The "Face Eating Frat Boy": Austin Harrouff

As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering John Stevens and Michelle Mishcon Stevens with me today. In August 2016, 19-year-old college student Austin Harrouff violently attacked and killed John Stevens III and Michelle Mishcon outside their Florida home. Police arrived to find Harrouff on top of Stevens, biting his face and exhibiting extreme strength. Toxicology reports showed no signs of common drugs.Later diagnosed with acute psychosis, Harrouff claimed he believed he was “half-man, half-dog” at the time of the attack. He was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and attempted murder for injuring a neighbor who tried to intervene.In 2022, a judge accepted an insanity defense, and Harrouff was found not guilty by reason of insanity, ordered to be held indefinitely in a secure psychiatric facility.The case became widely known as the “face-eating murder” and sparked nationwide conversation about psychosis, substance use, and criminal responsibility.