Man Commits Suicide by Crucifixion

A man found dead, nailed to a cross in an abandoned quarry in South Korea wearing only underpants and a crown of thorns, committed suicide by crucifixion unaided, investigators have concluded. Police say the 58-year-old taxi driver apparently nailed his feet to the cross while standing on a small footrest before stabbing himself in the side and piercing his hands with a power drill. With his chest lashed to the cross, he then slipped his pierced hands over nails.

Forensic experts reconstructed the man's death using notes he had left at the scene. Neighbors described the man, who was found a week after Easter, as a religious fanatic, the Korea Times reports. "We believe that deep religious faith made it possible to carry out the series of extraordinary actions involving extreme pain," police said, adding that the cause of death was suffocation and blood loss from the wound in his side. (More crucifix stories.)