Witness accounts released this week detail the gruesome 2016 deaths of a Martin County couple by a teenager accused of eating their faces during the crime.
Police arrested Austin Harrouff for the August 15, 2016 attack on John Stevens and his wife, Michelle Mishcon, inside their Tequesta home. The former college student faces first degree murder charges as well as attempted murder for attacking Jeff Fisher, a neighbor who attempted to stop the attacks and was injured as a result.
Fisher and Deputy Wayne Trocan told investigators on video what they saw that night, with Trocan saying he saw a “huge trail of blood” when he and other deputies arrived.
“The words were not make sense. Like ‘Ah, Ah, Ah’,” Fisher said when asked by investigators what he heard when arriving at the home. Fisher Harrouff looked at him and said either, “You want no part of this” or “You want no part of me.”
Trocan said that Harrouff did not stop his attack after being tased by deputies and bitten by a K-9. He allegedly only stopped after being repeatedly kicked in the head to let go of Stevens.
“He was screaming ‘Kill me! I’m eating people, kill me’,” Trocan told investigators at the scene.
The men gave the accounts in a video obtained Monday from prosecutors.
They were released as part of the discovery process in the case, which has generated significant national interest, including coverage on the "Dr. Phil" television show.
Prosecutors have said they will not seek the death penalty in the case, with Harrouff’s legal team saying they will argue he is not guilty by reason of insanity – arguing he was suffering from a psychotic episode at the time.
Toxicology results showed he was not on any drugs at the time of the attacks.