Newton South Teen Faces Upgraded Charges in Florida Stabbings

NEWTON, MA – A junior at Newton South High School faces new charges in the stabbing attacks on his mother and brother while the family vacationed in Florida.

Gust Ramgren, 16, was originally charged with two counts of attempted second-degree murder. But according to Sarasota County court records, he now faces two counts of attempted first-degree murder and has been charged in adult court.

First reported by the Newton TAB, records show Ramgren has been ordered held on $300,000 bond in the juvenile section of the Sarasota County Jail in Florida.

Ramgren was vacationing in Siesta Key, FL with his mother and 14-year-old brother when the attacks occurred. The teen's mother, Melissa Ramgren, is a teacher at Mason-Rice Elementary School in Newton.

Police say Ramgren admitted to stabbing his mother and brother in their vacation residence on August 17. He then fled the home and tossed the knife before telling a neighbor his family had been stabbed and needed help, records show.

Police also received a 911 call from Melissa Ramgren, who told police her older son had stabbed her and her younger son.

According to a probable cause affidavit, Ramgren told detectives after his arrest that he was not angry at his mother or brother at the time of the attacks and was unsure why he stabbed them. In his interview, he told police he sometimes hears voices, which he described as sounding like "white noise" and laughter, and he believed that was why he attacked his family.

According to the Newton TAB, police in Framingham, where the Ramgren family lives, were called to their home twice for a family problem and twice for a disturbed person in 2014.

The following year, police received two calls from the residence - one for an attempt to locate a missing person and one for a missing juvenile; suspicious activity was also reported at the home in 2012 and police were called for a family problem the year before, according to the TAB.

Meanwhile, family and friends have rallied behind the Ramgren family, setting up a GoFundMe to help pay for their medical bills. According to the page, both Melissa Ramgren and her younger son are expected to make full recoveries.

Photo Credit: Sarasota County Sheriff's Office