Florida man who bit victim's face after alleged double murder posted series of bizarre videos beforehand
Austin Harrouff in a stable condition in hospital after seemingly random attack
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
The American teenager accused of murdering a couple and attempting to bite the man’s face posted a series of bizarre videos just days before the killings.
Austin Harrouff boasted about bodybuilding in the Youtube footage and claimed he would not take drugs because of the effect they would have on his body.
Speaking to camera he said: “I don’t need drugs. I know that they can change me, but the thing is, that is not being healthy. Being healthy is what's natural, you know, what comes natural to you. You think steroids are natural?
“I think steroids really aren't for me. I used to think I needed steroids to be, to be a bodybuilder, to be this thing, to be this symbol.”
Other videos showed Harrouff giving several fitness tutorials as well as singing karaoke and saying he had a “normal side and psycho side”.
In several of the videos he speaks in bizarre voices, including a fake Russian accent and doing an impression of Kermit the frog. One video ends with him screaming and swearing at the camera.
The 19-year-old allegedly beat 53-year-old Michelle Mischon to death outside her home in Jupiter, Florida before killing her husband, 59-year-old John Stevens II, and trying to eat his face while allegedly high on bath salts or "flakka".
Police described seeing Harrouff “grunting and howling” while he attempted to tear chunks of flesh off the face of his victim during the seemingly random attack on 13 August.
An autopsy report showed Mr Stevens had died of knife wounds before being mauled. Ms Mischon had also been stabbed but the coroner ruled she had died from being beaten.
A neighbour, Jeff Fisher, called 911 and had tried to intervene but was stabbed repeatedly with wounds to his neck and back. He underwent emergency surgery but is expected to survive.
The Florida State University student is currently in a “stable” condition in hospital after being tasered repeatedly by police before being subdued by four officers and a K9 attack dog, the Sun reported.
His mother reportedly called the police three hours before the attack saying her son had been talking about how he had "superpowers".
An unnamed fellow FSU student told the Daily Mail he believed Harrouff had suffered from a bout of “roid rage” rather than having taken any hallucinogenic drugs.
He said: “I just think that this kid had a steroids dependency and had a bad, bad roid rage that night.
“I can anonymously attest that this guy had gotten bigger and bigger at alarming rates throughout our first year of college.”
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.