2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Michelle Mischon's family files a wrongful-death lawsuit against Austin Harrouff. Michelle Mishcon Stevens and John Stevens are the Jupiter, Florida couple killed in a face-eating attack allegedly by fraternity member Austin Harrouff. Harrouff, then 19-years-old, was having dinner with his family when he stormed off in an agitated state, officials said at the time. "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. Austin Harrouff: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know | Heavy.com The couple often rode around the neighborhood in their golf cart with their dog. On Monday night about 9:20 p.m., John Stevens and his wife, Michelle Mishcon, died after an attack. That was news to me. 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. All rights reserved, Humane Society of Broward County Kicks Off VCA Walk for the Animals in Fort Lauderdale, BSO Searching forMissing 11-Year-Old Girl From Pompano Beach, Miami-Dade Mayor, State Attorney Announce New Measures to Protect HOA Residents, Check Your Change! Harrouff, then 19-years-old, was having dinner with his family when he stormed off in an agitated state, officials said at the time. Four words come to mind: white, rich boy justice, Mishcon said, according to WPLG. A 38-page report by forensic psychologist Dr. Phillip Resnick says Austin Harrouff believed he was "half-dog, half-man". Those closest to the couple, including John's children and. 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. Married 19. Harrouff at no criminal record and was a good student at Florida State University, friends said. He has claimed he was fleeing a demon when the attack happened. ", "There are no words we can offer to give any real comfort for this tragic loss," the statement says. Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said evidence shows Austin Harrouff, 19, a Florida State University student whose father lives near the slain couple, killed them. 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. Become a member to support the independent voice of South Florida Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said evidence shows Austin Harrouff, 19, a Florida. On Facebook, Michelle says she worked at Northwestern Mutual Financial Network, lived in Jupiter, Florida, was married, and was from North Miami Beach. Updated Mishcon Stevens' sister, Cindy Mishcon, was the first to address Harrouff in court, according to WPLG. WATCH: FSU Student Allegedly Ate Victims Face After Stabbing Him and Wife, Suspect in Slaying of Physician Assistant Is Another P.A. He talked about his Dad and Michelle's love of boating and fishing and their chocolate labs. Harrouff remains hospitalized in stable but critical condition. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much What they are really angry about is the law, he said of Stevens and Mishcons loved ones. 2023 Cable News Network. 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 Stevens, 53. "Is it really so hard for you to understand that you are a cold-blooded murderer and not a victim," she asked. Austin Harrouff: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know. Harrouff was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the killings of John Stevens, 59, and his wife Michelle . Funeral services are held for John Stevens and Michelle Mishcon, the victims of an alleged attack by Austin Harrouff in Tequesta. Its a hard thing to imagine., RELATED: COUPLE REMEMBERED AS DELIGHTFUL, QUIET, He shared a harsh reality. "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. Austin Harrouff Sentenced in Deaths of Florida Couple It was almost like happy hour in somebodys garage and they cooked all these lobster tails for everybody. Have a tip or story idea? 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. But Martin County Sheriffs officials say they were dead by the time deputies arrived and found Austin Harrouff on top of Stevens, biting his face. Aug. 26, 2016, Harrouff is conscious at St. Mary's Medical Center, but remains in the hospital for several more weeks as he recovers. John Stevens | Encyclopedia.com Jodi Bruce, one of Michelles sisters, said she learned from the news not from prosecutors or the victim advocate about the death penalty not being an option in this case. "I know it's not flakka-induced," Wade Harrouff said. (left) Ivy Stevens, (center) John Stevens III, (right) Michelle Mishcon Stevens (courtesy of Ivy Stevens).png TEQUESTA, Fla. (CBS12) On Monday evening, Ivy Stevens got a knock on her door. Not the defense, the county, the state. 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. November 2016: After news of Austin Harrouff saying he ate humans made international headlines, 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. Stabbing victims' son: They were great people - WPTV Thats when Johns dad was going to meet his new granddaughter. The prosecutor said, however, that the frustration voiced in court was misdirected. Loved ones struggle to cope with cannibalistic murders at Tequesta home 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. ("Austin) must have some psychological break. Aug. 23, 2016: Austin Harrouff's father, Wade, tells The Palm Beach Post his son remains in the hospital and his organs are failing. 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. March 28, 2019: A 38-page report by forensic psychologist Dr. Phillip Resnick says Austin Harrouff believed he was "half-dog, half-man" the day he brutally beat Stevens and Mishcon to death and was found biting one of their faces in Martin County. The New York Daily News says the neighbor who intervened was expected to recover but suffered substantial injuries. 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. Law-enforcement officers say they do not know what prompted the attacks, but believe it may been a drug-fueled crime. On Fathers Day, Michelle wrote on Facebook: Happy Fathers Day Jeff Mishcon!! Are you ever going to tell us what that means, according to WPLG. On top of that, they sometimes even took his parents to task. Okay, he said. 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. All of your favorites, now on Zeno. If the trial had gone forward, Harrouff could have faced life in prison. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. released 22 minutes of unedited video of Austin Harrouff's interview with Dr. Phil McGraw. Thank you for all you did for myself and everyone is an understatement May you rest peacefully. 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. Stevens, John (1749-1838) Inventor. and is booked into the Martin County jail on two counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder and burglary. ProsecutorBrandon Whitevoiced sympathy for the families. Florida man who killed couple and tried to eat a victim's face declared "Your dad asks you on the afternoon before you killed my sister, 'Did you throw the drugs out? Florida man who killed couple and tried to eat a victim's face declared Harrouff can only be released on a court order, he said. John Stevens, (born 1749, New York Citydied March 6, 1838, Hoboken, N.J., U.S.), American lawyer, inventor, and promoter of the development of steam power for transportation. Circuit Judge Sherwood Baueraccepted Harrouffs plea, however, on the day trial was set to begin. But, the mind is a powerful thing. He is a former high school athlete. I hope you never find happiness for the rest of your life, she said. Wednesday, John's son, John Stevens IV, spoke about his loving parents and his anger about their. The families of John Stevens III and Michelle Mishcon voiced disgust and anger on Monday, as a judge accepted the insanity plea from defendant Austin Harrouff, 25. But he's not here," Stevens said of his father. On Monday, victim impact statements were read in the courtroom, a court manager told CNN. Loved ones argued that Harrouff knew what he was doing when he killed the couple and injured neighbor Jeffrey Fisher. In backhanded fashion, he expressed willingness to forgive Harrouff if the 25-year-old did to himself what he did to Michelle. Michelle Mishcon met Stevens, a divorced father of two, in Miami in the late 1990s. friends and family said Austin Harrouff had been acting strangely. In the other court documents, more details emerge: In the hours before the attacks, friends and family said Austin Harrouff had been acting strangely. Create Discover. He declined further comment to The Associated Press on Friday. appreciated. 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. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. When asked what it was, he replied, Humans.. Person shot in leg at Town Center at Boca Raton, city police say. You didn't answer 'yes,'" Mishcon said. / CNN. The Miami Herald said deputies found the 19-year-old suspect crouched over the bleeding body of the man, biting chunks of his face off.. 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. Michelle Mishcon Stevens and John Stevens III were attacked and killed in 2016. She said that she had begun writing her victim impact statement when she was "naive enough" to think there would be justice. independent local journalism in Miami. He'llalso be charged with burglary, the statement said. Or to keep it anonymous, click here. I'm not trying to excuse what happened. 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. Judge rules Austin Harrouff not guilty by reason of insanity in murder 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. Harrouff took off some of this clothes during the attack, The Palm Beach Post said. [emailprotected]. 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. "I look at my daughter every day (and think) how much joy he would have gotten out of knowing her. 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. Funeral services were held in Fort Lauderdale for Michelle Mishcon, 53, and husband John Stevens III, 59. 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 . Generally speaking, loved ones criticized not only Harrouff but sometimes even prosecutors. That's because he's accused of entering private property to initiate the attack. Palm Beach Gardens homicide puts 'gang . Do you know what you said to him? You have not only destroyed the memory of them for me, but you have caused me to live in a constant state of fear. (Facebook/Michelle Mishcon Stevens). At one point, deputies say the former Florida State University student even told deputies to just kill me.. Harrouff's parents and others said he had acted strangely for weeks. Copyright 2016 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. June 17, 2019: Bauer denies Austin Harrouff's defense attorneys' motion to find Florida's insanity defense law unconstitutional. 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. This day was one I will remember especially, capturing this shot after we finished the miami building run as team striano! Nov. 23, 2016: In hundreds of pages of court documents released by the 19th Judicial Circuit State Attorney's Office, a toxicology report from the Federal Bureau of Investigation says no designer drugs were found in Austin Harrouff's system, only trace amounts of marijuana. 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 . A Warner Bros. 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. A neighbor tried in vain to help the couple. Thank you Michelle Mishcon Stevens for always believing in me and being a great role model. He wrote in 2011, This is my son John IV, a marine who will be exiting the Marines in March after having served in Iraq. 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. WATCH: Austin Harrouff's Father Breaks Down on Dr. Phil - PEOPLE.com 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. The couples home is in Tequesta, an affluent neighborhood in Florida. Every share was with a BIG Smile, from their boat, having been out on the water. More than 500 people attended John Stevens and his wife, Michelle Mishcon's memorial service in Fort Lauderdale Friday. The two were killed outside their home in Tequesta by 19-year-old Austin Harrouff, according to investigators. Defendants are presumed sane under Florida law, meaning that Harrouff must show he had a severe mental breakdown that prevented him from understanding actions or that they were even wrong by "clear and convincing" evidence. Michelle Mishcon Stevens & John Stevens III: 5 Fast Facts - Heavy.com 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 Associated Press says that Michelle was beaten to death and also stabbed and that John died of multiple stab wounds and blunt force trauma. He was super excitedso thats made it that much more hard for us.. As the Jupiter teen was taken that night to St. Marys Medical Center in West Palm Beach, he said he ate something bad. Student accused of killing couple in Martin County claimed he had super powers, Student accused of killing couple in Martin County improving in Palm Beach County hospital. I am SO sorry that a crazy person had to unleash his anger on them! Join the New Times community and help support 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. "I'm so sorry and I never wanted this to happen," Austin Harrouff said in the interview. 'Celebrate their lives not their gruesome deaths' | Daughter of - WPEC 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. Michelle Mishcon Stevens and John Stevens III were attacked and killed in 2016. What does that mean? Attack killed his father and stepmother Tuesday. 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. crime. Who were John Stevens and Michelle Mishcon? - Tallahassee Democrat . All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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.