Man who killed ex by injecting her with cyanide starts foaming in court forcing judge to delay his sentencing
The sentencing of a 31-year-old man who was convicted of poisoning his ex-girlfriend with cyanide has been postponed after he was wheeled into the courtroom foaming at the mouth and unresponsive on December 5. Joseph Merlino III was brought into the courtroom reclined in a gurney-style wheelchair and was covered with a blanket. He was seen shaking from side to side while sitting in the courtroom. A jail doctor then testified that Merlino may have been suffering from a mental condition that was brought on by stress.
WTKR News 3 reported that Judge Les Lilley made the decision to postpone the sentencing until December 10. The prosecutors are going to look to determine if they can proceed with the case without Merlino being there to participate. Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Mario Lorello said after the incident: "This came out of nowhere. We didn't find out about it until this morning."