Harrouff was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the killings of John Stevens, 59, and his wife Michelle Mishcon Stevens, 53, according to his attorney Nellie L. King. / AP. "We want justice for Michelle and John," Jodi Bruce, Michelle Mishcon's sister, read from a written statement outside the Martin County Courthouse. Every share was with a BIG Smile, from their boat, having been out on the water. Are you ever going to tell us what that means, according to WPLG. 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. [8] June 17, 2019: Bauer denies Austin Harrouff's defense attorneys' motion to find Florida's insanity defense law unconstitutional. Harrouff was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the killings of John Stevens, 59, and his wife Michelle . The company used his Kokomo Lane address. A number of family members of the slain couple expressed anger at the decision and made victim impact statements directed at Harrouff, his family, the defense team and prosecutors. The assault was baseless and random because he had no idea about the couple. Harrouff, who was home for the summer from Florida State University, is alleged to have stabbed and attacked the couple after walking out of a restaurant following an argument with his parents. Col. John Stevens, III (June 26, 1749 - March 6, 1838) was an American lawyer, engineer, and inventor who constructed the first U.S. steam locomotive, first steam-powered ferry, and first U.S . Friends and family of the two people killed by a 19-year-old college student accused of eating the face of one victim Monday night said their final goodbyes Friday. (Facebook/John Stevens). The television station said that authorities tried everything from a stun gun to a K-9 and manpower to get Harrouff off the victim but called it a struggle. It took three deputies to subdue Harrouff, said The New York Daily News. Discover; Podcasts; The Minds of Madness - True Crime Stories; Its not known how he allegedly ended up in the Stevens garage where they liked to sit at night about 45 minutes later. And she says that if she could ask Harrouff one question, it would be, Why?. Austin was a 19-year-old college student at FSU with good grades, a gentle demeanor, a penchant for working out, and no prior criminal record. On top of that, they sometimes even took his parents to task. Harrouff had gone to his hometown with fraternity brothers from Alpha Delta Phi, said The Miami Herald. a toxicology report from the Federal Bureau of Investigation says no designer drugs were found in Austin Harrouff's system. Learn. What does that mean? Citing jailhouse phone calls, Michelles sister Cindy Mishconasserted that he did not care about committing the murders. Create Discover. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. You have not only destroyed the memory of them for me, but you have caused me to live in a constant state of fear. On Monday, victim impact statements were read in the courtroom, a court manager told CNN. Or to keep it anonymous, click here. Harrouff, 25, fatally stabbed John Stevens III, 59, and Michelle Mishcon, 53, in a vicious and random attack that included injuring their neighbor Jeffrey Fisher, who tried to help the. That's because he's accused of entering private property to initiate the attack. Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said evidence shows Austin Harrouff, 19, a Florida. When asked what it was, he replied, Humans., leaves dinner with his father, Wade Harrouff, his sister and his father's girlfriend at a Duffy's Sports Grill in Jupiter and goes to his mother's home, Friends and family later tell The Post that John Stevens III and Michelle Mishcon, deputies say the former Florida State University student even told deputies to just kill me.. 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. He said that it took up to four officers and a police dog to subdue Harrouff, who was allegedly clutching Stevens and trying to eat his face. This day was one I will remember especially, capturing this shot after we finished the miami building run as team striano! Austin Harrouff. The families of John Stevens IIIandMichelle Mishconvoiced disgust and anger on Monday, as a judge accepted the insanity plea from defendantAustin Harrouff, 25. "Your dad asks you on the afternoon before you killed my sister, 'Did you throw the drugs out? August 17, 2016 Austin Harrouff is facing first-degree murder charges in the Aug. 15, 2016, deaths of John Stevens III and Michelle Mishcon at their home near Jupiter. Something went way wrong," Wade Harrouff told 'Dr. Harrouff, 25, fatally stabbed John Stevens III, 59, and Michelle Mishcon, 53, in a vicious and random attack that included injuring their neighbor Jeffrey Fisher, who tried to help the. Married 19 years, they were lovers of deep-sea fishing near their affluent Florida community. Bauer said he will not be allowed to leave the facility without a court order. Stevens daughter, Ivy, had moved out of the house days before, said police, according to The Palm Beach Post. He has claimed he was fleeing a demon when the attack happened. Personal Life. But Harrouff. Harrouff's parents and others said he had acted strangely for weeks. They were generous and giving people., Andersen describes Mishcon as a very special person and called Stevens one of the sweetest, mild-mannered men youd ever meet.. Snyder said that Harrouff allegedly used many objects in the garage as weapons and wrestled with Stevens until both men were in the driveway. MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. (CNN) -- Austin Harrouff, the 25-year-old accused of stabbing a Florida couple to death and biting the face of the male victim in 2016, will be sent to a mental hospital instead of prison, according to court documents. Aug. 7, 2018 Michelle Mischon's family files a wrongful-death lawsuit against Austin Harrouff. On Monday, victim impact statements were read in the courtroom, a court manager told CNN. A surveillance video released Friday, shows Harrouff walking calmly as he leaves Duffy's restaurant in nearby Jupiter about 45 minutes before the attack. On Facebook, Michelle says she worked at Northwestern Mutual Financial Network, lived in Jupiter, Florida, was married, and was from North Miami Beach. Deputies encountered Harrouff biting off the face of Stevens in the driveway of the couples home around 9:20 p.m., said CBS 12. Thank you, she said, sardonically. local news and culture, Jerry Iannelli John Stevens was a retired owner of landscaping business Greensmart Lawn and Garden, which state record show was established in 2013 and was operated out of his home, said The Tallahassee Democrat. Police said Harrouff, 19, had no known connections to the victims and the attack was random and unprovoked, said CBS 12. "And then I think about how I'm going to have to explain this to her one day.". Catch up on old episodes of Episode 149 - Stranger In The Night - The Case Of John Stevens & Michelle Mishcon. Married 19. Michelle Mishcon Stevens and her husband John Stevens. Michelle Mishcon and John Stevens III were murdered at their Florida home on Monday. "Do you know what you said to him? Officials said it looked like the husband tried to fight back., WPTV quoted a police official as saying, Both victims sustained massive trauma on multiple portions of their body. Miami-Dade records listed them both as residents of Aventura at the time. Thats when Johns dad was going to meet his new granddaughter. If the trial had gone forward, Harrouff could have faced life in prison. Did you throw the drugs out?' CNN has reached out to the prosecutor for comment. Eventually, after another fight with his father, he leaves and finds himself wandering the streets near Southeast Kokomo Lane. he said he ate something bad. Michelle Mishcon Stevens and John Joseph Stevens III are the married couple murdered in a horrific face-eating attack by a Florida college fraternity student, police say. Harrouff purchased hallucinogenic mushrooms a few days before the attack, investigators have said, but they found no traces of the drug in his blood that night, according to CNN affiliate WPLG. Open main menu. At the scene, a bloody knife and a pair of scissors were found, according to crime-scene photos. Police in Florida say that a college student killed two people before trying to eat one the victim's faces. The very garage that a Florida couple transformed into a neighborhood hangout for friends and family became the place theyd spend their last moments. If not with his life, then with the only thing we can get from him, which is a civil judgment.". Cindy Mishcon said that reality set in for her as she listened to tapes of Harrouff's jailhouse phone calls with family members and the reading of pages of text messages in the year prior to the killings, which were part of the court record. "It's like a nightmare. 4:36 PM EST, Tue November 29, 2022. Martin County Sheriffs officials say Harrouff will be charged with multiple counts, including first degree murder for the deaths of both Mishcon and Stevens, once he is released. Discovery Company. 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 TV station said Fisher called 911. Mishcon read numerous bizarre conversations Harrouff had via text message leading up to the killings, directing them at Harrouff in court, WPLG reported. She said that she had begun writing her victim impact statement when she was "naive enough" to think there would be justice. Its a sad case. "I know it's not flakka-induced," Wade Harrouff said. John Joseph Stevens III, 59, was a retired owner of landscaping business Greensmart Lawn and . Do you know what you said to him? Wednesday, Johns son, John Stevens IV, spoke about his loving parents and his anger about their murders. My dad and Michelle, they were great people, and we were super close, said Stevens, a former Marine who now lives outside Kansas City. All rights reserved. Snyder has said Harrouff left in apparent anger after an argument with his father at their table. God bless her loved ones and family in this horrible time., Here's a photo of John Joseph Stevens III & Michelle Karen Mishcon who were killed last night, via @MartinFLSheriff. The company was inactive by September 2015. Defense attorney Robert Watson argued the state law's requirement for a defendant to prove insanity by a "clear and convincing" standard wrongly shifts the burden of proof from the state to the defendant. After killing the husband and wife, he stabbed a neighbor, 47-year-old Jeff Fisher, who had come over to help after hearing screams, investigators said. Other family members echoed her sentiments. Austin Harrouff, the 25-year-old accused of stabbing a Florida couple to death and biting the face of the male victim in 2016, will be sent to a mental hospital instead of prison. Harrouff is conscious at St. Mary's Medical Center, but remains in the hospital for several more weeks as he recovers. Although the result of the case fails to bring comfort to the families of the victims, this finding brings this matter to its right and lawful end, said King. If we need to be the punching bag, thats fine, he told Law&Crime on the phone. 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. John Stevens was one of America's early inventors and engineers. A neighbor heard screams and ran out to help, but was stabbed as well. G-D help their neighbor who tried to intervene & was injured by the assailant.. John Stevens IV, Stevens son, told the Sun Sentinel, It is not super important to me what his mindset was. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Their garage was set up with a TV and a bar and a stereo and couches, and they welcomed everybody in the community and it was a place where people could connect and relax after a day of work.. November 30, 2022 / 7:27 PM (Facebook/Austin Harrouff). However, mixed in with their unimaginable heartbreak is outrage. Chris Harris. Aug. 24, 2016: Wade Harrouff tells The Post he blames mental illness for his son's actions. When Martin County Sheriffs Office deputies arrived, they used a Taser on Harrouff, kicked him in the head and used a law-enforcement dog to remove him from Stevens body. On Fathers Day, Michelle wrote on Facebook: Happy Fathers Day Jeff Mishcon!! The couple was attacked,stabbed and bitten in the garage and driveway of their home near Jupiter, Florida. Harrouff was found not guilty by reason of insanity for the killing John Stevens III, 59 and Michelle Mishcon, 53, during a brutal attack Aug. 15, 2016 at their home on Southeast Kokomo Lane in . Austin murdered Joseph John Stevens III and his better half, Michelle Mishcon Stevens, on August 15, 2016, before eating Joseph's face. I'm not trying to excuse what happened. Miami's independent source of The victims families did not buy that Harrouff was insane when he beat and stabbed their loved ones to death on Aug. 15, 2016. The very garage that a Florida couple transformed into a neighborhood hangout for friends and family became the place they'd spend their last moments. "Forensically, given the above findings, absent evidence of drug usage at the time of the incident, and observations made by first responding law-enforcement officers . More than 500 people attended John Stevens and his wife, Michelle Mishcon's memorial service in Fort Lauderdale Friday. The victims' families did not buy that Harrouff was insane when he beat and stabbed their loved ones to death on Aug. 15, 2016. We have two people middle-age people sitting on their couch enjoying the night and out of nowhere for reasons we may never know, they are attacked by a man with a knife who overcomes them both and kills them, Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said after the killings in 2016. I hope you never find happiness for the rest of your life, she said. Harrouff remains hospitalized in stable but critical condition. He became grandiose and paranoid, his behavior extreme and out of character. 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. Join the New Times community and help support The 22-year-old Harrouff is charged with murdering 59-year-old John Stevens III and 53-year-old Michelle Mishcon in 2016 and attacking their neighbor, Jeff Fisher, who tried to intervene in the . 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. Michelle Mishcon Stevens and John Stevens III were attacked and killed in 2016. . Four words come to mind: white, rich boy justice," Mishcon said, according to WPLG. Harrouff took off some of this clothes during the attack, The Palm Beach Post said. Sheriff: Assailant kills Florida couple, bites victim in face. Attack killed his father and stepmother Tuesday. It was a place they loved that John says they called it their "Garage Mahal.. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sent a letter to the Martin County Sheriff's Office asking that the teen be put on a vegan diet while in jail. Ivy Stevens, who is Johns daughter and Michelles stepdaughter, described in detail the absence and trauma Harrouff created. One of my amazing coworkers, We love you Michelle! Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said evidence shows Austin Harrouff, 19, a Florida. WPTV said his parents called police because they were so worried and his fraternity brothers went looking for him. As far as Stevens and Mishcons families are concerned, thats not justice. Michelle Mishcon Stevens and Jeff Mishcon. He talked about his Dad and Michelle's love of boating and fishing and their chocolate labs. Someone said to me, Wow, you hear about things like this one the news and you think, wow thats crazy. But when you actually know the person it just makes you think about your own mortality.. Feb. 6, 2019: Martin County Circuit Judge Sherwood Bauer schedules a Nov. 4 trial date for Austin Harrouff. Harrouff can only be released on a court order, he said. At one point, deputies say the former Florida State University student even told deputies to just kill me.. A psychologist hired by prosecutors determined that "face biter" defendant Austin Harrouff, 23, appeared legally insane under Florida law during the horrific 2016 killings of John Stevens III, 59, and Michelle Mishcon, 53. Ivy Stevens spoke with The Post about learning to cope with the loss. Harrouff also will be charged with attempted first-degree murder in the stabbing of Fisher, according to a statement from Trisha Kukuvka, a spokeswoman for Martin County Sheriff William Snyder. Austin started to mentally decompensate in the weeks, days, and moments leading up to the incident. What does that mean? John Stevens, 59, and his wife Michelle. In August of 2016, 19 year old FSU student Austin Harrouff attacked, cannibalized, and murdered John Stevens III and Michelle Mishcon. Thats all you have to do.. Phil interview. The suspect was biting and removing pieces of the victims face with his teeth, said WPTV. But, the mind is a powerful thing. A 38-page report by forensic psychologist Dr. Phillip Resnick says Austin Harrouff believed he was "half-dog, half-man". Mishcon Stevens sister, Cindy Mishcon, was the first to address Harrouff in court, according to WPLG. Emailus. Provided by People Austin Harrouff, Michelle Mishcon, John Joseph Stevens III A 25-year-old Fla. man accused of murdering a random couple and attempting to eat one of the victims'. Your dad asks you on the afternoon before you killed my sister, Did you throw the drugs out? Judge Bauer in court defended the Harrouffs team, prosecutors, and the expert witnesses from criticism voiced in court. "But I don't know if that's ever going to happen.". I love you to the deep blue and beyond. ("Austin) must have some psychological break. We dont create the facts and we dont create the law, he said. That seems to be the only thing anyone has cared about for the past six years, not the two dead people that he butchered. Twitter; He was rushed to the hospital and was released Thursday. "The Harrouff family loves Austin as they know the Stevens and Mishcon families loved John Stevens III and Michelle Mishcon," the statement reads. All rights reserved. All Rights Reserved. John Stevens, 59, and his wife Michelle Mishcon, 53, often spent warm nights in the garage of their Tequesta, Florida, home with the door open. "Two experts, one for the defense and one for the State, determined Austin was experiencing a psychotic break at the time of the homicides and lacked the intent necessary to be criminally responsible for his conduct," said King. Andersen recalled a huge dinner of lobster tails the couple once threw in their garage for the community. What they are really angry about is the law, he said of Stevens and Mishcons loved ones. . The agreement worked out between the defense and prosecution avoided a trial that had been scheduled to start Monday before Circuit Judge Sherwood Bauer and had been expected to last three weeks. South Florida Sports Headlines Newsletter. The two filed a marriage license on June 9, 1997. He could have been using the drugs bath salts or flakka (alpha-PVP), according to the police. A random, vicious attack killed Martin County couple John Stevens III and Michelle Mishcon. He was super excitedso thats made it that much more hard for us.. The judge said Harrouff will remain in the Martin County Jail until he is taken to a secure mental health facility monitored by the Florida Department of Children and Families. He said he was not happy with the result either, but he noted that two experts one from the state, and the other for the defense determined Harrouff was insane. On Monday night, Harrouff allegedly stormed out of a restaurant, complaining of slow service, and inexplicably turned down the street where the couple lived about a 15-minute walk from the restaurant Martin County Sheriff William Snyder previously told PEOPLE. 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. According to his son, Michelle had worked for Stevens at Prudential Securities. Wednesday, John's son, John Stevens IV, spoke about his loving parents and his anger about their. Circuit Judge Sherwood Baueraccepted Harrouffs plea, however, on the day trial was set to begin. Mason Mishcon made a similar demand. I am SO sorry that a crazy person had to unleash his anger on them! You are the reason I no longer have a father and a second mother. When asked what it was, he replied, Humans..