Florida Slayer Statute: Woman Murders Her Husband For Inheritance
It is shocking what some people will do for money. As John Pankauski, managing partner at Pankauski Hauser PLLC, states in Pankauski Probate Litigation Guide: Top 10 Probate Mistakes Revealed, “your family is going to fight over your wealth: when you’re gone and – perhaps – while you’re still alive.” On January 26, 2017 The Olive Press reports that a Ukrainian lap dancer allegedly plotted the murder of her millionaire husband in order to inherit his wealth.Did her husband have a proper estate plan in place? Does his wife inherit under his will? Can his wife still inherit if she is found guilty of murdering him?
Murder & Inheritance in West Palm Beach, Florida
What does murder have to do with West Palm Beach trust and estates litigation? Under Florida probate law, how can murder affect inheritance?A Florida wills lawyer can tell you that Florida statutes section 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 estate?Wouldn’t that, perhaps, tempt greedy beneficiaries to commit murder?
Here, according to the media, Julianne Moore allegedly arranged to have her husband, Barry Pring, killed. The couple was out for their anniversary. She told her husband to wave down a taxi, went back into the restaurant because she supposedly forgot something, and a stolen car hit and killed him. Pring is said to have been a millionaire and owned five properties. Pring’s estate is not a Florida estate. However, if this case was a Florida case, and Moore was found guilty of murdering Pring, the Slayer Statute would prevent her from inheriting. To read the entire article click here.