Often, economics and ease of sale dictate scrap vs. sell.
A cursory look at the P210s on Controller shows most of them at roughly 3k TTAF. The cheapest list price for one with over 6k and a mid time engine is $145k.
A scrap yard was likely willing to pay him equal or more as what he could sell his plane for to an individual, without the scrutiny of all the work he did to it over the years, haggling, etc.
When I sold the Aztec to the A&P school, they offered me more money than any person. But the scrap yards were #2 behind the A&P school, and they were just going to hand me a check when I delivered the plane to them. Also, when you've had such grand adventures with a plane (as I did with my venerable F-350 of the skies) and you know a future pilot wouldn't do the same, there is some comfort to letting your friend retire on a high note.
I like the P210 as a concept, but it definitely needs some help with the engine and accessories. Piper did a much better job with the Malibu.
It rather surprises me that Cirrus hasn't come out with an SR22TP (lettering intentional), but who knows - maybe that'll be the G6 or G7? They already advertise flying in the mid teens or low flight levels, where even a modest 4 psi would allow comfortable removal of the cannulas.