NewsPalm Beach CountyRegion N Palm Beach CountyTequesta

Actions

Jeff Fisher: Surviving victim of Austin Harrouff attacks gives his story to investigators

Posted at 11:00 PM, Feb 04, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-06 05:36:27-05

A newly released discovery in the Austin Harrouff double-murder, face-eating case shows a surviving victim’s account of what happened the night of Aug. 15, 2016.

Jeff Fisher told investigators with the state attorney’s office that he tried to help his neighbors, Michelle Mishcon and John Stevens before investigators said Austin Harrouff brutally killed the couple and tried eating Stevens’ face.

RELATED: More coverage of the case | Dr. Phil interview released 

Several weeks after the crime, investigators returned to Mishcon and Stevens’ home with Fisher to hear his account of the attacks. 

Fisher told investigators he was lying in bed when he heard unusual noises outside. Then, he said he heard a scream, prompting him to run outside. He laid eyes on Austin Harrouff.

“I saw him slamming Michelle’s car door, then I’m a little fuzzy. I saw Michelle come out of the door in the garage and he grabs a hold of Michelle and throws her to the ground,” Fisher said.

He walks with investigators from his front yard to the couple’s garage. He said Harrouff was standing over Mishcon at this point.

"He turned a looked at me and said, ‘you want no part of this,’ or ‘you don’t want a part of me,’ one of the two, and then from his right hand, swung,” Fisher explained.

Harrouff connected with the swing, slicing Fisher’s face and body.

"We got into a little pitter-patter fight thing. It’s not like we were really truly going toe-to-toe. You know, he was swinging, I was blocking,” Fisher said.

At one point, Fisher got the upper hand.

“I was able to get a hold of his shirt and yanked it. He lost his balance and went down to the ground face first,” Fisher said.

Fisher realized he was bleeding and ran into the house. He then described running around the back of the house, and kneeling by a bush. 

"I was out of breath and starting to feel some of the pain.”

While kneeling, he looked toward the garage but could not see Harrouff. He could only hear him, before running to his house.

“The words were not making sense. Like Ah! Ah! Ah! Something to that effect. Whether he was actually trying to speak words or not I don’t have a clue.”