Face-Biting Attacker Said He 'Ate Something Bad'

'Shoot me now, I deserve to die,' he told cops
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Nov 2, 2016 12:04 AM CDT
Face-Biting Attacker Said He 'Ate Something Bad'
This Oct. 3, 2016 photo provided by the Martin County Sheriff's Office shows Austin Harrouff.   (Martin County Sheriff's Office,)

The Florida college student accused of killing a couple and chewing on the dead man's face told deputies, "Help me, I ate something bad" and then admitted it was "humans" as he spit out a piece of flesh, court documents show. Austin Harrouff, 19, also begged deputies to kill him after they pulled him off John Stevens' body, according to the records, obtained Monday by the Palm Beach Post. "Shoot me now, I deserve to die," Harrouff said. Harrouff is charged with second-degree murder in the Aug. 15 attack on Stevens, 59, and his 53-year-old wife, Michelle Mishcon, outside their Tequesta home, the AP reports.

Prosecutors say they will ask a grand jury to indict him on first-degree murder charges. That would make him eligible for the death penalty. Deputies say they found the former high school football player and wrestler in his underwear, making animal noises and biting Stevens' face as he pinned his victim's body to the driveway. The FBI is running tests to determine whether Harrouff was on drugs. Harrouff was hospitalized for almost two months after the attack. His father says his esophagus was burned. Martin County Sheriff William Snyder has said Harrouff may have ingested lawn chemicals found in the couple's garage. (Harrouff's mom says he was acting strangely for a week before the attack.)

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