Michael Marin was the very image of a powerhouse lawyer: a Yale Law School graduate who went on to find success as a Wall Street trader who climbed Mount Everest, collected valuable art works and supported charities. The bon vivant seemed to be living the life of legend until he was charged with burning down his own Biltmore Estates mansion in Arizona. Shortly after being convicted of arson in court, Marin was seen putting something in his mouth. He promptly collapsed and died.
The terrible scene was the end of a bizarre downward spiral that prosecutors insist was caused by Marin’s growing debts. Marin was in the news when he made a remarkable escape from his burning mansion by donning scuba gear to avoid smoke inhalation and climbing down a rope ladder. Investigators were suspicious and eventually accused him of setting numerous fires before setting up the daring exit.
Marin denied that allegations and insisted “One, you don’t set fire to something that you’re in and then go trap yourself upstairs to make a more dramatic exit. The second thing, if you bore into my finances, this was the worst thing that could have happened to me. Not only did I not have any incentive personally, I totally had a counter-incentive. The Phoenix Fire Department people will figure out what they figure out.”
The fire destroyed the 10,766 square foot property, including a four-car garage and about 6,600 square feet of living space. Marin, 53, was the father of four and grandfather of two (with a third on the way).
Marin often discussed his adventures in jungles and mountains, saying “I’m very calm under pressure, and I’ve certainly been tested in that way.” Marin often discussed how he scaled six of the world’s seven tallest mountains. He also was an art collector who had original Picassos.
He certainly showed remarkable composure in the process of poisoning himself — hiding the fact of his poisoning to the last minute.
It is a remarkably sad end to someone who had obvious talent and success in life. His finances had clearly evaporated. In 2008, he had $900,000 in the bank. A year later he had only $50 left in the account with a monthly mortgage payment on the mansion of $17,250 and an upcoming balloon payment of $2.3 million. He also owed another $2,500 a month on a different home — bringing the total to roughly $20,000 a month just in mortgage with another $34,000 owed in taxes.
The fire investigator was suspicious by how readily available the scuba equipment was at the time of the fire.
Here is the video of the courtroom scene:
Source: ABC
Woosty’s still a Cat 1, July 2, 2012 at 11:35 am
Dredd,
that was a 2 hankie low blow…..
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It had that effect on me too …
Woosty,
from the article: “The divorced father of four clung to his prized possessions: 18 etchings by Pablo Picasso, which were safe in his Gilbert, Ariz., home at the time of the Phoenix fire. ”
I ask, too, why didn’t he sell the Picasso etchings?
Being successful when everything is going your way is one thing. Being able to successfully deal with c… when it’s coming your way is something else entirely. Apparently he could deal only with success and couldn’t find his way out of failure.
Dredd,
that was a 2 hankie low blow…..
I don’t understand how his destroying his own property would be a felony, in the first place. Only if the insurance paid him off would it be a crime, and then, it would be fraud, right? The insurance would not have to pay him off it it determined that he was the cause of the fire.
This case baffles me. Why don’t ordinary principles apply to this case?
Whenever I see a case in which ordinary principles do not apply, I suspect a lot more than a wacko rich guy doing crazy stuff to deal with debt.
I wish Mr. Marin could have seen this video so he might have changed his mind: http://youtu.be/Fk1xUcCxayQ
Bigger scandal than Fast and Furious….Vance v. Rumsfeld whistle blowers reported on gun running in Iraq…have torture suit against Bush Rumsfeld
… http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-7th-circuit/1576930.html …
suicide is an ugly angry selfish thing to do period. It will totally victimize the family he left behind. Why didn’t he sell his Picassos? (did they get burned up too?) Why let $$$ rule so???
…and I’m not watching your (can’t remember the street name….) death-flick either…..SNUFF FILM…. ! which is what that vid sounds like when you look at the usurious mortgage mess he was in and given that the banks are seeming to give even the Mafia a good name these days….
Mr. Turley…can you advise me on this??
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington(CREW) and National Security Archive(NSA) filed a suit against the EOP for email and records…and the judge ordered a settlement…. http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/news/20091214/index.htm …
my case against the EOP was for emails and documents during the same time period as CREWS and NSAs suit, but the judge ruled against me….is the judiciary subject to political manipulation…see my suit on FBI wiretapping the Supreme Court… w.voinche v. FBI, 940 F.Supp. 323(DDC 1996)….no this is Amerika….
Having read about conditions in AZ prisons, I’d take the poison.
When you watch the video he obviously did take something. I know some people think it is cowardly and I do not mean to glamorize it or support it but it takes nerves of steel to do what he did knowing he would be facing terrible consequences as it worked, or worse even, if it didnt.
Too much ego is a terrible thing. Especially when one finds out that one’s abilities in all things don’t match.
What Frankly said.
For a guy who claims he worked well under pressure, he seemed to flunk his exam. Sad.
So the guy pissed away a million dollars in a year, he went on very expensive adventures to far away places which means he was gone long periods of time. When did this genius ever work for a living? And now the gutless coward has left his family with all the debt and all the legal entanglements with no support from him.
Just to continue the ghoulishness:
Movie just released to rentamovie stores titled “Margin Call”.
Ring a bell?
I wonder if he blogged here?
Any handles gone away recently?
” he had $900,000 in the bank. A year later he had only $50 left in the account ”
That is something I don’t think anyone can comprehend from the outside looking in,and from the inside looking out its the same thing.
idealist707 1, July 2, 2012 at 8:43 am
…
What was he facing for time?
…
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“He faced up to 16 years in prison.”
Good thing he wasn’t a pyro-protesting Buddhist, he would have burned the courtroom too when he set fire to himself.
I assume he had no equity in the house to recover instead of arson. What was he facing for time?
Does life insurance ever pay out on a suicide?
How could suicide be a way out?
Tragic.
OMG…..