Court proceedings in the case of Austin Harrouff, who is suspected of murdering a married couple in Tequesta, Florida, are still months away, a judge said during a hearing on Tuesday concerning what experts can testify about the night he is accused of killing the pair in 2016.
Even if Harrouff, 25, is found guilty of the murders of John Stevens III, 59, and Michelle Mishcon, 53, on August 15, 2016, a jury could rule that he was crazy at the time of the killings.
Documents from a court case: When Martin deputies interrogate Austin Harrouff, the murder suspect informs them, “I eat humans.”
The 19-year-old Jupiter resident was discovered biting and chewing on Stevens’ face in the driveway of the couple’s Martin County house on Southeast Kokomo Lane.
Not guilty pleas have been entered by Harrouff on charges of first-degree murder with a weapon, burglary with assault or battery while armed, and attempted first-degree murder with a weapon against Mishcon and Stevens’ neighbors, Jeffrey Fisher, in the deaths of the two.
Shortly after Harrouff’s arrest, his attorneys indicated that they planned to argue for his acquittal on the grounds of insanity.
It has taken nearly six years for Harrouff’s prosecution to come to a conclusion because of multiple-month delays.
To put it simply, this case must be resolved. “It’s from 2016, but it’s also 2022,” Bauer explained. This case should not have taken this long to reach this point, in my opinion.
Harrouff’s defense counsel intend to seek a court order striking as a state witness Tampa neuropsychologist Michael Gamache, who ruled that Harrouff did not satisfy the legal definition of insanity when he committed the murders.
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Austin Harrouff Mental Health
According to two additional mental health professionals that published publications in 2020, Gamache’s findings are incorrect.
Austin Harrouff, according to a state psychologist, was insane when he killed a couple in Tequesta.
Psychiatrist: Austin Harrouff, a suspect in the face-biting deaths, did not recognize his actions were bad.
To be freed on the grounds of insanity, Harrouff must persuade a judge or jury that he had no idea what he was doing when he committed the murders or that he was unaware of the damage he had done.
Defendants filed documents Monday requesting that Gamache be thrown in contempt of court for failing to disclose requested records during a January 25 deposition conducted through Zoom, which the defense had sought.
Attorneys highlighted that state prosecutors did not object to any of the stated materials that Gamache was to submit to the defense after filing a subpoena in December.
After the Jan. 25 deposition, Assistant State Attorney Brandon White claimed that Gamache provided to the state 45 gigabytes of materials on a flash drive, but it was lost in transportation and will be shared with the defense whenever it arrives.
Gamache’s conclusions were questioned by defense attorney Robert Watson, who told Bauer that after the papers were evaluated, they would seek to remove him as a witness.
Acute or prolonged withdrawal from controlled substances, according to Watson’s assessment, was the likely cause of the psychosis. Not on eyewitness testimony, but on messages exchanged between fraternity brothers. “And that’s pretty much it.”
A bipolar disorder history in Harrouff’s family was overlooked by Gamache, Watson claimed.
Third-examination sanity issue: State expert argues Austin Harrouff was not mad during 2016 double murder.
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Harrouff’s mental health was determined by the examination conducted by Gamache in September, but Watson contended that it fell short of a mental health diagnosis and was more like a “interview on a series of texts and other information that was in discovery.”
On Aug. 15, 2016, Harrouff attacked Mishcon and Stevens III in a savage, unprovoked attack while he was having a “acute psychotic episode,” according to psychologists appointed by the defense and the state.
Since neither expert could tell right from wrong in Harrouff’s case, he was ruled not guilty by reason of insanity under Florida law.
Specifically, state-hired psychologist Gregory Landrum determined that Harrouff “was suffering a decompensated mental state coupled with an emergent mood and/or thought disorder resulting in an acute psychiatric episode” after conducting an extensive five-hour evaluation.
As Dr. Phillip Resnick of the University Hospitals of Cleveland in Ohio concluded in 2019, “with reasonable medical certainty that Austin Harrouff did not realize his actions was improper due to a severe mental disorder,” Dr. Landrum’s findings appear to validate that conclusion.
A police report concluded that Mr. Harrouff was “actively insane,” given his continued biting of the male victim in front of cops, after being tased and getting repeated kicks to the head.
The hearing to determine whether the state can call Gamache as a witness is scheduled for June 20 and 21. Bauer gave the defense several weeks to prepare.