Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in California

Can a murderer inherit from the mother he killed?

I am French (sister #2)and I live in the U.S. My 2 sisters (#1 and #4) live in France. Sister #3 was killed in France by her own son.

My step-mother died and left a life insurance to #1, #2, #3, and #4, respecitively.

My 2 sisters do not want my nephew, the murderer, to inherit any money. They want the money divided into 3 parts (the surviving sisters, named in the contract. Is this possible? What is the U.S. law about this, and what is the French law if you happen to know it?


Asked on 6/26/00, 6:43 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
WILLIAM BRANDWEIN WILLIAM A. BRANDWEIN, A PROFESSIONAL LAW CORP.

Re: Can a murderer inherit from the mother he killed?

While each state in the US could be different, it's almost universal in the US that a murderer can't inherit from the person he or she murdered. I'm only familiar with California, Ohio, and Illinois laws, and that's the law in those jurisdictions. As to France, I have no knowledge. Also, the insurance contract may shed some light on this.

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Answered on 9/05/00, 4:44 pm


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