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Austin Harrouff Update: Man Charged With First Degree Murder In Cannibal-Type Attack

By Amy Feinstein
Published on: 07:11 PST, Oct 5, 2016

Austin Harrouff, best known as the Florida State University student who went on a rampage, killing two people, and attempting to eat his male victim’s face and abdomen, finally appeared in court yesterday after an extended stay in the hospital. Though authorities are still trying to figure out if Harrouff was on drugs, or if he had some mental breakdown, it is thought that the drug Flakka was not in his system. A full report from the FBI is still pending.

After his arrest, Austin Harrouff was taken to the hospital and tested for marijuana, opiates, and meth, and he had none of these drugs in his system, according to the Inquisitr. The hospital was unable to test for newer drugs like bath salts and Flakka, so those tests are being run by the FBI. For much of his hospital stay, Austin Harrouff was intubated, and unable to speak, but Martin County authorities promised he would be charged as soon as he could communicate.

After weeks in the hospital, Austin Harrouff went before Judge Kathleen H. Roberts to officially hear the charges against him, says the Palm Beach Post. Harrouff has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder, as he also stabbed the man who tried to come to the rescue of the two murder victims. Judge Roberts ordered Harrouff held without bond in the hospital wing of the jail.

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Harrouff was released from St. Mary’s Hospital on Monday for his appearance yesterday in court with his attorney, Robert Watson. Watson spoke out briefly and acknowledges that many questions about the attacks have not been answered.

“There does appear to have been an onset of mental illness. Whether that mental illness was also coupled with other behavior, I don’t know.”

When asked if Austin Harrouff is aware of what he did, or if he remembers the event, Roberts says that their discussions are covered by confidentiality.

“There are only a limited number of narratives that could apply here and the evidence will take us where it takes us. But right now, nobody knows what the evidence is.”

Dr. Wade Harrouff, the father of Austin Harrouff, says he does not believe that the drug Flakka was involved, though the full report has not been released by the FBI. Dr. Harrouff believes the entire event is related to inherited mental health problems.

“I know it’s not flakka-induced. The weird behavior is coming from schizophrenia in my family.”

Martin County Sheriff William Snyder explained that Austin Harrouff had been charged with the first-degree murders on August 15 of Michelle Mishcon and her husband, John Stevens, plus the attempted murder of their neighbor, Jeff Fisher, who tried to stop Harrouff from biting the face and abdomen of Stevens, says the San Fransisco Chronicle.

Austin Harrouff had been hospitalized and sedated since arriving at the hospital in August, and it is thought that he developed a lung infection after ingesting some caustic liquid, according to Sheriff Snyder, who confirmed that Harrouff would continue to receive some therapy in jail.

“He will probably continue to need therapy. We made it clear to the hospital that this is a jail, it is not a therapeutic place to be. We will do the best we can. We do have a medical unit but, for the most part, he is coming here for jail and not for therapy.”

Austin Harrouff allegedly insisted upon being taken into custody in August that the police could test him, as he had taken no drugs before the attacks.

Do you think the Harrouff family and lawyers are planning on an insanity defense?

[Featured Image by Martin County Sheriffs Office/AP Images]

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