25-year-old Florida man Austin Harrouff will avoid jail time after a judge accepted his insanity plea in the killing of a couple in 2016, per WPTV5.
Harrouff, who attended Florida State University prior to the attack, was arrested six years ago when he was accused of killing 59-year-old John Stevens and his wife, 53-year-old Michelle Mishcon. The case was set to go to trial on Monday, but that will no longer happen after he pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to two counts of first-degree murder and various other charges in connection with the crime. Their neighbor was also seriously injured by Harrouff, who was 19 when he committed the attack.
He will be held at a nearby mental health facility until doctors and a judge agree that he no longer poses a threat to the public. He was facing life in prison, and was alleged to have chewed on the face of one of his victims. Some of the family members of the dead couple shared statements expressing anger at the way the case has been handled.
“I hate you. I hate you all. I hate what you did,” Cindy Mischon, sister of Michelle, reportedly said in a testimony directed at Harrouff and his family prior to the insanity plea. “I really think you deserve to die, Austin. Your family deserves to suffer, the way my family suffered. And sadly, I don’t think anyone in here is gonna suffer how Michelle and John did.”
Two mental health experts agreed that Harrouff suffered an acute psychotic episode at the time he committed the gruesome attack. He previously claimed he was fleeing a demon-like figure he called “Daniel” at the time and was said to be howling because he believed he was “half dog,” according to a mental health report. According to Craig Trocino of the University of Miami, it’s “highly unlikely” that Harrouff will be released from the mental health facility.
