The son accused of brutally beating the owners of famed southwest Miami-Dade's Knaus Berry Farm said the attack stemmed from him not wanting his mother to be his legal guardian anymore, according to a new police report.
Travis Grafe, 40, faces charges including attempted first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated battery and one count of domestic violence for the Friday attack at the home in the 24500 block of Southwest 157th Avenue.
According to the arrest report released Monday, officers arrived at the home just before 5:30 p.m. after receiving a call about a domestic battery at the home.
Officers found Grafe's mother, Rachel Knaus Grafe, unconscious on the ground in a pool of her own blood with a large flashlight that had blood stains on it nearby, the report said.
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Grafe was later found at a home of a friend in the 15900 block of Southwest 240th Street. That friend said Grafe arrived at his home with blood on his clothes and said he hit his mother with a flashlight multiple times on her head, and believed he had killed her, the report said.
Another witness who was on the phone with Grafe's father heard Grafe tell the father he killed his mother and wanted money or he'd kill him too, the report said.
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The father, Herbert Grafe, was taken to Jackson South Medical Center, where he suffered injuries to his head and told officers he was unconscious for a period of time after being attacked. Rachel Knaus Grafe was airlifted to the hospital and remains in critical condition with multiple injuries to her head and chest.
Travis Grafe was also hospitalized and treated before later being taken to jail. In an interview with investigators, Grafe admitted to beating his mother because she was his legal guardian and he didn't want her to be anymore.
Knaus Berry Farm was closed on Saturday due to what they called "a family emergency." The business reopened on Monday.
"I'm pretty shocked, extremely shocked and upset," said a family friend during a phone interview with NBC 6 about Grafe's mother. "She's an extremely sweet and wonderful person."
The family friend told NBC 6 as a teenager, Grafe suffered a traumatic brain injury.
"I truly believe if that never happened, this wouldn't have happened as well," the family friend said.
Records revealed past arrests for the suspect, including a 2013 arrest on burglary, assault, and battery charges that were later dismissed.
Court records showed that Rachel Grafe sued Miami-Dade Corrections in 2016 after her son allegedly suffered injuries while in custody. The records accused the jail of not having enough resources for people with traumatic brain injuries. The case was settled last year.
