Man who killed himself in Fargo courtroom faced minimum of 7 years

FARGO, N.D. – Federal authorities say a man who killed himself inside the federal courthouse in Fargo after he was convicted for brandishing a weapon at a minor faced a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in prison and a maximum term of life.

Jurors had just departed the Fargo courtroom Monday when Jeffrey Sahl Ferris, 55, of Belcourt slashed his throat with what an FBI spokesman called “an easily concealable instrument.”

Ferris died after U.S. marshals and other court personnel attempted life-saving measures.

Federal sentencing guidelines would have helped determine the sentence for Ferris.