Face-biting slayings suspect gave interview to 'Dr. Phil' before arrest
PALM BEACH, Fla. _ Before Austin Harrouff was arrested and charged with the fatal stabbings and infamous face-biting of a Martin County couple in their home in August, he gave a bedside interview with the "Dr. Phil" TV show, the Palm Beach Post has learned.
The sheriff's office said there's no legal way it could have prohibited the interview.
In a segment called "The frat boy dubbed 'cannibal killer' breaks his silence from his hospital bed," the show programmers say they have "an exclusive interview, right before his arrest" that is set to air Friday.
"Harrouff speaks out for the first time from his hospital bed," the preview reads. "What does he say caused him to go from popular student to an accused killer?"
There was neither a promotional video to tease the story nor photos on the show's website. The show's staff only provided a blurb for the upcoming program and made no other comment.
On Aug. 15, the Martin County Sheriff's Office say Harrouff beat John Stevens, 59, and Michelle Mishcon, 53 to death at their home on Southeast Kokomo Lane after he stormed out of a Duffy's Sports Grill in Jupiter where he was with his father. A neighbor tried to intervene and was injured in the process, according to authorities.
Investigators say it's unclear if Harrouff was under the influence of drugs, but when authorities arrived, he was biting Stevens' face. While in the hospital, his organs began to fail because the hospital staff said it believes he drank some cleaning fluids from inside the garage where he killed the couple.
Harrouff is being held at the Martin County Jail on two counts of second-degree murder with a weapon, one count of attempted first-degree murder with a weapon, and one burglary of a dwelling with assault or battery. The state plans to pursue first-degree murder charges, which must be presented to a grand jury.
_The Palm Beach Post
