Rockledge boy, 16, attacks grandma in kitchen, fatally stabs her, police say
A 16-year-old Rockledge youth is in custody after police said he stabbed his 57-year-old grandmother repeatedly in a pre-planned attack and then texted 911 to report the death.
The teen was expected to appear before a Brevard County juvenile judge Friday at the Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore Justice Center in Viera. As of Thursday evening, he had not yet been assigned a public defender.
It is possible the case, described as 'heinous' by Rockledge Police Chief Joseph LaSata, could be direct-filed into adult court by the state attorney's office. The boy is expected to be remanded into custody.
The Rockledge High School student, found by law enforcement officers with wounds and smeared with blood, was charged with first-degree murder and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon in connection with the 57-year-old woman's death, LaSata said in a televised news conference.
No motive was given.
“She suffered multiple stab wounds throughout her body,” LaSata said. “This was planned, it was not a spur-of-the-moment act.”
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Police said the teen, whose mother lives out of state, was staying with his grandmother Wednesday night when he attacked her in the kitchen of her residence in the 900 block of South Carolina Avenue.
Police said that at one point, the knife he was using to hurt the woman broke and that he had to use another to continue the deadly attack.
He then packed up his belongings, stole cash from the home and left the property.
The boy, whose grandmother worked with an offender program in the probation office, alerted the Sheriff’s Office through a text message about the stabbing.
Officers arrived at the home and spotted the woman in the kitchen seated against a side door leading to the car port. Her body was covered with a blanket as she sat in a pool of blood.
Rockledge police had to kick the front door open to confirm that the woman was dead, LaSata said.
The teen had been staying with his mother in another state when the grandmother decided to take him in, investigators reported.
Wednesday, the teen decided not to go to school and attempted to run away. He called 911 later in the day to report that he wanted to return home. His grandmother responded to police and took him back to the house where he sat on the couch watching videos on YouTube, according to the police report. The teen told police that his grandmother then went into her home office to work.
The teen told police he decided to stab his grandmother and grabbed a large knife from the kitchen. He continued to attack her as she attempted to get away before collapsing to the floor, reports show.
By 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, the teen was taken into custody after texting 911. Crime scene agents and investigators later searched the home for evidence. They found the two knives: one in a hallway and one in the kitchen.
The medical examiner's office removed the body and was expected to conduct an autopsy late Thursday.
Counselors were expected to be made available by request for Rockledge students who may know the teen, Brevard Public School officials reported.
This story will be updated.
J.D. Gallop is a Criminal Justice/Breaking News Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallop at 321-917-4641 or jgallop@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @JDGallop.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Rockledge teen attacks grandma, fatally stabs her, police say
