Son who beat his Knaus Berry Farm mom had fantasized about killing parents
Travis Grafe, 40, was charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault and robbery
The son accused of beating an elderly cinnamon bun mogul nearly to death with a flashlight was a “ticking time bomb” who fantasized about killing his parents, a former rehab friend told DailyMail.com.
Heavyset Travis Grafe, 40, allegedly beat his 66-year-old mother Rachel Knaus Grafe so viciously that he confessed to neighbors that he killed her.
Police discovered the owner of Knaus Berry Farm, famous for its home-baked pastries and pies, collapsed unconscious in a pool of blood – but still alive.
Rachel was taken to hospital where she is in stable condition. Grafe’s father Herbert Grafe, 70, was also badly beaten in the brutal attack on their $1 million home in Homestead, Florida, but is expected to recover.
The February 17 attack stunned Knaus Berry worshipers who flock daily to the celebrated farm for the warm cinnamon buns.
But Jerry Wilson, who spent several months in rehab last summer with six-foot, 320-pound Grafe, said it was only a matter of time before he seriously injured someone.
Grafe was arrested and charged for brutally assaulting his parents, Rachel Knaus Grafe and Herbert Grafe
Grafe’s mother sued Miami-Dade County for what she said were bite marks he received on his lip and cheek while in prison. He also posted a photo of an unexplained black eye on his Facebook page
“Travis is a big dude and stocky like a football player — his mother didn’t stand a chance,” his former friend from rehab told DailyMail.com. Grafe is seen at a virtual court
Travis was a ticking time bomb. That could have been us at any time,” Wilson, 44, told DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview.
“He talked almost every day about killing his mom and dad in therapy. He would tell them how rich they were and how he could get all their money if he beat them to death.
“I understand that what is said in therapy should stay in therapy. But they certainly had a duty to warn the parents or tell the police what he said.
“Travis is a big guy and stocky like a football player—his mother didn’t stand a chance.”
Jerry Wilson, who spent several months in rehab with Grafe last summer, said it was only a matter of time before he seriously hurt someone.
Grafe’s sister Natalie released a statement asking for “continued thoughts of strength and healing” for her entire family, including her brother, who she said suffered from a traumatic brain injury.
Court records show that Rachel sought custody of her then 33-year-old son in 2015, describing him as “totally incapacitated” due to his disability.
It is thought to have stemmed from an ATV accident he was involved in about 20 years ago, but Wilson said Grafe admitted during therapy sessions that he was also a regular user of cocaine and other drugs.
The pair lived in shared accommodation and were in regular contact during Wilson’s three-month stay at the Galt Ocean Rehab Center in Lauderdale-By-The Sea, he told DailyMail.com.
The waterfront facility offers programs such as anger management, acupuncture, brain mapping, and “beach therapy” to treat addiction and mental health issues.
“His mother paid for his stay there out of pocket, between $8 and $10,000 a month,” says Wilson of Olive Hill, Kentucky.
Most of all, he harbored a grudge against her. He wouldn’t beat around the bush, he’d just say, “I’m tired of my mom being my guardian, I want to kill my parents, I want to beat them to death.”
“There was one time he FaceTimed his mom and got so angry that he slammed his iPad against the desk and shattered it. There were other times he just stormed out and caught a bus home.”
Wilson claims that Grafe often made sexist and racist remarks and harassed fellow patients who compared him to Lyle and Erik Menendez – the infamous California twins who were imprisoned for shooting their parents in 1989.
“I hate to say it, but I knew this was going to happen,” Wilson added. “I’m not saying he should be in an insane asylum, but he definitely should have been locked up somewhere.
“Instead, they let him go home every Friday and come back on Monday. I feel so sorry for his parents, his mother is super nice.’
Rachel, 66, was found unconscious and beaten to a pulp. Her injuries were so severe that she had to be airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. She is now in stable condition
An affidavit obtained by DailyMail.com reveals that officers found Rachel, designated victim #1, “lying unconscious on the floor in a pool of her own blood”
An arrest affidavit obtained by DailyMail.com reveals that officers responded to a 911 call a few minutes’ drive from Knaus Berry Farm at 6:13 p.m. on Feb. 17 at 6:13 p.m.
They found Rachel, designated victim #1, “lying unconscious on the floor in a pool of her own blood.”
“In addition, officers found a large flashlight with obvious blood stains next to her,” the report adds.
An unnamed witness who was on the phone with Herbert Grafe – victim #2 – during the attack heard “the defendant whose voice he recognized because he was a lifelong friend of the family tell him that he killed victim #1.
“Then the defendant stated to victim #2 that he wanted money or he would kill him too.”
Grafe fled to a neighbor’s house covered in blood, but was arrested without incident, according to the affidavit.
He told the neighbor “he hit his mother several times on the head with a flashlight, causing injuries and thought he had killed her.”
According to the indictment, he repeated his confession in a police interview, telling detectives that “he didn’t want his mother to be his legal guardian anymore and that was why he tried to kill her.”
Grafe was booked at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on charges of attempted murder, aggravated battery and robbery.
He was arrested in 2013 on a series of charges including assault, burglary and making an incendiary bomb, but the case was dropped when he was found to be mentally incompetent.
The February 17 attack stunned Knaus Berry supporters who flock daily to the celebrated farm for its gooey, warm cinnamon buns, hailed as the best in the US.
A photo of Knaus Berry Farms signature sticky cinnamon buns
Grafe was arrested in 2013 on a series of charges including assault, burglary and making a firebomb, but the case was dropped when he was found to be mentally incompetent.
Rachel Knaus Grafe later sued Miami-Dade County for negligence, claiming that her son Grafe was assaulted by another inmate named Niki Williams, who bit his lip and face while they were locked up together.
The case was only settled in September last year.
In 2019, a neighbor applied for a protection order against Grafe for stalking, stating that he banged on her front door and yelled, “Why don’t you come out and I’ll rape you like I was raped in prison.”
Grafe further threatened to burn down the woman’s house, but the order was rejected when she failed to show up for a court hearing.
The alleged victim lived down the street from Knaus Berry Farm, which has been a Florida staple since it was opened in 1956 by brothers Ray and Russell Knaus, before being passed down to Ray’s daughters Rachel and Susan.
It started as a small roadside stall selling strawberries and tomatoes and grew into one of the most popular farms in the country, serving a variety of home baked goods, vegetables, ice cream and desserts.
In an interview with CBS4 in 2021, Rachel Grafe said of her celebrated cinnamon rolls, “We start at 3:30 in the morning and we make as many as we can.”
A post on the farm’s Instagram page last week said she was “past the critical stage.” It added: ‘Rachel continues to show progress, albeit small steps. We are encouraged.’
An employee who answered the phone told DailyMail.com, “We don’t want to talk to the media.”
Galt Ocean Rehab Center has been asked for comment several times but has not provided any.