy Armstrong said he was in the parking lot of Mr. Chubby's Wings when he heard people yelling and saw a man stabbing two women.
He told First Coast News what happened next is a blur. He didn't realize until after the incident that he'd been hurt. Armstrong suffered severe injuries to his right hand, including damage to an artery and several ligaments. He is scheduled for surgery Monday.
"You see two girls in trouble getting attacked by a guy, I would hope most people would do the same," Armstrong said on Sunday. "Kudos to the mom. I think she's the real reason that girl is still alive."
Cruceta, who lives in New York, said she was notified about 1:30 a.m. the night of the incident when her mother called.
She said both have been in stable condition since then, and she was able to Facetime Madison on Sunday.
"She had some spinal fluid leaking from her spinal cord, so currently she is not able to move or feel her legs. But we’re hoping for a very speedy recovery. I know she starts physical therapy soon, today actually.”
She describes her sister as the "happiest and sweetest girl anyone has ever known," adding, “She’s so beautiful and smart and I don’t know who could do something like this.”
The warrant says Pearson slit his own throat several times. He is ordered not to have contact with any victims, possession of weapons or firearms and is required to have a GPS monitor.
Two GoFundMe pages have been created for the family, one by friends of Schemitz’s mother and one by supporters of her father, but both are legitimate. Jointly, they have raised almost $82,000 so far.
A third GoFundMe was created for Armstrong, but Armstrong's mother said while the family appreciates the gesture, treatment for his injuries will be covered by insurance and they do not need the money.
