PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The mother of a 43-year-old man found dead outside City Hall in downtown said Wednesday that she found peace after hearing from the man who killed her son.
Diane Sundin sat in court and listened as killer Andrew Metzner made his apology for killing Marc Sundin on Oct. 16, 2014.
She said she found peace with his statement.
“I can tell that your heart is hurting, too,” Diane Sundin said.
Given a chance to address the court, Sundin did so gracefully while fighting back emotions that finally came out as she played a voicemail she saved from her son.
“This is Marc, leaving you a message. I sent the package. And you should get your stuff 2 to 3 business days, so get it by Friday. OK? Ah. Hope all is well. God is good and Jesus is his Lord. Just remember that. He takes care of us. OK, well I gotta get going and send some more stuff out, send Dad a birthday card and whatnot. Enjoy the Monday. Have a nice evening, mom. Talk to you later. Bye.”
As she listened to the message play, her hands started to shake. Her eyes filled with tears.
“I just wanted you to hear it because that was a wonderful human being,” she said looking at Metzner.
Diane Sundin said her son was full of life. He enjoyed cooking so much he made it his career.
“Many people don’t even know what life is about, but Marc had a good idea,” she said.
The crime
A federal officer on patrol found Marc Sundin’s body around 2:30 a.m. across from Portland City Hall. Paramedics determined he was stabbed.
Andrew Metzner was arrested and originally indicted with one count each of murder, first-degree assault, third-degree assault and unlawful use of a weapon.
On Wednesday, Metzner changed his plea to guilty to one count of first-degree manslaughter and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Sundin was walking to home to his family’s condo in the KOIN Center that morning. He got to the 7-Eleven store on SW 4th Avenue and ran into Metzner and Wesley Lawrence Curtis. There was a shouting match but Deputy DA Nicole Jergovic said it’s “not entirely clear what the verbal altercation was really about.”
Security cameras caught the altercation and the video was sent to a forensic expert to improve the quality.
On that tape, Metzner and Sundin exchanged words. Sundin swung and hit Metzner, who then swung with his fist as he held a knife.
Curtis did not take part in the fight, though he was armed with two weapons – a knife and a homemade slingshot.
Metzner defense
Defense attorney Ernest Warren Jr. said Metzner “misperceive the situation that occurred.”
“He didn’t even believe when the detective came to interview him that he had done the fatal blow,” Warren said.
Metzner moved to Oregon in 2013 after becoming filled with emotional pain, Warren said. “As we know, when people are filled with emotional pain, or physiological pain, what happens is they start self-medicating,” he said.
Metzner, who graduated with a degree in computer science, lost his job at a bicycle factory in Vancouver, became homeless and ended up under the Hawthorne Bridge, then turned to heroin as a source of self-medication.
“I apologize to all the family members and all the friends of Marc,” Metzner told the court. As he was speaking, he turned around and addressed Sudin’s mother.
“It really hurts me so much that I did this,” he said. “I realize now that I found God and it’s because of Marc.”
Wesley Curtis pleaded guilty to 2 counts of unlawful use of a weapon and was sentenced to 3 years of probation. He was immediately released from custody May 21.