FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A 19-year-old Florida State University student with no criminal record fatally stabbed a couple at random outside their house, wounded their neighbor and was biting the dead man’s face when deputies finally subdued him, authorities said Tuesday.
Austin Harrouff may have been on hallucinogenic drugs when he attacked Michelle Mishcon, 53, and John Stevens, 59, outside their home in Tequesta, Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said.
The sheriff said Harrouff had joined his family for dinner when he stormed off, apparently agitated about slow service. His parents were so worried by his behavior that they called police and some of his fraternity brothers in an attempt to find him.
About 45 minutes later, he apparently targeted the couple at random, the sheriff said.
“It’s inexplicable,” Snyder said. “One of the first things we try to do at a crime scene is try to understand the motive of the offender … . In this case, we can’t establish a motive. It’s ‘I don’t know.”‘
Snyder said late Tuesday that Harrouff’s condition deteriorated and he may not survive. Earlier, Snyder said Harrouff suffered bruises, dog bites and cuts and had been jolted with a stun gun during his altercation with deputies.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.