Dr Gregory C. Landrum’s finding bolsters the case of Austin Harrouff’s lawyers, who are planning to argue the 23-year-old should be found not guilty by reason of insanity at his murder trial, which had been scheduled for May but was postponed indefinitely on Thursday.
Austin Harrouff was believed to be legally insane when he fatally attacked a couple outside their home. Picture: Martin County Sheriff's Office/APAs a result, Dr Landrum concluded, “Harrouff was unable to distinguish right from wrong” when he killed the Stevenses – the legal standard in Florida for being found not guilty by reason of insanity.
Defence lawyer Nellie L. King welcomed Dr Landrum’s finding, while understanding “it may provide little comfort to the victims’ families.” Evan Fetterman, an lawyer representing Michelle Stevens’ family in a lawsuit against Harrouff, said in a statement on Thursday that Dr Landrum’s “conclusions are inconsistent with the facts” because Harrouff abused drugs in the months preceding the attack and was drunk during it.
Michelle Stevens, 53, lay mangled and dead in the garage and Harrouff, then a muscular exercise science major at Florida State University, was attacking and biting her 59-year-old husband on the driveway.Harrouff was 19 at the time of the killings.One deputy ordered Harrouff off at gunpoint while another used an electric stun gun on him, but he wouldn’t let go. Deputies say they didn’t shoot Harrouff because they feared hitting John Stevens.
Dr Landrum wrote that Harrouff in an October interview told him that in the weeks leading up to the killings he had begun to feel “go go go” and experienced grandiosity during the day and paranoia at night.Demons and God were talking to him. He said it felt like he had Jesus’ “special abilities” while working at his job as a dental assistant and that he blessed the dental instruments by pouring water on them.
Oh man what's this world coming to.
Crazy or not, electric chair.
🖕🏿that guy
Well, face eating isn’t usually the act of a sane individual.
Yep insane. Just put him to death
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