Sentencing for teen who stabbed 3 people outside Ponte Vedra Beach restaurant pushed back for CTE testing

Posted by: jackie

Sentencing for Spencer Pearson, who pleaded guilty to aggravated battery and attempted murder in a violent stabbing outside a Ponte Vedra Beach restaurant, has been delayed as his attorneys seek testing for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which they argue may have impacted his behavior. CTE, a condition linked to repeated head injuries, can lead to aggression and impulsivity, explained forensic psychologist Dr. Justin D’Arienzo: “It is a progressive neurodegenerative brain disorder due to repeated injuries to the brain… [with] behavioral and cognitive changes that occur.”