On Aug. 15, 2016, Martin County Sheriffs Office deputies found 19-year-old Austin Harrouff on top of the bloodied 59-year-old John Stevens III, gnawing on his face and making growling sounds. Harrouf has been jailed since the incident. Your dad asks you on the afternoon before you killed my sister, Did you throw the drugs out? This story originally appeared in The Sun and has been republished here with permission. In backhanded fashion, he expressed willingness to forgive Harrouff if the 25-year-old did to himself what he did to Michelle. Harrouff, now 25, butchered John Stevens and Michelle Mischon in their Jupiter, Florida, garage with a machete in 2016, and was found by police gnawing on Stevens face as he lay dying. In ruling Harrouff was legally insane at the time, Bauer found he didn't know what he was doing, or didnt know it was wrong, and couldnt appreciate the consequences of his actions. In the other court documents, more details emerge: In the hours before the attacks, friends and family said Austin Harrouff had been acting strangely. The injury could have been from ingesting chemicals in the couple's garage as state-appointed psychologist Dr Landrum said in a report that Harrouff "remembers drinking a bottle of liquid". John Stevens III and 53-year-old Michelle Mishcon (WPEC). Not the defense, the county, the state. A Florida frat boy who murdered a married couple and chewed the face of one victim could be free in as few as six months after being deemed not guilty by reason of insanity this week. Now, on the third anniversary of the deaths of Stevens and Mishcon, there is a trial scheduled for Nov. 4, but it remains unclear whether Harrouff, his attorneys and prosecutors will put on their case for a jury before the end of the year. Sanity issue in third exam:State expert saysAustin Harrouff was not insane during2016 double murder, In September, when prosecutors said Gamache concluded Harrouff was sane during the murders, Watson argued that the exam Gamache conducted fell short of a mental health evaluation and was more of a cross examination on a series of texts and other material that was in discovery.. Sept. 7, 2016: Wade Harrouff appears on Dr. Phil McGraw's TV show. An article on Palmbeach revealed he was at the age of 19 in 2016. This case was always about mental illness, she said. He says he does not remember going to his mother's house and drinking vegetable oil, but recalls running to his father's house and hearing voices. Though he was conscious when he arrived at the hospital, the sheriff's office said Harrouff was in critical condition and put under sedation. The interview took place over video chat while Harrouff was at St. Mary's and just days before his arrest. Mishcon Stevens sister, Cindy Mishcon, was the first to address Harrouff in court, according to WPLG. Melissa E. Holsman is the legal affairs reporter for TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers, and is writer and co-host ofUncertain Terms, a true crime podcast. According to police, Harrouff was assaulting John's face excessively and was on John. The two victims of Harrouff's crime, John Stevens and his wife Michelle Mishcon, 53, died on August 15, 2016. You go, you get treated, you get out.. Austin Harrouff, 25, pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to two counts of first-degree murder and other charges for the 2016 slayings of John Stevens, 59, and his wife, Michelle Mishcon . Harrouff, who did not know the couple, stabbed the them to death while they were watching . After being removed from the body, Harrouff was taken to hospital for two months, suffering from a burned oesophagus. Michelle Mischon's family files a wrongful-death lawsuit against Austin Harrouff. He then admitted it was human.. he said he ate something bad. Where is Austin Harrouff now? Frat boy Austin Harrouff stands accused of brutally murdering John Stevens, 59, and Michelle Mishcon, 53, at their home Jupiter, Florida, on August 15 this year. Court documents: Murder suspect Austin Harrouff tells Martin deputies he 'ate humans' The Jupiter resident who was then 19 and attending Florida State University was found biting and. The unthinkable violence happened in this case not by choice, intention, or with an identifiable motive, but because Austin has a mental disease., Have a tip we should know? Austin is an accused murderer and his case has puzzled many. All rights reserved. Aug. 15, 2018: Two years after her father and stepmother's deaths, Ivy Stevens spoke with The Post about learning to cope with the loss. A full report detailing the days before the attack was released and says that Harrouff felt "as if God was talking to him" and "dog spirits were part of him". That was news to me. You have not only destroyed the memory of them for me, but you have caused me to live in a constant state of fear. During the same hearing, Bauer canceled a September status check without setting a new date, calling into question whether the Nov. 4 trial date will remain in place. agrees to let prosecutors audio-record a psychological examination with Austin Harrouff. a toxicology report from the Federal Bureau of Investigation says no designer drugs were found in Austin Harrouff's system. To date, it's unknown what Harrouff ingested. 0. Two other mental health experts have been consulted since, with neuropsychologist Michael Gamache contradicting the other findings. "I'm so sorry and I never wanted this to happen," Austin Harrouff said in the interview. 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. He fatally stabbed a couple, Michelle Mishcon and John Stevens, on the 16th of August 2016. 00:04 00:30 A cannibalistic double-murderer from Florida could end up walking the streets again without ever going to trial. KILLER Austin Harrouff could have been legally insane when he attacked and chewed the face of his victim. It should be a very smooth transition for him and for the facility. State witness Gamache did not believe that Harrouff met the legal standard of insanity during the crime. Right now, Harrouff is on medication and being treated for schizophrenia at the Martin County Jail. ", It goes on to say, "He remembers having a machete in his hand and stabbing her 'and it was like she was covered in darkness.' What they are really angry about is the law, he said of Stevens and Mishcons loved ones. There's a six-month review that's sent by the attending psychiatrist, and then after that there's an annual review that is sent to the judge with a recommendation as to continue treatments, Watson said. Aug. 24, 2016: Wade Harrouff tells The Post he blames mental illness for his son's actions. There's absolutely no reason why this case should have taken this long so far., TikTok star, 28, is charged with child abuse after 'attack on boyfriend', Rape survivor slams Gabby Petito Utah cop over handling of her case, 'Dark details' about boyfriend of US swim champ who mysteriously died, Disturbing red flags of Lindsay Clancy's psychosis before she 'killed 3 kids', 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, Austin Harrouff was accused of randomly killing a couple and chewing on the dead mans face. After a meal with his father ended in an argument, Harrouff stormed off, claiming the last thing he remembers is walking home. He recalled stabbing the man and biting him before waking up in the hospital. I didnt know you could brutally murder two people, attempt to murder another and not even have a trial. KILLER Austin Harrouff could have been legally insane when he attacked and chewed the face of his victim. ", The report concluded: "the manifestation of Mr Harrouff's psychiatric illness resulted in a psychotic episode so acute that two innocent people were killed.". This story has been shared 117,876 times. You knew exactly what you were doing, Bruce said. After a bizarre family meal at a nearby sports bar, where Harrouff tried to eat cooking oil, he walked the 6.4km to the couples home. Updated denies Austin Harrouff's defense attorneys' motion to find Florida's insanity defense law unconstitutional. Florida currently doesn't have many options for convicting people considered insane. Harrouff reportedly told officers: "Help me, I ate something bad.". Investigators said his Google searches consisted of questions about needing sleep, white magic, "How to know if you're going crazy" and several other topics. Judge Sherwood Bauer. Phil.'. For him to be acquitted by reason of insanity, Harrouff must convince a judge or jury he didn't know what he was doing at the time of the murders, or didnt know it was wrong, and couldnt appreciate the consequences of his actions. Eventually, Harrouff is taken to St. Marys Medical Center. Hours later, authorities responded to the Stevens home and found the teen stabbing the couple to death and then biting John Stevens face, CNN has reported. Martin County prosecutor Brandon White, who has been assigned to the case for the last three years, said his office reluctantly accepted the plea deal and that a six-month release would be a worst-case scenario. The Jupiter resident who was then 19 and attending Florida State University was found biting and chewing on Stevens' face in the driveway of the couples home on Southeast Kokomo Lanein Martin County. Thank you, she said, sardonically. I didnt know that.. That is where Sheriff William Snyder says Harrouff violently beat the innocent. All times AEDT (GMT +11). Catch up on old episodes of Episode 149 - Stranger In The Night - The Case Of John Stevens & Michelle Mishcon. Harrouff, now 22, was living with bipolar disorder and acute manic episodes with psychotic features, according to psychologist Dr. Phillip Resnick. STUART - Killer Austin Harrouff, who in November was acquitted of two 2016 murder charges by reason of insanity, has been transferred from jail to a secured state mental health facility,. Defense attorney Robert Watson told Bauer once the materials are reviewed, they would seek to exclude Gamache as a witness and questioned the validity of his conclusions. Its a sad case. Austin Harrouff to face two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder following gruesome August 15th killings . Ivy Stevens spoke with The Post about learning to cope with the loss. 4:36 PM EST, Tue November 29, 2022. "And then I think about how I'm going to have to explain this to her one day.". He also injured another victim, to near fatality, but they survived. Dec. 5, 2017: Austin Harrouff's attorneys, Robert Watson and Nellie King, file a notice of intent to use the insanity defense during his first-degree murder trial. He then pleaded with officers to kill him, saying: Shoot me now, I deserve to die.. He was pursuing a degree in exercise science from the institution, AP News reported. Harrouff appeared in court via Zoom and said nothing as he stood at a podium from the Martin County Jail and listened to his lawyers say they may seek a non-jury trial, which Circuit Judge Sherwood Bauer indicated may not be scheduled before August, and as late as November. Harrouff, then 19-years-old, was having dinner with his family when he stormed off in an agitated state, officials said at the time. Thats all you have to do.. ", That night, Harrouff was out to dinner with his father where "he felt as if time was standing still and like he was the 'grim reaper.'. He lived with his mother and younger sister from the age of 13, when his parents divorced but remained in contact with his father and would visit him regularly. . The pair of 35-year-old Australian women have revealed they want to get pregnant at same time with the same man. June 17, 2019: Bauer denies Austin Harrouff's defense attorneys' motion to find Florida's insanity defense law unconstitutional. When the officers shouted at Harrouff to get off Stevens, he growled like a dog and had to be physically removed. The criminal case for Austin Harrouff might now be closed, but the state attorney's office said it still isn't finished. In one particularly chilling picture, it looks like he has something stuck on his teeth. told The Post he doesn't believe Austin Harrouff's crocodile tears in the Dr. After being removed from the body, Harrouff was taken to hospital for two months, suffering from a burned oesophagus. The now 25-year-old former-frat boy is still awaiting trial as his lawyers have claimed he is mentally ill and the FBI found no evidence of illicit drugs in his system, other than THC. The Martin County State Attorneys Office sought a second opinion from another doctor, who concluded that Harrouff was likely on drugs or in withdrawals during the crime, and not simply crazy. The reason I think someone is going to murder my children. The injury could have been from ingesting chemicals in the couple's garage as state-appointed psychologist Dr Landrum said in a report that Harrouff "remembers drinking a bottle of liquid". file a notice of intent to use the insanity defense during his first-degree murder trial. He bases that not on any eyewitness accounts, he bases it on texts that are between fraternity brothers. Authorities said they even found Harrouff biting Stevens face. DCF officials didnt immediately provide answers to questions regarding Harrouffs treatment or how long he could be involuntarily committed. We dont create the facts and we dont create the law, he said. Generally speaking, loved ones criticized not only Harrouff but sometimes even prosecutors. The grisly images were released after court documents revealed Harrouff spat a chunk of flesh out of his mouth when speaking to officers. 0:00. ProsecutorBrandon Whitevoiced sympathy for the families. Wade Harrouff appears on Dr. Phil McGraw's TV show. A Warner Bros. The case is yet to be tried, with Circuit Judge Sherwood Bauer indicating the trial could be months away according to TCPalm. Bauer granted the defense several weeks to prepare for a hearing scheduled for June 20 and 21 to determine whether the state will be allowed to call Gamache as a witness. Back in 2016, Austin Harrouff killed a couple and was discovered by the police chewing the man's face at the scene of the crime. Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out. Oct. 3, 2016: After weeks in recovery, Austin Harrouff leaves the hospital and is booked into the Martin County jail on two counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder and burglary. This is what wakes me up in the middle of the night as I lay in bed for hours picturing the way that they died, she said. A neighbor, Jeff Fisher, tried to intervene when he heard the commotion outside, but he was also attacked by Harrouff. 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