Michael Marin Commits Suicide in Court After Wall Street Fall (VIDEO)
Police believe Michael Marin committed suicide in the middle of a court room after being convicted of arson.
What seemed like a man facing distress as he put his head in his palms, may actually have been the act of a man committing suicide. Facing up to 21 years in prison, offials believe that Michael Marin committed suicide with a poisonous pill after being found guilty of arson.
The once-millionaire trader who worked on Wall Street was facing tough times in 2009 when his $2.3 million mansion went ablaze. Marin has told police he had escaped by using rope and a scuba mask to avoid inhaling the flames, but little was left of the mansion. When it was discovered that the fire had been intentional, Marin appeared shocked and claimed his innocence.
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The year before the blaze occurred, Marin had received a paycheck of over $900,000, according to the Huffington Post. By the time of the fire, Marin was down to $50 in his account and had reportedly become a "desperate" man with no way to escape the insurmountable debt that he had collected.
On Thursday Marin was found guilty of arson and faced anywhere from 7 to 21 years in prison. Though he was the father of four grown children and a climber who had reached the summit of Mount Everest, he apparently could not bear the news.
In video footage Marlin can be seeing putting his hand to his mouth and then rubbing his face with his palms. Soon after Marlin grabbed for a tissue and appeared to sob before falling to the floor in convulsions. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The four children whom Marlin left behind have not yet been reached. In 2009 following the blaze, the former trader posted on Facebook that his children were his greatest achievement in life.
"More than anything else I may have accomplished in this life, this is what really matters to me: the blessing of knowing the amazing individuals I am privileged to call my children," he wrote.
