ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — The sentencing of a man who pleaded guilty to stabbing Ponte Vedra teenager Madison Schemitz is taking place in St. Johns County Friday.
Schemitz was paralyzed from the chest down after her ex-boyfriend, Spencer Pearson, attacked her in the parking lot of Mr. Chubby’s Wings in Ponte Vedra Beach.
Pearson faces life in prison for the two counts of attempted first degree murder that he pleaded guilty to back in July.
This morning in court his defense attorney began to lay the groundwork as to why Pearson’s sentence should be on the low end because his client was too young to understand consequences of his actions at the time of the attack and suffers from CTE, which was caused by playing football.
Pearson's father Daniel addressed his son's victims at the end of his testimony.
“The first thing I want to say is address the victims, I’m sorry this happened to you, Madison," he said. "You were so sweet, such a beautiful person to be around. I’m sorry this happened to you and I pray for you every day, I’m sorry. This apology might not comfort you at all, but I wanted to let you know from me and my family that we are so sorry that my son did that to you.”
Daniel Pearson's full apology can be viewed in the video player above.
Pearson was 18 years old at the time of the attack and is being tried as an adult. The hearing is streaming live on First Coast News+.