A Stuart attorney is now representing Austin Harrouff, the FSU student accused of stabbing a Martin County couple to death.
Bob Watson told NewsChannel 5 from a defense perspective this case could go 3 ways: a mental health defense, a drug abuse case or a mixture of the two.
Watson said Harrouff's parents did visit him briefly in the hospital.
The 19-year-old has not yet been charged.
The Martin County Sheriff’s Office says it will ask for two counts of first degree murder and one count of attempted murder.
There’s a reason investigators are waiting to charge the suspect.
“As long as he’s there not under arrest his medical records are his responsibility,” said Martin County Sheriff William Snyder Thursday. “As soon as we make the arrest taxpayers will be beginning footing the bill."
Sheriff Snyder said there are deputies watching and there is no concern that Harrouff is going anywhere.
A toxicology report to find out if drugs played a role in the suspect’s behavior is underway.
The sheriff has said the suspect’s behavior was consistent with some synthetics like bath salts and flakka. “That doesn’t mean there were any drugs used in this case, and conceivable we could get a full toxicology report back that says he was actually on no drugs whatsoever," Sheriff Snyder said.
The sheriff says as soon as the charges are filed, Harrouff will be transported to the Martin County Jail.
There are still so many questions about this troubling case. What we know:
-A husband and wife were stabbed to death in an unprovoked and random attack.
-The suspect is a 19-year-old FSU student whom police say stormed out of the Duffy's off Indiantown Road Monday night.
-Harrouff walked more than 3 miles in less than an hour and for some reason turned down Kokomo Lane.
The pace and speed have raised questions, but not for the Sheriff.
“He’s in good shape. He used to be a football player. I don't think he had any trouble covering that distance,” said Snyder.
There is no video evidence beyond Duffy’s and only one eyewitness so far.
That's neighbor, Jeff Fisher. According to the sheriff, Fisher only reported seeing the wife under attack.
"Were going through our forensic evidence to find out exactly what happened,” said Snyder. “Did our male victim come up on the offense in progress or did our neighbor not see the male victim laying on the ground?"
It is a timeline investigators are still piecing together.
Fisher tried to help but was severely stabbed and rushed home to call 911.
When deputies arrived, they say they found the suspect chewing the husband's face in the driveway.
Neither a stun gun nor a K-9 worked to get the suspect off the victim. That is why many are wondering why deputies didn’t use deadly force.
“It's a split second. A very difficult decision and they did what they thought was best," Sheriff Snyder said.
He reiterated that his deputies did not have a clear shot since the suspect was on top of the male victim.
There is one question the Sheriff says he still cannot answer and that is what was the motive in this case.
