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Maricopa County Sheriff via AP file
Michael Marin
Investigators believe a defendant killed himself in a Phoenix courtroom shortly after a jury found him guilty of arson, saying their theory is backed up by evidence that includes a canister labeled "cyanide" found in his vehicle more than a week after his death.
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said Tuesday that the family of Michael Marin, 53, received a delayed email from Marin the night after his June 28 death in court. The email led investigators to the vehicle, where they found the canister. It was turned over to the medical examiner's office unopened.
Cari Gerchick, communications director for Maricopa County, said the medical examiner's office could not immediately confirm if the canister indeed contains cyanide. Gerchick said the medical examiner's office is still determining Marin's cause and manner of death.
The email also included information about his will in case things went poorly, Arpaio said.
After being convicted of deliberately burning down his $3.5 million Phoenix mansion, Marin collapsed in court and died.
At the time of his collapse, the judge was ordering that Marin be remanded into our custody, Capt. Brian Lee told Reuters.
"It's really sad," Arpaio said Tuesday, according to AZfamily.com.
"You have to feel bad for the family. I don't know why he did it," he added.
According to AZfamily.com, Arpaio said the poison was purchased for $68 from a California-based supplier in 2011 with Marin's personal credit card.
Video from inside the courtroom showed Marin putting his hands over his eyes after the guilty verdict was read and then covering his mouth with both hands.
Arizona man dies after arson conviction: police
AP Photo/Phoenix Fire Department
This July 2009 image provided by the Phoenix Fire Department shows the burned $3.5 million Phoenix mansion owned by Michael Marin.
Marin's mansion burned down in July 2009. "Marin couldn't pay his mortgage, so he burned down his house," the Arizona Republic newspaper quoted the prosecution as saying.
The newspaper reported that Marin barely escaped by climbing down a rope ladder from the second floor while wearing a scuba tank and diving mask to protect him from smoke inhalation.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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Leave a Comment:
He really seemed to plan everything down to the last detail. Had the scuba gear to avoid the smoke, and had the poison ready for once the guilty verdict was handed out.
Kinda makes you wonder how someone who can plan ahead so carefully wound up with an underwater mortgage, but then, $3.5 million isn't exactly "frugal".
With such a great plan how did he get caught?
For the national audience, if you need to know anything else about our PR thirsty sheriff, look no further than the following statement: "I don't know why he did it." Really? Maybe if you look at what happened to him in the prior 10 minutes?
Interesting ZonaChris - are you talking about the guilty verdict and the '10 minutes prior' or is there something else not included in the article.
Yes. 7 minutes before dropping dead, he received the guilty verdict. I think its quite obvious why he did it.
How was he able to walk in with cyanide anyway? You would think that criminals going into the courtroom to hear the jury's verdicts would be searched before going in.
Goering snuck cyanide into Spandau prison.
He had it tucked into his butthole. Who cares how it tastes if its gonna kill you anyway.
one tiny capsule....you couldn't smuggle one tiny capsule?
How much time was he facing? That seems like a critical piece of information that is conspicuously missing.
Ed, he was facing up to 16 years.
Death was the best ending!!
I think the death penalty should be an option for any convicted felon who chooses it. I would rather die than be someones buttcandy for even a minute. Better yet, do not commit a felony.
Carl,maybe you should look up what can be a Felony,1 drink to much,a felony,1 too many speeding ticket ,felony. There some states just a pot seed a felony.Say a friend cracked a tooth,you had a left over pain pill and gave it to him,a felony.
The guy endangered alot of people lifes.So he took his own life.We dont know if he was faceing any more charges,like fraud.I love how many blood thristy people there is.
All criminals should be offered cyanide immediately upon conviction. Maybe prison overcrowding would be less of an issue.
Our now privately owned prison system won't like that talk, anon.
Hey if sheriff jerkoff Joe Arpaio was in charge of securty no wonder the guy got past with the cyanide. He was white so no need to suspect anything . Right Joe?
anon-3096011, maybe prison crowding would be less of an issue if the policies in place isn't putting every other person in prison. Why do you think violent crimes and crimes in general are going down and rates of incarceration are anything but down? There are money to be made in the prison industrial complex, there are agendas at work that are beyond keeping the public safe.
Spot on, the private prison industry lobby at work, lining their pockets with profits on the backs of taxpayers!
BTW, our governor, Jan, Gin&Tonic, Brewer, her chief advisor is a lobbiest, or as they'd rather be called, political consultant, for CCA, a private prison company.
fromarizona: did joe ask for your papers or something?
One less criminal to tax the system. Thanks man!
atta boy!! save the state from having to house and feed your a**
coward
He pulled a Herman Goering!
He got the arsenic in by having it up his sleeve, the machines and scanners would have never detected that so instead of blaming Sheriff Joe, use your brains first. First he covered his eyes and then his mouth, duh! What type of container it was in or even just on his hands and he licked it off I dunno, or maybe he took some before he came in and finished himself off after the guilty verdict, that way if he was found not guilty he would have gotten sick but not died. Always blame Joe....You all talk about saving the tax payers money, but criticize the one law enforcer in this state that is saving us money by ridding the illegals from our streets and stopping all this welfare, medical and food stamp fraud!
ColtsFan I to am an Arizona resdent in Fountain Hills Arizona And I would vote for Joe Arpio again tommrow one of the only elected officals who do thier job we hired them for. Fromarizona you live in a red state if you don't like it move....
Obviously he didn't do a very good job of making sure that no poisons made their way into the court room.
So why is this news other than I can celebrate the death of another @!$%#bag!!
At least he saved the taxpayers money spent on his incarceration. Who knows, maybe he became afraid of prison life. Either way, it's one less arsonist running loose in the world.
He ensured us that he would not be a problem or burden us therefore we should honor him with cheers and flip a few drinks. Peter
Looks like they allowed him to kill himself, by the lack of security.
I think this guy had more problems then just being an arson.
He may have owed someone not so nice as the bank for part of this big mortgage, and he knew he was a dead man once behind bars.
Save your family (Life Insurance) pay out by doing yourself in or else?
Ahhh.......just me daydreaming again.
Think of the money he saved us taxpayers.
THE ROOF! THE ROOF! THE ROOF IS ON FIRE!!!!! WE DON'T NEED NO WATER LET THE.............
I'd probably do the same if all I had to eat was bologna, I had to sleep in a tent and wear pink.
He rolled the Dice.
He lost.
Game Over.
Pay the Dealer.
O.K. lets look at the bright side..At least he won't have to wear PINK undies, socks, shirts. Thats the reason he killed himself. Now lets look at the dark side. There isn't any.....HE'S GONE!!!!!! HOOOOOOYAAA
I guess he got the last laugh, he did it his way & right in front of the idiot jugde.
Man I actually respect this guy a little for doing that but feel bad for him at the same time!
Or! the dude was killed by that piece of @!$%# sheriff Arpio. It's not the first time inmates have been murdered by the sheriff and his deputies. I think the family should contact the F.B.I. because I smell a rat(s).
I'd wager the mortgage company is plenty angry as
they can't have that house and all those millions for their
pockets on someone else's misery.
He had a good attitude concerning the bank:
'you take my house?...try it...he won!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(more people should follow his example and keep the banks from stealing their homes)
^^ You. Are. A. F***ing. Moron.