A SC woman murdered both of her 20 something sons, her ex-husband who lived next door, and her step-mother. She tried to blame the crime on her oldest, murdered son. She was the beneficiary of insurance policies on the victims in the amount of $680K. She had previously killed an alleged intruder and kept 3 guns in the house. She recently plead guilty but mentally ill and was sentenced to life in prison.
What are the estate planning and other issues in this crime?
1. The killer is precluded from inheriting under the state slayer statute which prevents a murderer from benefiting financially from her crime.
2. Without valid wills, the sons’ policies will benefit their grandparents, or aunts and uncles if the grandparents are deceased.
3. If a mother takes out a large life insurance policy on a child, the child should sleep with one eye open.
4. It is never a good idea to live next door to a mentally ill ex-wife, much less one who has already killed a man and who has a life insurance policy on one’s life.