American Kills Himself in Taiwan Court Upon Drug Conviction

BEIJING (AP) — Taiwan says an American man killed himself by slashing his neck with a scissor blade inside a courtroom after being given a four-year sentence on drugs charges.

The official Central News Agency said 41-year-old Tyrel Martin Marhanka was rushed to a hospital where he was pronounced dead Thursday.

Marhanka had been indicted in March for growing opium and marijuana at a rented site in Changhua county in central Taiwan.

CNA said Marhanka told investigators he was growing the plants purely for his own consumption. The American had been teaching English and was living in Changhua with his Taiwanese wife and two children.