A Florida teenager is facing attempted murder and other felony charges after allegedly trying to kill his mother with a pocket knife and a frying pan, according to police.
Tobias Brewer, 17, will be tried in adult court after the 30 November attack on Carol Gray, 69, motivated by anger at her insistence the teen clean his room, he said in a confession.
Brewer told police “that he struck the victim in the head until the handle of the frying pan broke, at which time he pulled out his pocket knife and began stabbing her repeatedly,” an affidavit states.
“The suspect advised that he was upset because his mother was constantly on his case about cleaning his room. He explained [that] he does not like cleaning his room and was tired of the victim constantly harping about it. The suspect stated that after the attack he went into the victim’s room and took both her vehicle keys and money out of her purse so that he can have once once he left the area.”
Court documents paint a picture of a day of total mayhem that began on Japonica Lane in Cocoa, where Brewer allegedly attacked his mother. He called his friend Quantrayvious Bowden repeatedly, telling the other teenager he needed help, according to the affidavit. Bowden told police he was working on his driver’s license permit test and initially said he was unavailable before finally acquiescing and walking over to Brewer’s house.
Brewer texted Bowden asking him to bring a firearm but instead his friend said he’d bring a knife, Brewer told police.
When Bowden arrived at the house, he saw saw another friend, identified as Mike, in front of the residence, but soon walked around back after hearing “loud bangs coming from the rear.” There Bowden found Brewer standing with a frying pan over Ms Clay, who begged “Toby stop,” Bowden told police.
Brewer left his mother there and took off in her black 2022 Kia Rio, according to the affidavit, while Bowden and “Mike” followed him in the victim’s 2022 gray Jeep Wrangler. Both vehicles drove to pick up Brewer’s girlfriend at her home less than six miles away; Bowden told police that Brewer said he “needed to get out of the country,” according to the affidavit.
Police received a call of a reckless gray Jeep in Cocao around 11pm and traced it to Ms Gray’s address, where the lights were on and there was no response. Just before 2.30am, however, Bowden’s mother – who’d already been suspicious about Brewer’s repeated calls to her son, who has been diagnosed as “high-functioning autistic,” the affidavit says – contacted police to say Bowden told her “Toby” had killed his mother.
Officers responded to Ms Gray’s residence and found her lying in the doorway of the laundry room leading to the backyard, according to the affidavit.
“The victim was covered in blood and had multiple stab wounds on her body and her nose was almost completely detached,” the affidavit states. “She also had blunt force trauma to the face as well as the back of her head. Near the victim was a small black folding knife as well as a frying pan with a broken handle covered in blood.
“As officers were responding to the scene, the victim took a breath and stated ‘Toby’ did this.”
Ms Clay was airlifted to Holmes Regional Medical Center and listed in critical stable condition, according to the affidavit.
Law enforcement, meanwhile, contacted AT&T to begin tracing Brewer’s phone and located it on I-95 in Volusia County, where authorities attempted to conduct a traffic stop but the teen fled. He eventually crashed into a wooded area in Brevard County and was soon located and taken into custody.
Brewer has been charged with four felonies: attempted first-degree premeditated murder, criminal conspiracy to commit a capital felony, fleeing with disregard of safety to persons or property, and grand theft of a motor vehicle. He remains in custody in Brevard County awaiting the next January court date.
Two other defendants have also been charged in relation to the incident. Bowden, 17, has been charged with felony conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and grand theft of a motor vehicle. After contacting police, his mother brought him in to authorities for a formal interview.
Jeffery Patuano, who turns 18 on 28 December, has been charged with accessory after the fact of attempted first degree murder and tampering or fabricating with physical evidence - also both felonies.
Attempts to contact attorneys for all three on Thursday were unsuccessful.
