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. CNN has reached out to the prosecutor for comment. "(Harrouff) will pay for what he has done. You go, you get treated, you get out.. He said his son pulled out a knife and said something was going to happen. According to police, Harrouff was assaulting John's face excessively and was on John. 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. Now prosecutors have released startling images which show the 19-year-old student being handcuffed and taken away by police and with his mouth agape, The Sun reports. Two other mental health experts have been consulted since, with neuropsychologist Michael Gamache contradicting the other findings. I'm not trying to excuse what happened. Judge Bauer said: This case needs to come to a resolution. Read the psychologist's full report here. Their loved ones were experiencing a lot of pain and hurt. and is booked into the Martin County jail on two counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder and burglary. 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. "Mr. Harrouff reports that he saw a figure which he perceived as having a white face and black clothes that frightened him. Just amazing that you can kill two people and get treated this way by the justice system as long as youre a white kid, Stevens said via text. 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. 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. Gamache's conclusions contradicts the findings of two other mental health experts who issued reports in 2020. 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. John Stevens III and 53-year-old Michelle Mishcon (WPEC). STUART After being acquitted of two 2016 murder charges by reason of insanity, Austin Harrouff will begin a new period of civil confinement at a mental health facility and can't . 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". 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. If we need to be the punching bag, thats fine, he told Law&Crime on the phone. Harrouff, who grew up in the Jupiter area and attended Suncoast High School, was 19 at the time of their deaths, which took place at their home on Southeast Kokomo Lane, just north of the Jupiter. Prosecutors may push for changes or additions to some Florida laws which, they said, tied their hands when it came to trying to get a prison sentence for a double murderer. The interview took place over video chat while Harrouff was at St. Mary's and just days before his arrest. There's absolutely no reason why this case should have taken this long so far., Meg & Harry 'stunned' by King's 'cruel' Frogmore eviction 'punishment', Harry and Meghan evicted from Frogmore Cottage by King Charles after Spare memoir, Emmerdale's Amy Nuttall caught cheating hubby after sexy lingerie slip-up, Shoppers are rushing to buy 23 beauty staple for just 99p at Home Bargains, News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. Reach her at melissa.holsman@tcpalm.com. In the summer of 2016, "Harrouff reported he began to feel 'go go go' and experienced some grandiosity and heighten self-importance. 2023 www.tcpalm.com. agrees to let prosecutors audio-record a psychological examination with Austin Harrouff. An article on Palmbeach revealed he was at the age of 19 in 2016. Harrouff then spat out a chunk of flesh, which he admitted was human and said he had no memory of the attack. You have not only destroyed the memory of them for me, but you have caused me to live in a constant state of fear. file a notice of intent to use the insanity defense during his first-degree murder trial. He also wants to see the state expand upon its definition of "voluntary intoxication." "We were not happy with this either," Assistant State Attorney Brandon White said. During Harrouff's hearing in November, Bauer heard from sometimes angry and frustrated family members of Stevens and Mishcon, who questioned his insanity defense, lashed out at Harrouffs parents, and criticized the state for the protracted prosecution that never went to trial. Right now, Harrouff is on medication and being treated for schizophrenia at the Martin County Jail. Now prosecutors have released startling images which show the 19-year-old student being handcuffed and taken away by police and with his mouth agape, The Sun reports. Defense lawyers signaled shortly after Harrouffs arrest they would seek an acquittal by reason of insanity. 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. 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. I didnt know that.. A judge accepted a "face biter" murder defendant's insanity plea the morning his bench trial was scheduled to start. She called Harrouff a disgusting person. One speaker, who identified herself as Hailey, told Harrouff that his parents enabled him. 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. He then pleaded with officers to kill him, saying: Shoot me now, I deserve to die.. On top of that, they sometimes even took his parents to task. When the police came to the scene, both John and Michelle had been beaten and stabbed outside their Florida home. MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. The criminal case for Austin Harrouff has closed, but the state attorney's office isn't putting it in the past yet. STUART A second mental health expert hired by the state has concluded Austin Harrouff was not insane at the time he brutally murdered a Tequesta couple in 2016, a state prosecutor told a judge . Family of the victims expressed their anger with the judicial system in the courtroom. Who Is Austin Harrouff? 00:04 00:30 A cannibalistic double-murderer from Florida could end up walking the streets again without ever going to trial. Your dad asks you on the afternoon before you killed my sister, Did you throw the drugs out? The criminal case for Austin Harrouff might now be closed, but the state attorney's office said it still isn't finished. denies Austin Harrouff's defense attorneys' motion to find Florida's insanity defense law unconstitutional. The defense and prosecution each tapped a psychologist to evaluate Harrouff after the killings, and both deemed him insane at the time. Mason Mishcon made a similar demand. Aug. 26, 2016, Harrouff is conscious at St. Mary's Medical Center, but remains in the hospital for several more weeks as he recovers. The grisly slayings shocked the country after it emerged Harrouff left a bloody mess across the couples driveway and garage and sheriffs deputies described how the college student was growling like a dog and had abnormal strength with several deputies needing to pull him off of Stevens. HORRIFIC photos show the crime scene after a teenager allegedly killed a couple and chewed the mans face. "Its a 2016 case 2016, and it is 2022. 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 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. This case was always about mental illness, she said. 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. Prosecutors were also hampered by FBI toxicology reports that showed only THC in Harrouffs system. Phil is aired on TV, showing more in the interview than what was previously provided in public-records request, which led to more court hearings fighting over the release of all footage recorded by McGraw and his production company. 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. Former Florida State University fraternity member Austin Harrouff,. In the documents, Harrouff describes episodes of depression. Mishcon Stevens sister, Cindy Mishcon, was the first to address Harrouff in court, according to WPLG. The prosecutor said, however, that the frustration voiced in court was misdirected. If not with his life, then with the only thing we can get from him, which is a civil judgment.". 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. 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. Catch up on old episodes of Episode 149 - Stranger In The Night - The Case Of John Stevens & Michelle Mishcon. You are the reason I no longer have a father and a second mother. He fatally stabbed a couple, Michelle Mishcon and John Stevens, on the 16th of August 2016. Phil in 2018, telling the host that his son was acting erratically in the weeks before the slaying and that his mother had made an appointment for him to be seen by a doctor. ", 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.' White said he would contact state lawmakers to ask them to support the legislative changes and additions in the next session, feeling Gov. Michelle Mischon's family files a wrongful-death lawsuit against Austin Harrouff. Austin is an accused murderer and his case has puzzled many. According to police reports, the former college footballer had been acting strangely in the run up to the attack. 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,. Prosecutors declined to comment. He will not go to prison. This story has been shared 103,543 times. In reviewing his mental condition at the time of the attack Landrum concluded the now 23-year-old Harrouff suffered "an acute psychotic episode" and that he . In one particularly chilling picture, it looks like he has something stuck on his teeth. The court was also told on Wednesday the Florida college student had no detectable hallucinogenic drugs in his system, according an FBI toxicology report. With his mouth, he attempted to bite into the muscle of a man's face. We thought it was going to trial all the way until last week, and then they told us he was getting a deal. STUART, Fla. A new trial date has been set for the 25-year-old Jupiter man accused of killing a Martin County couple in their garage and then biting the face of one of them. June 17, 2019: Bauer denies Austin Harrouff's defense attorneys' motion to find Florida's insanity defense law unconstitutional. We've received your submission. He said he thought he was a half-dog, Cindy Mishcon said. I would say you could probably find a psychologist to say whatever you want them to say.". What's next for killer Austin Harrouff after being found not guilty by reason of insanity? All rights reserved. But, the mind is a powerful thing. 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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. 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. He just spoke normally.. The reason I think someone is going to murder my children. That is where Sheriff William Snyder says Harrouff violently beat the innocent. Bleeding from his injuries, he ran back to his home and called 911. You knew exactly what you were doing, Bruce said. Watson said Gamache didnt take into account a history in Harrouffs family of bipolar disorder. The Mishcons have argued the two psychologists who found Harrouff insane at the time of the killings relied largely on what he told them during interviews. He sentenced Harrouff to treatment in the custody of the Department of Children and Family Services because it was determined that the defendant was danger to himself and others. In Florida, White said only a "not guilty by reason of insanity" conviction is handed down. This should have gone to trial, said Jodi Bruce, another sister of Mishcon. The doctor also said that Harrouff is a danger to himself or others because of his illness. A former high school wrestler and football player, he was a sophomore at . Its just unbelievable. 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. Thank you, she said, sardonically. The five-hour evaluation was done by Dr. Gregory Landrum, who was hired by the state. Judge rules Austin Harrouff not guilty by reason of insanity in murder of Tequesta couple, Austin Harrouffs parents noticed odd behavior in son before Martin couples fatal stabbing | Photos, video, NPR/Floodlight probe shows Overdorf, Mast victimized by actual 'fake news', Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. White face and black clothes that frightened him documents, Harrouff was at St. Mary 's and just days his... Bipolar disorder come to a resolution, you get treated, you get out, Cindy Mishcon, was first. And football player, he attempted to bite into the Martin County jail denies Austin Harrouff knew exactly what were! Its a 2016 case 2016, and it is 2022 both deemed him insane at the age of 19 2016. Right now, Harrouff was assaulting John & # x27 ; s face on two counts first-degree. Was done by Dr. Gregory Landrum, who identified herself as Hailey told! Clothes that frightened him Harrouff that his parents enabled him legislative changes additions! 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