In August 2016, a 19-year-old college student named Austin went out to dinner with his father and stepmother and, for no apparent reason, began to hallucinate. He left the restaurant after arguing with his father, arrived at his mother’s house still distraught, and left walking, taking off his clothes in the street, until he reached the house of a retired couple and brutally attacked them.
And what the police found at the crime scene was more shocking than many horror movies. And I’m not exaggerating. They found this boy growling and chewing on his victims. The prosecution initially viewed the case as one of cold-blooded murder, but the defense argued insanity. They argued that Austin suffered such a severe psychotic episode that the defendant was unable to distinguish right from wrong.
While the victims’ family cried out for justice, experts tried to unravel the mind of the perpetrator. This is not just a case about a terrible crime. It is also a presentation of the details of an in- depth analysis of the fine line that divides the evil of mental illness and what can, in this case, be considered justice.
Today you’ll learn about one of the most bizarre cases I’ve ever featured on this channel: Austin How, the aspiring bodybuilder who became better known as the Florida cannibal. [music] On August 15, 2016, a man named Jeff heard desperate screams coming from his neighbor’s house . Upon arriving at the scene, he came face to face with the bodies of the property owners, John and Michelle, lying splayed on the floor.
and a boy who appeared to be under 20 years old, growling and chewing on a piece of skin from one of their faces. That young man was Austin Harov. Austin Harff was born on December 21, 1996, and grew up in the city of Jupiter, Florida, along with a younger sister named Hailey. His parents, Wade and Mina, were divorced.
Because of this, Austin lived between the two houses and maintained a romantic relationship with both of them. including accepting her new relationships well. From an early age, he was described as a polite, athletic boy who played American football on the school team and rarely got into trouble. He had a very large social circle of friends and a girlfriend named Kate.
From the age of 16, with the goal of improving his body and achieving a more defined physique, the young man began training in weightlifting and wrestling, even participating in some competitions. Becoming physically stronger and more athletic, he began training to become a bodybuilder. He even created a YouTube channel giving various tips about the sport, about how to have a healthy body, and occasionally he would post more lighthearted videos.
like singing your favorite songs. Austin began studying biology at university, but always said that his dream was to be a doctor. Despite leading a healthy lifestyle, prioritizing health through physical exercise and good nutrition, it was during this same university phase that he had his first contact with some recreational drugs, such as cannabis, LSD, and hallucinogenic mushrooms, using the narcotics mainly in gatherings with friends.
And it wasn’t long before strange things started to happen. Between paranoia, hallucinations, and erratic behavior, Austin claimed to see demonic creatures, to hear the voice of Jesus Christ, that because he was a Sagittarius, half of his body was not human, that he had powers, and that he could move certain amounts of water just by moving his hands.
His girlfriend Kate also said that sometimes, when he woke up, he would say he was hallucinating, seeing people he didn’t know around his bed and hearing voices in his head. Austin wasn’t like that 24 hours a day. These episodes happened occasionally, but when they started, it could become intense. But because of these hallucinations that he occasionally claimed to have, it got to the point where he said he no longer knew what was a hallucination or not.
Because of this, he started carrying a hunting knife on his belt for protection. It was all a jumble of confusing information, but it clearly showed that he was not well. In text message exchanges between him and his girlfriend, he sometimes said that, despite everything, he felt very good, but at other times he acknowledged that he didn’t.
I’ve never felt better. Honestly, I’ve never been so happy, and that’s great. Believe in me. And I don’t care about anything bad that might happen to me. I think I’m really crazy. I can barely sleep. I know it’s hard to understand, and it’s even harder for me to realize what I’m doing, but I ‘m literally making the impossible happen.
I don’t think I’m going crazy. I’m just evolving, becoming more intelligent, believing that I am worthy and that I can help others with the pain they feel. That’s all I want, you [ __ ]. Just kidding, my love. In early August 2016, as these episodes became increasingly frequent, his parents decided that he, then 19 years old, needed to see a psychiatrist and managed to schedule an appointment for the end of that same month.
But that service never happened. On August 15th, Austin was having dinner with his father and stepmother at a restaurant when he started to show impatience. He was swinging his legs as if he were nervous, sweating profusely, and biting his nails. And when his father asked if everything was alright, he said he was feeling chills because half of his body was turning into a wolf.
Noticing his son’s distress, Wade had the idea to offer him a drink, believing that alcohol would help him relax. But Austin rejected it and even argued with his father in front of everyone present. He left the restaurant saying he was going to his mother’s house, which, incidentally, was nearby.
And then Wade warned his ex-wife. Back home and acting completely incoherently, Austin surprised his mother by trying to drink a bottle of vegetable oil. Mina managed to stop him, convinced him to get into her car, and, frightened, she took him back to the restaurant to ask her ex-husband for help.
But this only sparked a new argument among the family members. And once again Austin left the place, but this time walking through the streets without a specific destination. Worried, Mina tried calling him, but no one answered. When she returned home and tried to call again, she realized that her son’s phone was still there.
She then called the police and reported her son’s condition, saying that he was acting strangely, having hallucinations, that he had wandered the streets aimlessly, and that he seemed to be a risk to himself. The police began searching for the young man in the surrounding area, but no one had any idea where he had gone.
However, today we know exactly where he went and what he did immediately afterwards. Completely distraught, walking briskly and tearing off his clothes along the way, Austin walked more than 4 km into the Tequesta neighborhood. He believed he was not alone, claiming to hear voices and see the strange figure of a reaper chasing him.
His aimless walk stopped in front of a retired couple’s house, where he decided to enter the property, stab and cannibalize the two residents, tearing their bodies apart with his hands and ripping parts of one of their faces off with his teeth. Austin ended up creating one of the worst crime scenes. already registered by the local police.
On that day, August 15th, the retired couple John Joseph Stevens, a 59-year-old former landscaper, and his wife, Michelle Karen Stevens, 53, married for 19 years, decided to sit in the garage of their house. The room was actually an improvised living room that, when opened, offered a panoramic view of the street.
On cool summer days like that, they used to sit there watching TV, chatting, and observing the neighborhood’s activity. Around 8 p.m., the couple was surprised by Austin, who was wearing only a shirt and underwear. He immediately began attacking them with punches and knife blows, without giving them a second to even understand what was happening.
Without mercy, Austin beat and stabbed them both. There was no time for any reaction. They were just screaming for help. At that moment, one of the neighbors heard the cries for help and went to the scene. When he tried to intervene, he was also seriously injured, being cut by the knife on one of his arms, back, and neck.
He wasn’t hurt again because he managed to escape, get back home, and call the police. [music] After a few minutes, the police arrived and were faced with a scene more shocking than just lifeless bodies. Austin had literally ripped the couple’s bodies apart through the openings made by the knife blows. He was crouched over John’s body and chewing on a piece of his face.
Even with the police instantly using a taser, physical force, and even a police dog to try to subdue him, that was no easy task. Austin was completely out of his mind. He even shouted nonsensical phrases and displayed tremendous strength. Only after much effort was he immobilized and taken to the hospital in serious condition.
The couple, John and Michelle, died at the scene. Neighbor Jeff survived, but had to undergo several minor surgeries, receiving numerous stitches all over his body. At the hospital, Austin was still violent and had to be sedated. Despite being the perpetrator of such a barbaric crime, he also bore severe marks of injury, both external and internal.
Internal problems arose because part of his esophagus and stomach were corroded after he ingested bleach that he had found in the couple’s garage. What many of you must be thinking now, as I imagined up to this point in time, is that all of this could have been caused by some synthetic or hallucinogenic drug that he might have used hours or even minutes before the crime.
And that was also the suspicion of many of the doctors at the hospital. However, toxicology tests did not find any similar substance, only low levels of cannabis, which could not be considered a strong enough substance to cause any kind of reaction like that. Some drugs, on their own, may not cause these effects, but they can worsen a pre-existing psychological condition the user may have, especially if they are not undergoing treatment.
Throughout Austin’s hospitalization, there was at least one police officer at his room door. He received the necessary treatment and after a few days, when he was released, he was sent directly to a prison in the region. Some recordings of conversations between him and his parents during this period of incarceration were released, in which Austin appeared exhausted and received family support.
He makes a few requests for things, like magazines and drawing materials to pass the time, and also asks if they have managed to find a psychiatrist for him yet. It was in an interview with Dr. Phil, a few weeks after committing the crime, that Austin said he felt guilty about everything and revealed shocking details about what happened that night, mentioning the figure that tormented him.
Wade, his father, also gave an interview to the same program. [music] He was quite shaken, he described how he reacted when he found out everything and also offered his sincerest apologies to all the family and friends of the victims. Still in late 2016, Austin was indicted for double aggravated homicide and attempted homicide, but due to psychological conditions that would require technical reports.
fundamental issues that could directly impact the judgment, even preventing the death penalty from being applied. The hearings were scheduled to begin only 4 years later, [music] in 2020. [music] In those 4 years, both the prosecution and the defense gathered evidence. Psychological assessments were conducted by both sides, and the results were surprising.
In fact, that’s the result, since both Dr. Philip Risnick and Dr. Gregory Landron issued the same opinion. The doctors had evaluated the young man for about 12 hours each, separately and in split consultations, with Dr. Philip going further and conducting interviews with acquaintances, analyzing records of some of his drawings and notes he made as diaries in some of his notebooks.
In the end, Austin was diagnosed with several disorders, including bipolar disorder, early-stage schizophrenia, and active clinical insanity. It was also determined that he was in a state of psychotic episode at the time of the crime and ended up being classified as manic. Due to the pandemic, the trial, which was previously scheduled for 2020, was postponed again, now to 2022.
It began on November 22nd and ended just six days later, on the 28th, with an agreement reached between the defense and the prosecution and accepted by the judge. Austin was deemed not criminally responsible and was sent to a maximum-security psychiatric hospital. This decision has divided opinions.
Family members of the victims expressed outrage at the sentence, saying that Austin escaped justice and that he was a cold and calculating killer, even blaming his own parents. Experts, mental health advocates, and the court itself have argued that the system acted correctly, as they were dealing with a case of insanity proven by reports issued by both the defense and the prosecution.
This case forces us to confront a rather uncomfortable truth: that Austin needed to be held accountable for his actions, but that he was also a victim of his own mind. So how can the law behave here in a way that is considered fair to everyone? When the guilty party is also a victim of a severe mental illness, undiagnosed and consequently untreated, is traditional civil punishment truly sufficient and valid? The result is a tragic stalemate that brings no relief to either side. In tragedies like this, there are
often no winners, only different levels of loss and a painful lesson about what can happen when deteriorating mental health is neglected. This is one of the few cases in which the insanity defense was accepted in such a violent crime, and it continues to be discussed in universities, criminal justice programs, and public health debates.
Today Austin remains hospitalized in a psychiatric hospital under constant medical evaluation and with no discharge date scheduled.
Disclaimer : This content may be created by AI for entertainment purposes. Any resemblance to real persons, events, or places is coincidental.
