Aunts Say He Killed Twice for Inheritance. He'll Get It Anyway

New Hampshire judge dismisses case against Nathan Carman
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted May 10, 2019 1:01 PM CDT
Aunts Say He Killed Twice for Inheritance. He'll Get It Anyway
Nathan Carman speaks during a probate hearing in district court in Concord, NH, on April 3, 2018.   (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, Pool, File)

A Vermont man suspected by his aunts of murdering his mother and maternal grandfather is set to nab millions in inheritance money stemming from the two deaths. Valerie Santilli, Elaine Chakalos, and Charlene Gallagher sued in New Hampshire in 2017 in an effort to block Nathan Carman from getting his hands on up to $7 million. They describe "overwhelming" evidence that Carman fatally shot 87-year-old John Chakalos in 2013 and killed Linda Carman on a mother-son fishing trip in 2016, reports the Hartford Courant. He denies both allegations. His grandfather's death remains under investigation, and no charges have been brought in his mother's death. In a surprise move Friday, Sixth Circuit Court Probate Judge David King dismissed the aunts' challenge before the trial even began.

The judge ruled that Chakalos—who was born in New Hampshire and owned a residence there—actually lived in Connecticut. Chakalos "hated paying taxes and only intended to create the appearance, for tax purposes, that he was domiciled in New Hampshire," King wrote, overturning his own 2018 ruling. Carman had asked King to reconsider the ruling as he readied for a June trial, per the Union Leader. The Courant reports the dismissal "will in effect end any civil court efforts to keep Carman from getting any [inheritance] money." Still, the aunts' lawyer says "the family is thoroughly considering its options … to make sure that Nathan is held accountable for his lies, destruction of evidence and murderous conduct." (More on the case here and here.)

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