A community in Jupiter, Florida has been left in shock after officials reported that a 19-year-old Florida State University (FSU) student is in custody for a double murder which involved the student stabbing three persons and then biting off pieces of and attempting to eat one of the victim’s faces.
People Magazine ‘s coverage of the horrific crime states that they have confirmed that when deputies found the FSU student biting off his victim’s face, the suspect was possibly high after taking the synthetic drug Flakka, which has been known to cause cases of “excited delirium.”
Martin County Sheriff William Snyder gave a press conference in which he revealed that the FSU student, Austin Kelly Harrouff, had initially given the police a fake name after he had been taken into custody for the murders. Harrouff was found on Monday after he had allegedly stabbed and killed husband and wife, John Joseph Stevens III, 59, and Michelle Karen Mishcon, 53-years-old. According to the sheriff, the stabbing deaths occurred at approximately 9:20 p.m. Monday night.
FSU student, suspected high on Flakka, allegedly ate victim’s face after stabbing him https://t.co/Qryy5aEjhE pic.twitter.com/oXpUvuo84L
— People (@people) August 16, 2016
When the deputies responded to the scene of the murders they found the body of the wife inside the garage and the husband was outside in the driveway, with the suspect on top of him, clutching the man in a bear hug as he was biting off his face. Snyder said that it took numerous deputies and a K-9 dog applying “as much force as physically possible” in order to get the suspect off of his victim.
Sheriff Snyder was surprised at what officers had to go through to get Harrouff to release the man whose face he had been biting, but believes this is evidence of Flakka use.
“[The deputy] shot him with a [T]aser… that didn’t work… Another deputy got there, two deputies, and they engaged the suspect and they said they used every bit of strength they had. It was an impossible task to get him off of the victim. And another officer from a nearby municipality arrived and deployed a dog on him to try to get him off. Then finally, after minutes of fighting, they were able to get the offender off of the victim, but the victim was dead.”
The FSU student, who is a member of Alpha Delta Phi fraternity, was then taken to a Palm Beach hospital to receive treatment.
The double homicide has been called a “random” and “unprovoked” attack, as it seems that Harrouff allegedly attacked and murdered the couple after spotting their open garage door. Though toxicology reports are not in as yet the Tallahassee Democrat reported that Snyder is quite sure that the FSU student had been high on Flakka. A previous Inquisitr piece revealed that the synthetic drug Flakka is similar to crystal meth while also giving those on it a kind of superhuman strength like PCP.
A motive for the stabbing deaths is unknown and a timeline of Austin Harrouff’s night has not helped authorities. Reportedly the University student had been out to dinner with his parents about 8:30 p.m. but stormed out of the restaurant angry after complaining of slow service. The suspect’s fraternity brothers then went looking for him in the neighborhood.
Cops: Couple targeted at random in deadly face-biting attack: https://t.co/Xl8TPloXs5
— spice girls (@gadisrempah) August 16, 2016
The deceased couple were known to sit with their garage door open at nights and this is how the suspect gained access to them. Physical evidence showed that the man attempted to fight back but was overwhelmed, he received blunt force trauma to the body and head in addition to the stab wounds and his face being bitten off. Harouff used a knife he usually carries with him to stab and murder the husband and wife. The third victim of the man was a Good Samaritan who called the police and attempted to help the couple after hearing their screams; he is now in the hospital suffering from “serious trauma.”
The immediate charge brought against Harouff is one count of aggravated battery but he will also face charges of home invasion and two counts of murder. Snyder said though, that there is a chance the Harrouff could die in the hospital either because of trauma sustained from the officers or because of a drug overdose because of suspected Flakka use. He has already tested negative for cocaine, meth and marijuana.
Austin Harrouff is currently heavily sedated and on assisted breathing in the hospital.
[Image via Facebook]