", The report concluded: "the manifestation of Mr Harrouff's psychiatric illness resulted in a psychotic episode so acute that two innocent people were killed.". The reason I think someone is going to murder my children. Austin Harrouff, 25, has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to two counts of first-degree murder and other charges for his August 2016 slayings of John Stevens, a 59-year-old landscaper,. ("Austin) must have some psychological break. He said he thought he was a half-dog, Cindy Mishcon said. White maintained that prosecutors did everything possible to prove the case, but the facts were not there. He also injured another victim, to near fatality, but they survived. Or to keep it anonymous, click here. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Eventually, Harrouff is taken to St. Marys Medical Center. In a statement sent to Law&Crime, Harrouff attorney Nellie L. Kingmaintained Harrouffs actions that day were completely out of character and stemmed from mental illness. He said his son pulled out a knife and said something was going to happen. 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. Why my two beautiful boys will never have grandparents. The then 19-year-old was found by police at the scene of the crime on top of the man John Stevens, 59, chewing his face. The former Florida State University student, then 19, was found biting and chewing on Stevens III's face in the man's driveway. I'm not trying to excuse what happened. The grisly images were released after court documents revealed Harrouff spat a chunk of flesh out of his mouth when speaking to officers. Another picture was taken in the garage where Mishcons body was found, reports the Mail Online. You are the reason I no longer have a father and a second mother. It is in that garage and their driveway that Harrouff killed the couple. In the hours and days after the fatal attacks, law-enforcement officers said they believed a reaction to a designer drug such as bath salts or flakka prompted the attacks. We would have had our hands tied behind our back, he said, asserting that he rued the final outcome of the case and hopes to have certain laws changed surrounding insanity defenses. The families of John Stevens IIIandMichelle Mishconvoiced disgust and anger on Monday, as a judge accepted the insanity plea from defendantAustin Harrouff, 25. 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. View our online Press Pack. and is booked into the Martin County jail on two counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder and burglary. Things happened rapidly, with Austin experiencing such severe hallucinations and delusions at the time of the offense that he was incapable of making rational and voluntary choices. If you ever have the courage to do something, your bravest act will be to kill yourself. Family members giving victim impact statements after not guilty by reason of insanity plea was accepted today in FL v. #AustinHarrouff pic.twitter.com/DY25mVpunZ, Cathy Russon (@cathyrusson) November 28, 2022. The false narrative advanced by the State that the homicides were the result of her client ingesting Flakka, or bath salts, was debunked repeatedly, King said in a statement to CNN. psychologist to evaluate Harrouff after the killings, Putin open to talks on Ukraine, Kremlin says, 11-year-old reads aloud from 'pornographic' book he checked out from library at school board meeting, Influencer refuses to switch business class seats so family can sit together, Hoda Kotb's lengthy 'Today' show absence finally explained, Justin Bieber cancels remaining Justice tour dates after health concerns, Coco Austin nearly busts out of red lace bra on ttty Tuesday, How Jimmy Kimmel is shaping up before hosting the Oscars, Zach Braziller reacts to Knicks' winning streak, surging offense, Sunny Hostin Points Finger at China for COVID Crisis: Did Not Cooperate With the International Community, King Charles evicting Harry, Meghan from Frogmore Cottage, giving to Andrew. The court was also told on Wednesday the Florida college student had no detectable hallucinogenic drugs in his system, according an FBI toxicology report. Murder suspect Austin Harrouff tells Martin deputies he 'ate humans', Prosecutors ask judge to appoint 2nd state expert to evaluate Austin Harrouff, Austin Harrouff legally insane when he murdered a Tequesta couple, Austin Harrouff, suspect in face-biting deaths, didn't know conduct was wrong, State expert saysAustin Harrouff was not insane during2016 double murder, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. 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. "clear and convincing" standard wrongly shifts the burden of proof from the state to the defendant. Harrouff Reportedly Behaved Erratically Before Alleged 'Random' Attack. But he's not sad about what he did, he's sad that he's about to go to jail," John Stevens IV said of Harrouff. 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. which led to more court hearings fighting over the release of all footage, The State Attorney's Office in Martin County releases Austin Harrouff's jail calls. 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. 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 papers filed Monday, defense lawyers asked that Gamache be held in contempt of court for failing to provide records requested by the defense during a Jan. 25 deposition conducted via Zoom. Discussing Bruces criticism of the advocate and of being kept in the dark about the lack of a potential death penalty, White said he could not speak to that because he was only on the case recently. The two victims of Harrouff's crime, John Stevens and his wife Michelle Mishcon, 53, died on August 15, 2016. In the calls, his emotions range from apologetic to worried and sad for his actions to joking with his parents and complaining about how bored he is. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, 9-year-old Florida girl killed in rampage ran to mom and yelled, He shot me!, AG aims gun at experts head to dismiss Murdaugh defense theory, Ex-pol charged with murdering Vegas reporter Jeff German will rep himself at trial, Murdaugh family still buried in temporary graves almost 2 years after slayings. Its a sad case. Not only for myself but for my family. Authorities said Austin Harrouff, . 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. You have not only destroyed the memory of them for me, but you have caused me to live in a constant state of fear. Their loved ones were experiencing a lot of pain and hurt. It only takes into account the actions someone takes while actively intoxicated, not the actions they might take while experiencing psychological impacts from withdrawal or long-term drug use. Read the psychologist's full report here. 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. In a relatively short but visceral statement, she acknowledged that like the defendant, she previously abused drugs and alcohol, But Hailey said that during this low point, the only person she wanted to harm was herself. Defense lawyers signaled shortly after Harrouffs arrest they would seek an acquittal by reason of insanity. "I'm so sorry and I never wanted this to happen," Austin Harrouff said in the interview. 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. Harrouffs father, Wade Harrouff, told investigators they had gone for a walk the afternoon before the killings and came across two turtle shells. All rights reserved. After a meal with his father ended in an argument, Harrouff stormed off, claiming the last thing he remembers is walking home. 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. Feb. 28, 2017: The 19th Judicial Circuit State Attorney's Office released 22 minutes of unedited video of Austin Harrouff's interview with Dr. Phil McGraw after weeks of court hearings battling over its release. Bauer further noted a defense expert found Harrouff suffered from a mental illness, specifically, Bipolar I Disorder with psychotic features.. Florida currently doesn't have many options for convicting people considered insane. He wrote Harrouff suffered from "severe mental disease," in particular bipolar disorder and acute manic episodes with psychotic features and clinical lycanthropy delusions, also known as werewolf syndrome. However, White said a third mental health expert, Michael Gamache, had concluded Harrouff was not insane at the time he committed the murders, contradicting the findings of two other mental health experts. South Florida Sports Headlines Newsletter. This should have gone to trial, said Jodi Bruce, another sister of Mishcon. The two victims of Harrouff's crime, John Stevens and his wife Michelle Mishcon, 53, died on August 15, 2016. Thats all you have to do.. Feb. 6, 2019: Martin County Circuit Judge Sherwood Bauer schedules a Nov. 4 trial date for Austin Harrouff. Harrouff is conscious at St. Mary's Medical Center, but remains in the hospital for several more weeks as he recovers. Mishcon Stevens sister, Cindy Mishcon, was the first to address Harrouff in court, according to WPLG. But Gamache had to withdraw from testifying for personal health reasons, and the judge denied the state's request to hire another mental health expert. The move came after Martin County Circuit Judge Sherwood Bauer on Nov. 28 ruled that Harrouff was not guilty by reason of insanity after finding two psychologists concluded he was suffering an acute psychotic episode on Aug. 15, 2016 when he fatally stabbed John Stevens III, 59, and Michelle Mishcon, 53, at their home in southern Martin County during an unprovoked attack. The case is yet to be tried, with Circuit Judge Sherwood Bauer indicating the trial could be months away according to TCPalm. Desantis wants to fix a broken criminal justice system, he has said it, and the system is broken," White said. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. KILLER Austin Harrouff could have been legally insane when he attacked and chewed the face of his victim. Phil interview. 2. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Something went way wrong," Wade Harrouff told 'Dr. Michelle Mishcons sisters said prosecutors told them Austin Harrouff could get out of a mental rehabilitation hospital in a matter of months after Mondays controversial plea deal was announced on the same day his trial was supposed to start. 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. There's absolutely no reason why this case should have taken this long so far.. Harrouff is said to have been sent to a secure mental health treatment facility for this act. Here are five things to know about the case. 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. A former high school wrestler and football player, he was a sophomore at . Not the defense, the county, the state. schedules a Nov. 4 trial date for Austin Harrouff. "He also remembers seeing a man and 'he was like glowing white'. Bleeding from his injuries, he ran back to his home and called 911. Landscaper John, was found with Harrouff pinning him to the floor, chewing his face in the driveway. Now I Could 'Do It 20 Times Better' A 38-page report by forensic psychologist Dr. Phillip Resnick says Austin Harrouff believed he was "half-dog, half-man". Citing jailhouse phone calls, Michelles sister Cindy Mishconasserted that he did not care about committing the murders. Aug. 2, 2019: Bauer agrees to let prosecutors audio-record a psychological examination with Austin Harrouff. 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. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, Austin Harrouff was accused of randomly killing a couple and chewing on the dead mans face, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). Judge Bauer said: This case needs to come to a resolution. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. Not only did defense experts refute this theory, but the State sent evidence specimens to two different drug testing facilities on three different occasions only to have negative results tendered each time, according to King. Reach her [email protected]. Loved ones argued that Harrouff knew what he was doing when he killed the couple and injured neighbor Jeffrey Fisher. At one point, deputies say the former Florida State University student even told deputies to just kill me.. Harrouff had no drugs in his system during the attack, except THC but the evaluation revealed a history of drug use, mostly Adderall and Vyvanse, but also mushrooms and cocaine. Police have told how when they arrived at the tragic couples home, they found the accused sitting in his underwear making animal noises and biting Mr Stevens face. Judge rules:Judge rules Austin Harrouff not guilty by reason of insanity in murder of Tequesta couple, Troubled signs:Austin Harrouffs parents noticed odd behavior in son before Martin couples fatal stabbing | Photos, video. ", The report concluded: "the manifestation of Mr Harrouff's psychiatric illness resulted in a psychotic episode so acute that two innocent people were killed.". 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