Son accused of killing mom — a former Knaus Berry owner — can stand trial: judge
The son of the former owners of Knaus Berry Farm who is accused of beating his mother to death is competent to stand trial, a judge said Wednesday.
Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Laura Gonzalez-Marques found Travis Grafe, 43, competent, meaning that he can be tried for the Feb. 17, 2023 murder of his mother Rachel Knaus Grafe. The judge detailed her ruling in a written order filed in court last week.
Gonzalez-Marques, who had previously found Grafe incompetent last March, made the ruling months after a series of hearings that delved into Grafe’s mental state. Several psychologists testifying on behalf of the prosecution and the defense evaluated Grafe and reached conflicting conclusions on whether he was competent to stand trial.
Grafe suffered a traumatic brain injury when he was 14, almost three decades ago, said Assistant Public Defender Lauren Dawson, who is representing Grafe. Two previous criminal cases against Grafe — one in 2001 in Tampa and another in 2013 in Miami — were dismissed due to Grafe being found incompetent, without the chance of his competency being restored, the attorney added.
READ MORE: Is son accused of killing mom, ex-Knaus Berry Farm owner, incompetent for trial?
Grafe was charged with murder and aggravated battery on a person 65 or older in connection to the 2023 beating of his parents at their South Miami-Dade home. Grafe, police say, beat his mother and father — Rachel and her husband, Herbert Grafe — with a flashlight over money disputes.
Rachel, 66, died on March 5, 2023, as a result of her injuries after a two-week hospital stay. Rachel was one of the daughters of Ray Knaus, the late Knaus Berry Farm co-founder. She and her sister, Susan Blocker, had run Knaus with their husbands for years.
Knaus Berry Farm is visited by thousands of people each season, who stand in long lines for the finger-sticking cinnamon rolls, homemade pies and jams or the strawberry shakes, made from the strawberries grown in fields behind the market. In August, the beloved South Miami-Dade business, which Ray Knaus and his brother started as a small roadside stand selling strawberries in the 1950s, announced that it had new ownership. The new owners, comprised of local investors, opened down the road from the original location on Southwest 248th Street to 16790 SW 177th Ave in December.
During Wednesday’s brief proceeding, the judge set the next hearing in the case for July 1. At that hearing, Grafe’s trial date will be set.
