Can You Still Inherit From Your Grandfather’s Florida Estate if You are Convicted of Murdering Him?

In Florida, can a murderer inherit from his or her murder victim? What is Florida’s Slayer Statute? What does it have to do with Florida probate litigation or Palm Beach trust litigation? If I murder my spouse, can I still inherit from him or her? If I murder my family member in Palm Beach, will I inherit his or her millions of dollars? What do Florida inheritance laws have to do with murder?

A probate attorney in West Palm Beach can tell you that Florida Statute 732.802, also known as the Slayer Statute, bars a convicted murderer from benefitting under a will of the decedent that he or she murdered. This makes sense! Why should a person who kills another person be able to inherit from the victim’s Florida estate? Wouldn’t that, perhaps, tempt greedy beneficiaries to commit murder? On July 17, 2017, ABC News reported about a man who allegedly, according to his aunts, murdered his grandfather for an inheritance. Furthermore, he may have had something to do with his mom’s death, as well.   The alleged murderer, Nathan Carman, was the last known person to see his grandfather alive. Furthermore, Carman was rescued after seven days at sea. His mother, who had been on the boat with him, was never to be found. Did he kill his family members so that he could inherit their wealth?Attorneys for his aunts  filed a petition that alleges he killed his grandfather “out of malice and greed”. The petition also requests that the probate court “block the sizeable inheritance he now stands to gain.”   Will his aunts be able to successfully keep Carman from his inheritance even though he has not yet been convicted of the murder? What if Carman is found to be innocent by a jury? Does the slayer statute only prevent CONVICTED murderers from inheriting from their victims? To read the entire article, click here.