Pubdate: Sat, 18 Jun 2016
Source: New York Times (NY)
Copyright: 2016 The New York Times Company
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Website: http://www.nytimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/298
Author: Austin Ramzy

U.S. DEFENDANT IN TAIWAN CASE KILLS HIMSELF

An American man committed suicide inside a courtroom in Taiwan after 
being given a four-year sentence. A witness and a hospital staff 
member describe what happened.

HONG KONG - An American man who had been convicted of growing 
marijuana in Taiwan killed himself in a courtroom after he was 
sentenced to a four-year prison term, according to court officials.

The man, Tyrel Martin Marhanka, 41, slashed his throat with a pair of 
scissors on Thursday, the Changhua District Court said in a written 
statement. He was rushed to a hospital but could not be saved.

He had been convicted of growing marijuana at his home in Changhua, 
in central Taiwan, and of importing marijuana and opium poppy seeds. 
A prison term of up to seven years was possible, but the court gave 
him the lesser sentence because he had not sold marijuana and was 
growing it for his own use.

When a court interpreter told Mr. Marhanka the sentence, he replied, 
"Four years?" The Taipei Times reported, quoting witnesses. He said 
he did not want to appeal.

"I don't want to live anymore," he said, taking out two metal 
objects, apparently a disassembled pair of scissors, and then cutting 
his neck, the newspaper reported.

The court expressed "deep regret." An initial inquiry found a 
magazine that he seemed to have used to conceal the scissors. A metal 
detector apparently did not uncover them. The court said that the 
building did not have enough space for a more advanced scanner but 
that it would install X-ray machines in a new building.

Mr. Marhanka was not in detention before the hearing and did not show 
suicidal impulses, the court said. Mr. Marhanka had a wife and two 
children in Taiwan and had lived there for several years. He had 
worked as an English teacher, but his neighbors said he lost his job 
after he was charged in the marijuana case, the Central News Agency reported.

His death is likely to raise questions about security in Taiwan's 
judicial system. Last year, inmates in southern Taiwan used scissors 
from a workshop to take guards hostage. They broke into a prison 
armory to seize firearms, which six inmates used to kill themselves.
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