People cannot inherit assets from people they have killed, but there are exceptions.
“Slayer Statutes” have their limitations, according to the Wills, Trusts & Estates Prof Blog in “Court Determines that Slayer Statute is Not Applicable in Self-Defense Case.”
We have long had laws that are designed to prevent people from inheriting assets from people they have killed. These laws are known as “Slayer Statutes.”
They generally state that people cannot inherit from those they are responsible for killing.
In the case discussed in the article, it was not clear what led to the death of the holder of a life insurance policy. The sole beneficiary of the policy was involved in the death and had given conflicting statements.
The beneficiary was not convicted of murder and claimed self-defense.
The deceased’s sister sued to claim the policy, but the court decided that since there was some merit to the self-defense claim, the slayer statute did not apply.
Reference: Wills, Trusts & Estates Prof Blog (April 11, 2017) “Court Determines that Slayer Statute is Not Applicable in Self-Defense Case.”
