A former college student who randomly killed a Florida couple in their garage six years ago and then chewed on one victim’s face finally goes on trial, with a judge deciding whether he goes to prison for life or to a mental hospital.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A former college student who randomly killed a Florida couple in their garage six years ago and then chewed on one victim’s face finally goes on trial Monday, with a judge deciding whether he goes to prison for life or to a mental hospital.
The trial has been delayed by the pandemic, legal wranglings and Harrouff’s recovery from critical injuries suffered while drinking a chemical during the attack. It will be in Stuart, an hour drive north of West Palm Beach, and last about three weeks. If Harrouff is ruled insane, Bauer will commit him to a secure mental hospital until doctors and a judge agree that he is no longer dangerous. That would also effectively be a life sentence, said Craig Trocino, a University of Miami law professor, because “it's highly unlikely” that doctors and a judge would risk releasing a killer as notorious as Harrouff.
She said for insanity defenses that reach trial, defendants who waive a jury have the most success. Judges understand the system, she said, while jurors often worry that defendants acquitted by reason of insanity will be released sooner. They also may question whether treatment at a mental hospital works.
, an electric stun gun and a police dog to subdue Harrouff. Officers didn't shoot him because they feared hitting Stevens.Investigators found he purchased some hallucinogenic mushrooms a few days before the attack, but friends said he destroyed them and no trace was found in his blood. He also did Google searches for “how to know if you are going crazy."
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Judge to decide on Florida face-biter insanity pleaA former college student who randomly killed a Florida couple in their garage six years ago and then chewed on one victim’s face is finally set to go on trial on Monday
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Judge to decide on Florida face-biter insanity plea after random killingsPolice say Austin Harrouff, a former college student, randomly killed a Florida couple in their garage six years ago and then chewed on one victim’s face.
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Judge to decide on Florida face-biter insanity pleaA former college student who randomly killed a Florida couple in their garage six years ago and then chewed on one victim’s face is finally set to go on trial on Monday.
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Judge to decide on Florida face-biter insanity pleaFORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A former college student who randomly killed a Florida couple in their garage six years ago and then chewed on one victim’s face finally goes on trial Monday, with a judge deciding whether he goes to prison for life or to a mental hospital.
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Judge to decide on Florida face-biter insanity pleaAustin Harrouff, 25, has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to two counts of first-degree murder and other charges for his August 2016 slayings of John Stevens, a 59-year-old landscaper, and his 53-year-old wife, Michelle Mishcon Stevens.
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Judge to decide on Florida face-biter insanity pleaA former college student who killed a Florida couple in their garage six years ago and then chewed on one victim’s face goes on trial Monday, with a judge deciding whether he goes to prison for life or to a mental hospital.
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