Family Of Couple Killed In Face-Biting Attack In Disbelief

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TEQUESTA (CBSMiami) – The family of Tequesta man and his wife who were savagely attacked and killed at their home earlier this week are shocked and saddened.

By all accounts, John Stevens and his wife Michelle were deeply in love and in love with the life they created together.

Ivy Stevens is John Stevens' daughter and Michelle's stepdaughter.

"I'm feeling every emotion that there is," Ivy Stevens said. "Anger is at the top of the list at the moment."

Ivy Stevens said what happened to her parents is an enormous loss, but if one had survived it would have been even harder.

"I don't think one would be able to survive without the other one," Stevens said.

Ivy Stevens said she wants 19-year-old Austin Harrouff held accountable.

"I would like to see Austin come out of this and make a full recovery," she said. "I hope he was zero brain damage. I hope he's 100% to face the consequences."

Ivy Stevens said she is blown away by the amount of lives her parents affected and that she wants to celebrate all that they were and the love they shared.

As for the Good Samaritan who was stabbed multiple time trying to stop the attack, he's been released from St. Mary's Hospital in West Palm Beach.

Steve Fisher, the father of Jeff Fisher, says his son is back at his Tequesta home recovering and is not yet ready to speak on camera.

Harrouff, who regained consciousness this week, remains hospitalized and under guard. The Martin County Sheriff's Office said he's being heavily sedated and detectives have not yet obtained any statements at this point.

Harrouff is accused of killing John Stevens and his wife, Michelle Mishcon, Monday night.

Autopsy results show Mischcon died from blunt force trauma injuries and Stevens died from multiple injuries.

Stevens' son, John Stevens IV, said his father worked hard all his life and had finally gotten to where he wanted to be – with a boat and fishing in his free time.

"That was always his dream," said Stevens. "He worked his entire life to get there, so this was really the prime of his life. He couldn't have been a happier or more kind guy."

Police have called the attack on Stevens and his wife "random." Investigators are still trying to determine what prompted Harrouff to attack them.

Stevens' heartbroken family is still in disbelief. John Stevens IV, a marine and new father who lives in Kansas, was scheduled to travel to Florida in a few weeks so his dad could meet his 3-month-old granddaughter for the first time.

"He was going to meet her and take her out on the water," said Stevens. "He was really excited about it."

Harrouff, a student at Florida State, has no criminal history and liked to sing and talk about bodybuilding on his YouTube channel. He was eating with his parents earlier Monday evening when he got into an argument with his father - prompting him to leave.

Harouff's mother called police three hours after he stormed out of the restaurant, saying he had been acting strangely for a week and claimed he had superpowers. She said he had no history of mental illness and was not a heavy drug user.

About an hour later, and a few miles away, Harrouff encountered the Stevens sitting in their garage.

The sheriff's office said by the time their deputies arrived, Harrouff had killed the couple and was biting John Stevens' face.

It took three deputies and a K-9 to subdue Harrouff, who the sheriff's office said appeared to be exceptionally strong. When they took him to the hospital, they said the teenager was making animal noises.

Stevens said investigators told him about the incident.

"They fought and a neighbor named Jeff came over and tried to stop it. When the cops got there they found him on top of my dad," he said. "He had been on his way home and he stopped about a block short of where my parents live, and they were sitting in the garage and he walked in to the garage and assaulted my step mom and killed her."

Stevens is not only angry but also weary of a justice system that can oftentimes feel like it has betrayed those with whom it aims to protect.

"This isn't just a privileged white kid who we should take it easy on because he has no priors," he said. "He committed a double homicide and tried to kill somebody else."

Harrouff reportedly tested negative for a number of drugs, including methamphetamine. Results for substances known to cause excited delirium — such a flakka and bath salts — are pending.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) said it's unclear when the test results would be known.

Among new developments, the Martin County Sheriff's Office said an initial report on this case should be released on Friday, along with surveillance tape pertaining to the case.

There will be a memorial service for the victims at 1 p.m. on Friday at the Parker Playhouse in Fort Lauderdale.