By Julia La Roche
A former Wall Street trader and Yale-educated attorney, who was convicted of arson yesterday for burning down his Phoenix mansion, appeared to pop a pill after hearing the guilty verdict in court and died minutes later, according to Fox 10 News in Phoenix via New York Daily News.
Michael James Marin, who once reached the summit of Mount Everest, was convicted in Maricopa County Superior Court “of arson of an occupied structure” after setting his $3.5 million Biltmore Estates mansion on fire because he could no longer pay his $17,500 monthly mortgage, according to media reports.
At the time, he was reportedly found outside the home wearing a SCUBA gear after escaping from the second-floor.
The video in court shows Marin appearing to swallow something after hearing the jury read the verdict.
Moments later he started having convulsions and was pronounced dead before he arrived at the hospital, the reports said.
Maricopa County authorities told Fox 10 News they can’t verify the cause of death until the toxicology report results come out.
The New York Daily News points out that the crime would have put Marin away for about 16 years.