A pre-med student in Florida allegedly murdered his mom — a beloved elementary school teacher — because she “got on his nerves,” according to police.
Emmanuel Espinoza, a 21-year-old student at the University of Florida, was heading to a family event when he asked his mom, Elvia Espinoza, if he could stay with her for the weekend at her home about two hours south of Orlando, according to the Daily Mail.
But when the 46-year-old second-grade teacher opened the door at about 2 p.m. on Saturday, the knife-wielding madman launched into a vicious assault.
“She lived in the forest, in a very nice house, south of Frostproof,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a recorded statement. “He knocked on the front door, and when mom opened the front door, he began to stab her.
“She ran from him, she was talking to a family member on the phone, and … he stabbed her until she fell down and died.
“We talked to him, and he confessed,” the sheriff continued. “He said, ‘You know, I have wanted to kill my mother for many, many years because she got on my nerves.’”
Right after the bloody murder, Espinoza called 911 and confessed to the dispatchers, the sheriff added.
Espinoza, who has been charged with first-degree murder, allegedly told authorities that he really loved his mom, but she irritated him, according to the sheriff.
The sheriff said Espinoza has been sent to Polk County Jail, according to Click Orlando.
Tributes to the late educator at Frostproof Ben Hill Griffin Jr. Elementary have been rolling in since news broke of her death.
“Her students and colleagues greatly loved her, and her sudden, unexpected death is a devastating loss,” said a spokesperson for the Polk County Public Schools. “She was a very special part of her school family.”
“Elvia always had a smile,” Nancy Murray DeMarco said in an online tribute.
“Loved her family and her children,” she continued, according to the Mail. “Was proud to be a teacher and worked hard to be one. She was one of my best students, a co-worker, and a fellow teacher.”
“Elvia Espinoza was the sweetest person to me and my family she was always cheerful and kind,” another woman, Sherry Dacres, wrote.
“So many memories of chatting outside at the end of a long day,” she added. “She truly loved teaching and was so proud of being a grandma. What a sad day in our little town, rest in heaven, my dear friend.”
“To know you’re gone makes the world a little more dim,” said Monica Alvarado. “I always admired how you poured your heart into everything and everyone around you.”
“We are all devastated beyond belief,” she continued. “Thank you, Elvia, for loving us and being everyone’s biggest cheerleader. I love you, and you are missed beyond measure.”
