WATCH: FSU Student Allegedly Ate Victims Face After Stabbing Him and Wife, Suspect in Slaying of Physician Assistant Is Another P.A. John Stevens IV told The Post he doesn't believe Austin Harrouff's crocodile tears in the Dr. November 28, 2022 / 5:29 PM Aug. 15, 2017: John Stevens IV talks to The Post about loss of his father a year after his death, dealing with the international spotlight and raising his children without a grandfather. On Monday night about 9:20 p.m., John Stevens and his wife, Michelle Mishcon, died after an attack. 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! "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. Miami's independent source of And she says that if she could ask Harrouff one question, it would be, Why?. However, mixed in with their unimaginable heartbreak is outrage. 2. "We want justice for Michelle and John," Jodi Bruce, Michelle Mishcon's sister, read from a written statement outside the Martin County Courthouse. That seems to be the only thing anyone has cared about for the past six years, not the two dead people that he butchered. Are you ever going to tell us what that means, according to WPLG. But here we are, opening the prison doors for a double murderer. 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. He also seriously injured a neighbor who tried to help them. The very garage that a Florida couple transformed into a neighborhood hangout for friends and family became the place theyd spend their last moments. Discover; Podcasts; The Minds of Madness - True Crime Stories; Michelle, you were loved and respected by so many, wrote a friend on Facebook. They must have baked easily three or four dozen lobster tails for me, my family and friends they had because we would all fit into their garage and just gather, Andersen tells PEOPLE. 3:34PM. Its not known how he allegedly ended up in the Stevens garage where they liked to sit at night about 45 minutes later. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. [emailprotected]. The Herald said toxicology tests for more unique synthetic drugs are still pending and Harrouff is hospitalized. Law-enforcement officers say they do not know what prompted the attacks, but believe it may been a drug-fueled crime. 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. An autopsy on Mishcon is scheduled for Wednesday, Snyder said. 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. Stevens died from multiple stab wounds and blunt trauma, and he had serious stab wounds to his head, neck and chest, Snyder said an autopsy shows. "I'm so sorry and I never wanted this to happen," Austin Harrouff said in the interview. In the weeks, months and now years that have followed, the case garnered international attention, a couple of first-degree murder charges and a diagnosis of clinical lycanthropy delusions, also known as werewolf syndrome. Authorities said they even found Harrouff biting Stevens face. Craig Trocino, a University of Miami law professor, said that finding Harrouff not guilty by reason of insanity would effectively be a life sentence because "it's highly unlikely" that they would risk releasing a killer as notorious as Harrouff. friends and family said Austin Harrouff had been acting strangely. 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. "The Harrouff family loves Austin as they know the Stevens and Mishcon families loved John Stevens III and Michelle Mishcon," the statement reads. The company used his Kokomo Lane address. ("Austin) must have some psychological break. The reason I think someone is going to murder my children. On April 6, 2009 Stevens created John on the Green, Inc, and listed himself as president, and vice president, according to state business records. The crime was particularly horrific because the suspect, Florida State University student Austin Harrouff, is accused of trying to bite off the face of John Stevens, 59. Harrouff can only be released on a court order, he said. In a statement sent to Law&Crime, Harrouff attorney Nellie L. Kingmaintained Harrouffs actions that day were completely out of character and stemmed from mental illness. All of your favorites, now on Zeno. "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. The victims' families did not buy that Harrouff was insane when he beat and stabbed their loved ones to death on Aug. 15, 2016. Mishcon Stevens sister, Cindy Mishcon, was the first to address Harrouff in court, according to WPLG. Person shot in leg at Town Center at Boca Raton, city police say. Please enter valid email address to continue. Sept. 7, 2016: Wade Harrouff appears on Dr. Phil McGraw's TV show. Wednesday, John's son, John Stevens IV, spoke about his loving parents and his anger about their. The-CNN-Wire & 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. I just want to see the prosecutor ask for the death penalty. Funeral services are held for John Stevens and Michelle Mishcon, the victims of an alleged attack by Austin Harrouff in Tequesta. Emailus. Very proud of him! Many of his photos revolved around deep-sea fishing. independent local journalism in Miami. Michelle Mishcon Stevens and John Stevens III were attacked and killed in 2016. He could be anyones son, brother, neighbor, friend. Aug. 7, 2018 Michelle Mischon's family files a wrongful-death lawsuit against Austin Harrouff. 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. Citing jailhouse phone calls, Michelles sister Cindy Mishconasserted that he did not care about committing the murders. In August of 2016, 19 year old FSU student Austin Harrouff attacked, cannibalized, and murdered John Stevens III and Michelle Mishcon. 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. / CNN. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. He also spoke about the garage where they were attacked. 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. 2022 The Associated Press. We dont create the facts and we dont create the law, he said. Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said evidence shows Austin Harrouff, 19, a Florida. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. He thinks the suspect was, violent, repressed, entitled and upset and wanted to hurt somebody and now hes hurt a bunch of people.. Bleeding from his injuries, he ran back to his home and called 911. The trial had been delayed by the pandemic, legal wrangling and Harrouff's recovery from critical injuries suffered while drinking a chemical during the attack. Friends and family of the two people killed by a. 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. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Snyder has said Harrouff left in apparent anger after an argument with his father at their table. Thank you for all you did for myself and everyone is an understatement May you rest peacefully. Physician Assistant Was Bound, Stabbed to Death After Being Stalked: 'Unfathomable Grief', Pizzeria Owners Stabbed in Queens While Breaking Up Violent Robbery Targeting Elderly Woman, Arrest Made in 'Brutal' Murder Case of Daytona Beach Couple Stabbed to Death While Biking Home at Night, Surveillance Video Shows Person of Interest Connected to Killing of Couple Biking Home in Daytona Beach, FSU Student, Suspected to be High on Flakka, Allegedly Ate Victim's Face After Stabbing Him and Wife to Death, 5 Things to Know About Austin Harrouff, FSU Student Who Allegedly Tried to Eat Stabbing Victim's Face, Friend of FSU Frat Brother Accused of Trying to Eat Stabbing Victim's Face Says Suspect 'Isn't Himself Now', Son of Man Who Died After Being Allegedly Stabbed by FSU Student Speaks Out, FSU Student Accused of Trying to Eat Stabbing Victim's Face Is Undergoing Surgery and May Not Live, Woman Killed After Man Allegedly Breaks into Her Home, Attacks Her in Bed Because She Gave Him 'Mean Look', FSU Student Who Allegedly Tried to Eat Man's Face Charged with Murder. Neighbors described the husband and wife as great neighbors who were always having fun and were kind to everybody. First published on November 28, 2022 / 5:29 PM. Andersen held back tears as she spoke about the couple who took her elderly, widowed father under their wing until the day he died. I dedicate the future of my career to fulfilling my promises to you. John Joseph Stevens III, 59, 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. I am SO sorry that a crazy person had to unleash his anger on them! "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 . All rights reserved. Everybody is shocked, said Stevens. A surveillance video released Friday, shows Harrouff walking calmly as he leaves Duffy's restaurant in nearby Jupiter about 45 minutes before the attack. His father identified the neighbor as Jeff Fisher, 47, said WPTV. Was Austin insane? Michelles brother Mason Mishcon said. The families of John Stevens IIIandMichelle Mishconvoiced disgust and anger on Monday, as a judge accepted the insanity plea from defendantAustin Harrouff, 25. denies Austin Harrouff's defense attorneys' motion to find Florida's insanity defense law unconstitutional. 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. she asked Harrouff, who was sitting at the defense table, wearing a red and white striped prison uniform and glasses. Austin Harrouff: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know. Michelle Mishcon Stevens and John Stevens III were attacked and killed in 2016. . My dad and Michelle, they were great people, and we were super close, said Stevens, a former Marine who now lives outside Kansas City. Stevens, John (1749-1838) Inventor. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. "(Harrouff) will pay for what he has done. 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 . 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.. A pioneer of steam-powered transportation and of patent laws, John Stevens devised efficient innovations for steam engines and helped popularize their use in ships and locomotives. appreciated. He became grandiose and paranoid, his behavior extreme and out of character. The suspect was biting and removing pieces of the victims face with his teeth, said WPTV. Cindy Mishcon, the sister of Michelle Mishcon and an attorney, laid out a methodical case of why she does not believe that Harrouff was insane when the killings occurred. John Stevens was born into a wealthy family in New York City in 1749. There were lacerations, stab wounds and blunt trauma,, Michelle Mishcon Stevens & John Stevens III: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. In many of the 80 calls made one week in January and obtained by WPBF 25 News, Harrouff talked about his upcoming trial for the deaths of John Stevens III and Michelle Mishcon. He talked about his Dad and Michelle's love of boating and fishing and their chocolate labs. 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. The unthinkable violence happened in this case not by choice, intention, or with an identifiable motive, but because Austin has a mental disease., Have a tip we should know? The assault was baseless and random because he had no idea about the couple. All rights reserved. His parents had set up an appointment for him to be evaluated, but the attack occurred first. (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. CAKEGATE 2023: Bad Bunny's Restaurant Accused of Gobbling Birthday Girl's Cake, Sen. Rubio's Permanent Daylight Savings Bill Sees Light of Day Once More, Death Train: A Timeline of Brightline Fatalities in South Florida UPDATED, Neighborhood Nazi Jon Minadeo Peddles Hate by the Minute, NFL Legend Ray Lewis Joins World Jai-Alai League Board of Directors, Affordable New "Micro-Units" Slated for Little River, Edgewater. Austin Harrouff. In a prosecution that has stretched over six years, Harrouff, 25, is accused of killing John Stevens III, 59 and Michelle Mishcon, 53, during a brutal attack Aug. 15, 2016 at their home on . 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. 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. Michelle Mishcon Stevens & J. Stevens loved life like no other couple I know! August 17, 2016 The couple was attacked,stabbed and bitten in the garage and driveway of their home near Jupiter, Florida. She said she realized "you don't care about anyone but yourself" and that "the only victim you and your family see is you, and the Harrouff name.". A neighbor tried in vain to help the couple. Harrouff was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the killings of John Stevens, 59, and his wife Michelle . He began stabbing and assaulting both the husband and the wife.. Why would you do something so incredibly horrible to other people and yourself? she says. The couple lived together in a home in Tequesta, Florida a suburb of West Palm Beach, Florida. 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. But he's not sad about what he did, he's sad that he's about to go to jail," John Stevens IV said of Harrouff. Create Discover. Michelle Mishcon Stevens and Jeff Mishcon. "My hope is that one day, when I think of them, I can veer my focus off the brutality of their murders and have happy memories instead," she said in an interview with The Palm Beach Post, the first she has given since their deaths. tells The Palm Beach Post his son remains in the hospital and his organs are failing. The two were killed outside their home in Tequesta by 19-year-old Austin Harrouff, according to investigators. 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. Aug. 26, 2016, Harrouff is conscious at St. Mary's Medical Center, but remains in the hospital for several more weeks as he recovers. November 30, 2022 / 7:27 PM In backhanded fashion, he expressed willingness to forgive Harrouff if the 25-year-old did to himself what he did to Michelle. 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. a toxicology report from the Federal Bureau of Investigation says no designer drugs were found in Austin Harrouff's system. The company went dormant Sept. 28, 2012. Currently the site of Stevens Institute of Technology. He will be back home in a matter of months, not years, most likely.. Harrouff, who attended Florida State University before the attack, will be committed to a secure mental health facility until doctors and a judge agree that he is no longer dangerous. Stevens daughter, Ivy, had moved out of the house days before, said police, according to The Palm Beach Post. Normal people dont make the decision to go take drugs and then kill people regardless of what was in the drugs, Stevens said. You are the reason I check all my doors at night. On Monday, victim impact statements were read in the courtroom, a court manager told CNN. The reason I think someone is waiting inside my house to stab me to death when I get home every day. She said that she had begun writing her victim impact statement when she was "naive enough" to think there would be justice. Discovery Company. 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'. June 17, 2019: Bauer denies Austin Harrouff's defense attorneys' motion to find Florida's insanity defense law unconstitutional. Harrouff, who did not know the couple, stabbed the them to death while they were watching TV in their open garage. According to his son, Michelle had worked for Stevens at Prudential Securities. 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. The couples home is in Tequesta, an affluent neighborhood in Florida. On Monday, victim impact statements were read in the courtroom, a court manager told CNN. 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. local news and culture, Jerry Iannelli 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. Become a member to support the independent voice of South Florida [He] apparently attacked both of them with a knife that he was known to carry, Snyder said. Austin Harrouff pictured on his Facebook page. White maintained that prosecutors did everything possible to prove the case, but the facts were not there.