Spanish prison authorities killed a man who shot and wounded four people in December and was subsequently injured in a shootout with police, leaving him paralyzed and pleading to be allowed to die while awaiting trial.
Courts allowed the man to die after several appeals were rejected by his victims, who said he should face justice. The case reached the Constitutional Court, which refused to deliberate on it, saying that there was no violation of basic rights.
Spain legalized euthanasia just over a year ago. Before that, helping someone end their life was a prison sentence of up to 10 years. According to El País newspaper, in the year since the law came into effect on June 25, 2021, at least 172 people have used the right to assisted dying.
Marin Eugene Sabo, 46, shot three of his colleagues in the security company where he was working in the northeastern city of Tarragona, then wounded a police officer while on the run.
Barricaded in a house with an arsenal of weapons, a tactical police unit stormed the building, shooting Sabo several times.
He was quadriplegic, one of his legs was amputated, and the wounds caused chronic pain that could not be cured with painkillers due to his fragile condition, which he said made his continued existence unbearable.
A court in Tarragona ruled that it was Sabo’s primary right to demand euthanasia given the circumstances.
Spanish news agency EFE reported that prison authorities confirmed Sabao’s death on Tuesday.
Prison authorities were not available for comment and Sabao’s lawyer did not wish to comment.
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