A 19-year-old Florida State University student with no criminal record has fatally stabbed a couple at random in their garage, wounded their neighbour and was biting the dead man's face when deputies finally subdued him, officials say.
Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said on Tuesday that Austin Harrouff may have been on hallucinogenic drugs when he attacked Michelle Mishcon, 53, and John Stevens, 59, at their Tequesta home on Monday night.
He said Harrouff had been eating dinner with his family at a restaurant a short distance away when he stormed off, apparently agitated about slow service.
His parents were so worried by his behaviour that they called police and some of his fraternity brothers in a futile attempt to find him before the attack.
About 45 minutes later, he apparently targeted the couple at random, the sheriff said.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
"It's inexplicable," Snyder said.
"One of the first things we try to do at a crime scene is try to understand the motive of the offender, because it is the motive of the offender that gets us going in the right direction. In this case, we can't establish a motive."
One officer used her Taser on Harrouff, but it didn't faze the attacker. She tried pulling him off Stevens' body, but couldn't.
Other deputies arrived shortly along with a dog and it took all of them to subdue Harrouff. Snyder said they didn't shoot, fearing their bullets would strike the victim.
"The suspect in this case was abnormally strong," Snyder said, making him think Harrouff was on drugs. He said hospital blood tests showed no signs of methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin or other common drugs; it will take longer to test for less common hallucinogenic drugs such as flakka or bath salts.
The neighbour who tried to intervene was stabbed and has been hospitalised, but is expected to survive.
