A year-old student fatally stabbed a couple in their garage in Florida Monday night and was biting the dead man's face when officers subdued him, authorities said Tuesday. Police believe Florida State University student Austin Harrouff attacked the couple at random shortly before p. The sheriff's office responded to the home in Tequesta after a neighbor called , and a deputy found Harrouff on top of the male victim's body in the driveway biting off pieces of his victim's face, Snyder said.
In this case, we can't establish a motive. Snyder said Harrouff joined his parents for dinner at a nearby restaurant around p. About 50 minutes later, police responded to the neighbor's call of a man attacking the couple in their garage.
The victims, Michelle Mischon, 53, and John Stevens, 59, were pronounced dead on the scene, Snyder said. Martin County deputies were initially unsuccessful in getting Harrouff off of the victim with a stun gun and police dog, he said. Snyder said initial drug test results for the suspect showed no signs of methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin or other common drugs in his blood. Snyder said Harrouff was making "animal like sounds" after he was arrested and was incoherent. The bites caused substantial trauma to the victim's body, Snyder said.
Deputies did not shoot Harrouff because they were concerned about striking the victim, Snyder said. Harrouff was being treated at a Palm Beach County hospital Tuesday. Snyder said at a later press conference that his condition has deteriorated significantly, and he may not survive.
We're just not sure. The hospital says that he's in grave condition and he is not at all stable," he said. Both victims were sitting in their garage with the door open when they were attacked, Snyder said. Investigators have found no known connection between Harrouff and the victims and it appears to have been an unprovoked and random attack, he said. Related: "The Perception vs. Reality of Violent Crime in America". The neighbor, year-old Jeff Fisher, was stabbed and was taken to a nearby hospital for surgery, police said.
