Florida Teen Left Paralyzed After Ex-Boyfriend Allegedly Stabs Her Outside Restaurant

Things went terribly wrong on Saturday, June 3, 2023, when Madison Schemitz, a 17-year-old high school student, went out to dinner with her mom and a few friends. They were eating at Mr. Chubby's Wings in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, and they saw Madison’s ex-boyfriend who had reportedly been stalking her. They immediately paid and tried to leave quickly, only to be assaulted in front of the eatery.

Eighteen-year-old Spencer Ross Pearson, Madison’s ex, allegedly rushed at the girl as she left with her mom. He came at her from behind, restrained her with one arm, and stabbed her 15 times with his other arm, reported PEOPLE.

When Madison’s mother, Jacki Roge, 43, went to intervene, she was stabbed in the forehead and leg. Then, when bystander Kennedy Armstrong tried to help, Pearson allegedly stabbed him as well. According to The Florida Time Union, Pearson then started “steadily” cutting his own throat in an attempt to kill himself and ultimately sliced his throat multiple times.

Schemitz broke up with Pearson a few months before the stabbing, and he had since been reportedly stalking and harassing her. WLTV-TV revealed that Roge filed a complaint against Pearson less than a week before the stabbing. According to the complaint, he created fake social media accounts to stalk her, he left notes on her car and followed her to school, among other alarming behaviors.

Tatiana Cruceta, Madison’s older sister, told First Coast News, “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.”

NBC News reported that Pearson now faces multiple felony changes. He was charged with two counts of attempted premeditated murder and one count of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon causing permanent disability. While at the hospital where he was being treated for his self-inflicted injuries, he was served an arrest warrant. He is required to wear a GPS monitor. He was also ordered to not hold any firearms and to have no contact with the victims.

Madison is a star softball player at Ponte Vedra High School. Although she was unable to move or feel her legs after being stabbed because of what her sister said was “spinal fluid leaking from her spinal cord,” Cruceta told First Coast News that they were hoping for a very speedy recovery.

So far Schemitz has had multiple surgeries, and Roge had surgery for a ruptured artery in her hand. Armstrong also had surgery for injuries to his right hand, according to The Bleacher Report.

A GoFundMe page was started to help Schemitz and her mother, and another one was also started by a coworker and friend of her father to support the teen girl during her recovery.

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic violence or abuse from a romantic partner, you can visit the National Domestic Violence Hotline website, call 1.800.799.SAFE, or text START to 88788 for help. Advocates are available 24/7 to help callers talk through their situation and connect them with local resources. There is no charge to reach out to the National Domestic Violence Hotline.