Cannibal Frat Boy Who Ate Man's Face Breaks Down In Dr. Phil Interview
The 19-year-old FSU frat brother accused of murdering a couple and then chewing on the dead man's face broke down in tears while recalling the attack.
An unaired, 22-minute interview with Dr. Phil shows a broken Austin Harrouff as he details the events that transpired on the night he killed John Stevens and Michelle Mishcon.
Harrouff agreed to the exclusive interview several weeks before he was charged with the murders of Stevens, 59, and Mishcon, 53, in the garage of their Florida home on August 15 last year.
In the clip, the FSU student begs the victims' families for forgiveness.
He says,
I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me. And I'm so sorry and I never wanted this to happen.
Though the frat brother's defense team had attempted to stop the release of the video, a judge ordered the full interview to be made public.
According to The New York Post, Nellie King, one of Harrouff's attorneys, said the video represents "just one of many pieces of evidence demonstrating the deterioration of Austin's mental health."
In the interview, which was conducted over Skype, Harrouff says his life has been a "nightmare" since he murdered the innocent couple.
He said,
I just wanted to let them know that I'm so sorry and I can imagine how it must feel to lose a bunch of close relatives. If it was real and it happened to me, I wouldn't know what to do and I would be so sad. I'm just...I'm just so sorry.
He claims he had no intentions of hurting anyone that night.
When Dr. Phil pressed him for more answers, Harrouff responded,
I don't know, I don't know, if I knew I would tell you.
Several people had speculated the young man was under the influence of a drug called flakka when he committed the disturbing crime. However, Harrouff says these theories are false.
A toxicology test later confirmed he only had alcohol and a minimal amount of THC in his system at the time of the attack.
At the end of the interview, Harrouff said he realizes he may be mentally ill, and he wants to seek help.
He said,
It's the hardest thing I've ever gone through. I never imagined that this would ever happen and I'm deeply sorry to the family that was affected and I hope that something like this never happens again. I didn't ever want to consciously do something like this. I never planned it, I didn't want to do it and I don't know what to say.
The full interview is reportedly scheduled to air on Dr. Phil's show on March 2.
Harrouff has been charged with first-degree murder for his crime, and it is reported Stevens's son is pushing for the death penalty.
The student attacked the couple in their garage shortly after storming out of a dinner with his family. According to his parents, he had already been acting strangely at the time.
When police arrived at the couple's home, they found Harrouff chewing on Stevens' head. The FSU student displayed abnormal strength as four officers and a police dog wrestled him off the victims' driveway.
Harrouff spent over a month in the hospital following the attack because he fell into a coma after ingesting toxic chemicals in the couple's garage.
According to the victims' families, Harrouff's interview ultimately shows his true colors.
Citations: Cannibal suspect breaks down (The New York Post), 'I'm so sorry and I never wanted this to happen': 'Cannibal' frat boy cries and apologizes for murdering couple in emotional Dr. Phil interview that never aired (Daily Mail)
