Man believed he was 'half-man, half-dog' when he fatally attacked couple

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A forensic psychologist who interviewed murder defendant Austin Harrouff for six hours, concluded Harrouff believed he was “half-dog, half-man” at the time he attacked a Jupiter couple and was found biting one of their faces.

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According to the 38-page report, Harrouff began acting strangely a month before the Aug. 15, 2016, attack, veering between grandiose visions of himself as a Jesus-like figure, to fearing evil and demons.

Witnesses quoted in the report that Harrouff was making increasingly bizarre statements such as he believed he could be an advocate for Black Lives Matter, or help people like Ghandi did.

His sister, Haley, reported earlier in the day on the night of the attack, that Harrouff made a U-turn on a red light, saying he was invincible. She also said Harrouff told her because he was a Sagittarius, he was half-horse. Then she said he began saying he had a special relationship with the family dog that he had never had before, and told her he was part dog.

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Harrouff’s father, Wade Harrouff, agreed his son was acting oddly and attempted to give him Xanax and Valium so he could sleep, but said his son threw the pills in the grass and refused to take it.

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According to the police report, officers found Harrouff on top of Stevens’ body, biting and chewing his face and stomach, and making growling sounds.

Resnick wrote that he considered whether Harrouff “faked” mental illness to avoid criminal responsibility but concluded he did not.

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