Grady Judd releases 911 call of son confessing to stabbing his mother to death because ‘she got on his nerves’
FROSTPROOF, Fla. - Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd says a woman he describes as "the perfect mother" was stabbed to death by her son, a pre-med student at the University of Florida, because "she got on his nerves."
During a press conference on Monday, the sheriff played an audio clip of Emmanuel Espinoza confessing to stabbing his mother on Saturday afternoon.
According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Elvia Espinoza, a second-grade teacher at Ben Hill Griffin Elementary School in Frostproof, called her son on Saturday and told him she wanted to visit him in Gainesville because she hadn’t seen him in a while, even though they texted every day or every other day.
Pictured: Elvia Espinoza
Emmanuel Espinoza told his mother that he was going to be in Frostproof visiting his grandfather that weekend, so he would visit her. Judd said she invited him to stay at her house and he agreed.
According to Judd, Emmanuel Espinoza arrived at his mother’s home around 2 p.m. and was listening to the song ‘No Church in the Wild’ as he approached the front door.
The sheriff said he tried to open the door, but it was locked.
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"His beautiful mother, who was so excited to see her son, opened the door. The second she opened the door, he charged in and started stabbing her. He made the statement that he knew where to stab her for maximum effect because of his biology classes," Judd stated.
In video from inside the house, his mother can be heard screaming, "Manny, Manny, Manny!" Yet, Emmanuel Espinoza didn’t utter a word.
According to PCSO, Emmanuel Espinoza stabbed her more than 70 times. As she tried to get up off the floor, he stabbed her more. When he noticed her hands were still moving, Judd said he continued stabbing her.
Judd said he told detectives that he cut his hand on the knife while stabbing his mother and while he was washing the blood off himself and the knife, he wanted to ask his mother for Neosporin for the cut on his hand, but he realized she was dead, so he called 911 and confessed.
"It is one of the most bizarre murders that we’ve dealt with in a very long time," Judd shared.
Judd went on to say that the mother and son did not argue that day and Emmanuel Espinoza described the relationship he had with his mother as an 8 out of 10. He told detectives he loved his mother, but she irritated him and would get on his nerves. He told detectives she would sometimes ask questions out loud and answer them.
Emmanuel Espinoza mugshot courtesy of the Polk County Sheriff's Office.
"He said he wanted to do this for some time, but he didn’t have the nerve to do it. ‘I just made up my mind that today was the day, and it was,’" Judd stated.
The sheriff noted that Emmanuel Espinoza has no history of drug or alcohol abuse or mental health needs. He added that he has no history of Baker Acts and no arrest history.
Judd said Emmanuel Espinoza has been described as a genius who was remarkably brilliant. He graduated at the top of his class in 2020 and was the valedictorian at his high school.
The sheriff added that detectives have searched his room at the University of Florida and did not find anything that would indicate he was planning to murder his mother.
"You’ve got this wonderful mom, who’s not just wonderful for her children, but she spent years teaching and was so well-loved in the community, so it’s frustrating for all of us," Judd shared.
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