Foaming at the mouth, cyanide killer's sentencing is delayed

Published December 05, 2018

The sentencing hearing for a Virginia man who poisoned his former girlfriend with a cyanide injection has been postponed because he was unresponsive and foaming at the mouth when he was wheeled into a Virginia Beach court.

The Virginian-Pilot reports that Joseph Merlino III was rocking from side to side in a gurney type of wheel chair on Wednesday. A jail doctor said Merlino might be suffering from a mental condition caused by stress.

Judge Les Lilley delayed the sentencing until Monday.

A jury convicted Merlino of first-degree murder in June for killing Ellie Tran in 2017. They recommended a life sentence.

Merlino had gone on a hunger strike about two months before his trial began and lost about 40 pounds. The strike ended shortly after the trial did.

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Information from: The Virginian-Pilot, http://pilotonline.com

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