RI RI - Linda Carman, 54, Point Judith, 18 Sept 2016 *SON ARRESTED, dies before trial*

[YESorNO]

Judge allows evidence Nathan Carman inheritance fight into boat insurance case

January 29, 2019

"PROVIDENCE -- A federal magistrate judge is allowing evidence from a New Hampshire case accusing Nathan Carman of slaying his mother and grandfather to be used in insurance companies’ legal quest to deny Carman’s claim for a sunken boat.

U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Patricia A. Sullivan on Tuesday agreed to allow Carman’s testimony from a New Hampshire case challenging his right to an $11-million inheritance to be used in the court battle over whether insurance companies must pay his $85,000 claim for the 31-foot aluminum Chicken Pox. That boat sank in September 2016 after it departed Ram Point Marina. While Carman was rescued a week later on a life raft, his mother, Linda, was never seen again and is presumed dead....

Sullivan on Tuesday allowed boat insurers -- National Liability & Fire Insurance Co. and the Boat Owners Association of The United States -- to get Carman’s sworn statements in that case as well as a Windsor, Conn., police investigation into the unsolved shooting death of his real estate developer grandfather, John Chakalos.

Sullivan, too, allowed the insurers to argue a “single scheme theory,” namely that the deaths of Chakalos and Linda Carman, the sinking of the boat and the disappearance of key evidence, such as the gun and the boat are all linked are evidence of Carman’s fraud. They allege that it was Carman who made faulty repairs that caused the boat to take on water and then failed to call for help."

Judge allows evidence Nathan Carman inheritance fight into boat insurance case

CT - John Chakalos, 87, Windsor, 20 December 2013 *Grandson arrested*
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[YESorNO]

New Hampshire judge sets new trial date in Nathan Carman case

FEB 14, 2019

"The trial pitting Nathan Carman against his three aunts, who are accusing him of killing his grandfather and his mother in a quest for money, is now set to begin in June.

Following a telephone conference call with the new lawyers for both sides, Probate Judge David King on Thursday set aside from June 10 to July 12 for the trial. King had reluctantly postponed the trial last month after the three sisters suddenly wanted to replace their Boston attorney and Carman got $150,000 from a trust fund to hire his own attorney....

Carman wasn’t involved in Thursday’s telephone conference, which included his new attorney — Cathy Green in Concord — and the three sisters’ new attorney, Michael Connolly. The next pre-trial hearing is scheduled for March 15....

Mistress Y has been deposed in the New Hampshire case and is expected to be called as a witness. Attorneys representing her have filed to intervene in the New Hampshire case in anticipation of that testimony."

New Hampshire judge sets new trial date in Nathan Carman case
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[YESorNO]

Insurers Seek to Deny Boat Owner’s Claim in Rhode Island Case

February 18, 2019

"The National Liability & Fire Insurance Co. and the Boat Owners Association of the United States are suing a Vermont man in federal court in Rhode Island and are seeking to deny his claim on an $85,000 policy for his boat after it sank near Cape Cod, Mass., during a 2016 trip with his mother...

The two insurance companies argued that criminal wrongdoing bars Carman’s insurance claim, as he allegedly made faulty repairs to the boat the day before it sank and knew it was unseaworthy, according to the Associated Press.

Carman has previously said he believed his boat was safe....

In a separate action, The AP reported Carman’s family filed a lawsuit in New Hampshire accusing him of killing his mother as well as his grandfather years earlier to collect an inheritance.

In the New Hampshire lawsuit, Carman is accused of being responsible for the 2013 shooting death of his 87-year-old grandfather, John Chakalos, a nursing home administrator and real estate developer, according to the AP.

The National Liability & Fire Insurance Co. has suggested that Carman may have thrown the gun used to kill his grandfather into the ocean....

In a Jan. 29, 2019, hearing, The Providence Journal reported that U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Patricia A. Sullivan agreed to allow Carman’s testimony from the New Hampshire case to be used in court proceedings over whether Carman’s insurance claim on his boat must be paid.

Sullivan allowed National Liability & Fire Insurance Co. and the Boat Owners Association of The United States to receive Carman’s sworn statements in that case as well as a Windsor, Conn., police investigation into the unsolved shooting death of Chakalos, the Providence Journal reported.

Carman has denied claims of wrongdoing and has never been charged with the death of his mother or grandfather...."

Insurers Seek to Deny Boat Owner's Claim in Rhode Island Case
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[YESorNO]

Vermonter accused of killing grandfather for money to be tried in June

Feb 19, 2019

"A probate court trial of Nathan Carman, the Vermont man accused of killing his millionaire grandfather for inheritance money, is now scheduled for June.

Carman's New Hampshire trial initially was scheduled in January . He has denied any role in his grandfather's shooting death in Connecticut in 2013. It's now scheduled to start June 10 and is expected to take three to four weeks...."

Vermonter accused of killing grandfather for money to be tried in June

 

[YESorNO]

20/20 Lost at Sea: The Story of Nathan Carman

Mar 9, 2017

 

[YESorNO]

Dead Wake
When rescuers found Nathan Carman after seven days at sea, his mother had vanished without a trace. But his past was about to resurface.

"Shortly after 11 p.m. on a warm Saturday in September 2016, 22-year-old Nathan Carman and his mother, Linda, untied their boat, the Chicken Pox, and set out for a night of fishing. They motored south through a salt-marsh pond off Narragansett Bay, past clapboard beach houses, lobster shacks, and rust-worn fishing trawlers, all painted by the light of a full moon. When they reached the edge of the inlet, they slipped through a narrow breachway into open water, and the Chicken Pox’s 300-horsepower engine roared to life. Minutes later, the candy-colored lights of the Rhode Island shoreline faded behind them.

Before leaving, Linda had texted a family friend that she and Nathan would be back by morning. But when they hadn’t returned by Sunday evening, the friend alerted the Coast Guard. Ships, helicopters, and planes immediately began scouring 82,000 square miles of ocean but found no sign of them. Around the docks and on maritime message boards, New England boaters shared theories about what had happened. Had the Chicken Pox collided with some unsurveyed shoal? Or suffered a catastrophic hull failure? Or encountered a massive rogue wave? People who had seen the boat before Nathan and Linda left said it was in good shape, and it was equipped with an emergency transmitter that could send a distress signal and location directly to the Coast Guard. How, in the age of GPS, had a vessel like the Chicken Pox vanished without a trace?..."

A Son Took His Mother Out Fishing. She Never Came Back.

 

[YESorNO]

Carman hires crack NH legal team in family fight over murdered millionaire grandfather's estate

Mar 26, 2019

"CONCORD — Nathan Carman, who will have to answer allegations in probate court this summer that he murdered his millionaire grandfather, has assembled a crack legal team — all members of one of the most prominent law firms in New Hampshire, Shaheen Gordon....

In last week’s order, Judge King also set the dates for what he anticipates will be an 18-day bench trial. It is scheduled to begin June 10 and run daily until July 12, with a one-week break that includes the Independence Day holiday...."

Carman hires crack NH legal team in family fight over murdered millionaire grandfather's estate
---

https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.tow...-5a30-8494-5b2fcf0b1cf1/5c9955b6289c0.pdf.pdf

 

[Spider92]

Mar 26, 2019
In last week’s order, Judge King also set the dates for what he anticipates will be an 18-day trial. It is scheduled to begin June 10 and run daily until July 12, with a one-week break that includes the Independence Day holiday...."


https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.tow...-5a30-8494-5b2fcf0b1cf1/5c9955b6289c0.pdf.pdf[/QUOTE]
I'm glad I won't be on that jury.
I suppose the burden of proof is lower in a civil case as compared to criminal?

 

[YESorNO]

Judge to reconsider home of late grandfather in Carman case

April 23, 2019

"CONCORD, N.H. — A New Hampshire probate judge is going to reconsider whether the court has jurisdiction over the estate of the millionaire grandfather of a Vermont man accused by relatives of shooting him to death in Connecticut in 2013.

Earlier this month, Nathan Carman, of Vernon, Vermont, argued in court documents that the estate of his grandfather John Chakalos was limited to one-half interest of a New Hampshire condominium.

The judge had earlier rejected a similar argument by Carman that his grandfather was a Connecticut resident, but Carman argued that new evidence provided by Chakalos' former estate planner shows otherwise.

The records "show that Mr. Chakalos spent nearly every day in Connecticut, regularly eating meals there, but rarely doing so in New Hampshire," said Carman's April 3 filing, originally filed under seal...."

Judge to reconsider home of late grandfather in Carman case

 

[YESorNO]

Nathan Carman asks judge to reconsider whether his murdered grandfather was really a New Hampshire resident

APR 29, 2019

"Nathan Carman is hoping that credit card receipts belonging to his murdered grandfather that show he spent way more time in Windsor than in New Hampshire will convince a judge to dismiss the petition filed by his aunts just a month before a trial is to begin.

One of Carman’s new attorneys has filed a motion with Probate Judge David King arguing that new information that wasn’t previously available when the judge first addressed the issue of John Chakalos’ residency could sway him to change his ruling....

The sisters’ attorneys submitted three pieces of evidence to show that John Chakalos was a New Hampshire resident – a valid driver’s license, the fact he was registered to vote in West Chesterfield and that his will had been filed there in 2014 without challenge.

...King scheduled Monday’s hearing because “new, potentially dispositive information that bears on this court’s jurisdiction that likely wasn’t available to either party has since come to light.”

That evidence includes all of John Chakalos’ business and credit card records from 2013 which show that Chakalos spent roughly six days a week in Windsor in the house where he was murdered and only one day a week in West Chesterfield, where the family owns a home.

The credit cards records show he ate lunch and dinner out almost every day in Connecticut restaurants...."

Nathan Carman asks judge to reconsider whether his murdered grandfather was really a New Hampshire resident

 

[YESorNO]

Spofford Hall demolition plan could have fall hearing

April 29, 2019

"CHESTERFIELD, N.H. — The owners of the former Spofford Hall are preparing an application for a demolition permit for the mold-infested, 90,000-square-foot building that was once a substance abuse rehabilitation center.

"They will need a demolition permit through the town's code enforcement officer," James Corliss, the chairman of the Chesterfield Planning Board told the Reformer on Friday. "It's like a building permit in reverse."...

"Jim stated this is a long process and will he probably not be back to the Planning Board until August or September with the preliminary plans," said Jon McKeon, chairman of the Chesterfield Board of Selectmen.

The fate of Spofford Hall, which was shuttered in 1995, had been on hold for a number of years....

Spofford Hall was built in 1980 by John Chakalos, of Windsor, Conn., where Nine A LLC is located. Chakalos, who also had a home in Chesterfield, was shot dead in his Windsor home on Dec. 20, 2013. His grandson, Nathan Carman, of Vernon, was named by the Windsor Police Department as the main suspect in Chakalos' death, but prosecutors returned unsigned an arrest warrant.

Carman's three aunts have also accused him of killing his mother, Linda Carman, when his boat, the Chicken Pox, went down in deep water off the coast of Block Island in September 2016.

The aunts have filed a so-called "slayer petition" with New Hampshire Probate Court, which is adjudicating the status of the Chakalos estate, arguing that because he is responsible for the death of his mother and grandfather, Carman should not receive any of the proceeds from the estate of his grandfather. His portion of that estate is estimated to be $7 million."

Spofford Hall demolition plan could have fall hearing

(Reformer File Photo Spofford Hall, once a rehabilitation center, on Route 9A, may soon be demolished to make room for a five-home cluster development on Spofford Lake.)

 

[YESorNO]

NH judge dismisses 'slayer' suit against Nathan Carman (with clip)
Carman's attorney claimed his grandfather was actually a resident of Connecticut, not New Hampshire where the lawsuit was filed, and the judge agreed.

May 10th 2019

"CONCORD, N.H. (WLNE) - A New Hampshire probate judge dismissed the lawsuit against Nathan Carman this week – leaving him eligible for his $7 million inheritance.

"There are a lot of obstacles to overcome here to prevent him from getting the $7 million in spite of the fact that the circumstances in both cases are very suspect – very, very suspect," explained ABC 6 Legal Analyst Ken Schreiber....

The aunts filed a 'slayer' petition in New Hamsphire court to keep Carman from getting his mother's inheritance because they believe he killed their father....

Schreiber says it doesn't leave his aunts with too many ways to keep him from getting the money.

"There's nothing in Connecticut to stop him except an actual criminal murder charge," said Schreiber. "What we do know is New Hampshire is out of the picture."

Carman has not been criminally charged in either death.

His aunts said in a statement they are disappointed in the judge's decision and they plan to explore what other options they have in New Hampshire and Connecticut to hold their nephew accountable...."

NH judge dismisses 'slayer' suit against Nathan Carman

 

[YESorNO]

Carman decision reveals NH residency law conflicts

May 11, 2019

"...A judge’s surprising ruling comes thanks to the complexity, if not inherent contradictions, of New Hampshire residency laws....

The decision is all the more eye-turning especially to conservatives who two years ago beefed up voter registration requirements aimed largely at out-of-state college students starting in 2020.

“This has thrown all residency into chaos,” said former Senate Majority Leader and lobbyist Bob Clegg who’s defended Gov. Chris Sununu signing the law change that went all the way up to the Supreme Court last fall.

“The decision now appears to allow every person who winters in a warmer climate to be challenged at the voting polls as non-citizens. It also calls into question certain tax exemptions from elderly or veteran which can only be granted to residents.”..."

Carman decision reveals NH residency law conflicts

 

[YESorNO]

New Hampshire Judge will not reconsider lawsuit against Middletown native Nathan carman (with clip)

May 31, 2019

"(WTNH) - A New Hampshire judge will not reconsider a lawsuit against a Middletown native accused by relatives of killing his wealthy grandfather for inheritance money.

The judge threw out the suit filed by his aunts against Nathan Carman earlier this month, ruling the case was not in his jurisdiction...."

New Hampshire Judge will not reconsider lawsuit against Middletown native Nathan carman

 

[YESorNO]

Nathan Carman lawsuit in R.I. slated for trial in August

June 18, 2019

"Nathan Carman, the Vermont man at the center of separate probes into the murder of his wealthy grandfather and disappearance of his mother at sea, now has a trial date in a pending Rhode Island lawsuit tied to his mother’s presumed death.

The lawsuit filed against Carman, 25, by the insurer of his sunken boat is scheduled to go to trial Aug. 12 in US District Court in Providence, records show....

The insurer wants to block Carman’s $85,000 claim on the sunken vessel, alleging that Carman made alterations to the boat in a deliberate attempt to sink it with his mother on board. Carman denies intentionally harming his mother and has said through counsel that the sinking was accidental...."

Nathan Carman lawsuit in R.I. slated for trial in August - The Boston Globe

 

[YESorNO]

Fishing boat captain’s report challenges Nathan Carman’s account of his sinking boat, mother’s disappearance, escape by raft

JUL 18, 2019

"A fishing boat captain’s report could cast doubt on Nathan Carman’s account of where his boat, the Chicken Pox, sank in waters off Block Island, his mother was lost, and he clambered into a fluorescent orange inflatable raft and began eight days of drifting before his rescue in September 2016.

Alex Aucoin, captain of the 82-foot Prudence, an offshore lobster vessel, said in court papers filed Wednesday his crew was fishing in a spot on the same day and within a few miles of where Carman reported going down and did not see any sign of a sinking boat, a raft or anyone in distress...

Aucoin’s statement is contained in a 58-page document filed by insurance companies seeking to deny Carman’s $85,000 claim for his sunken boat. The proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law was filed ahead of a trial set for next month before U.S. District Judge William Smith in Providence.

The Prudence’s automatic identification system places the vessel in the area known as Block Canyon “on the very day Carman claims to have sunk there and … confirms Prudence was within a few miles of where Carman says he was trolling. Aucoin did not see the boat or a life raft that day in Block Canyon,” the document says.

In an interview Thursday, Aucoin, 36, of North Kingston, R.I., said he spoke to an insurance company lawyer on the phone, and a face to face meeting was planned soon.

He said he didn’t know Carman and only knew of his story from media accounts. Aucoin was asked if the fact that he saw no sign of the boat or raft on what was a clear day with miles of visibility discredited Carman’s account in his mind.

“That’s for a jury to decide,” Aucoin said...."

Fishing boat captain’s report challenges Nathan Carman’s account of his sinking boat, mother’s disappearance, escape by raft

 

[YESorNO]

Judge won’t allow testimony about the murder of Nathan Carman’s grandfather at upcoming federal trial

AUG 08, 2019

"A Rhode Island federal judge Thursday ruled that evidence regarding the murder of John Chakalos will not be allowed into testimony next week when the trial over Nathan Carman’s insurance claim for his lost boat goes to trial.

The trial is scheduled to start Tuesday and lawyers for the insurance companies have been gathering evidence and were prepared to try and show that Carman murdered Chakalos — his grandfather — in December 2013 as part of a scheme to inherit $7 million from the estate. The second part of that alleged scheme was the sinking of his boat in September 2016 with his mother Linda Carman on board. She has never been found.

But in a teleconference call Thursday, U. S. District Judge John J. McConnell narrowed the scope of the trial and ruled that no testimony about the Windsor murder will be admitted....

Linda Carman was lost at sea in September 2016 while tuna fishing with her son off the coast of Long Island in an area known as Block Canyon. Carman told authorities that the boat started taking on water and sank quickly and that he managed to jump onto a life raft — but that he didn’t see what happened to his mother.

Carman didn’t activate the emergency beacon on his boat, despite having opportunity to do so. He was rescued eight days later by a freighter that saw his raft floating about 600 miles off Martha’s Vineyard.

Carman has admitted to making changes to the boat the day before the ill-fated voyage, including removing the boat’s “trim tabs," which are critical for navigation. After the sinking, the insurance company denied his claim, arguing that the changes made the boat unseaworthy and it sank because of Carman’s actions.

Farrell is prepared to call experts who will testify that Carman’s story is false....

Court documents also show that a Woods Hole oceanographer emeritus, Richard Limeburner, will testify that ocean current and wind data and information from weather buoys and other sources contradict Carman’s account of an eight-day drift and that based on tide information he wouldn’t have drifted toward Martha’s Vineyard if the boat sank where he said it did...."

Judge won’t allow testimony about the murder of Nathan Carman’s grandfather at upcoming federal trial


CT - John Chakalos, 87, Windsor, 20 December 2013 *Grandson arrested*

 

[YESorNO]

Nathan Carman boat case heads to trial Tuesday

Aug 10, 2019

"PROVIDENCE — It’s a legal battle over an $85,000 insurance claim for a sunken boat, but the fiercely litigated case is about so much more. It encompasses allegations of murder, fraud and deceit that have pitted family members against each other.

Tuesday marks the first day of the trial before U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell Jr. over insurance companies’ refusal to cover Nathan Carman’s claim for the 31-foot aluminum boat Chicken Pox, which sank in September 2016 after leaving Ram Point Marina in South Kingstown....

McConnell issued an order Friday specifying that he would not be trying, at least initially, counts that allege intentional acts by Carman. The judge is also not allowing evidence regarding either the shooting death of Carman’s grandfather, John Chakalos in 2013, or questions about whether Carman caused the death of his mother.

The court will, however, be trying four counts focusing on whether Carman’s alleged removal of the bulkhead and trim tabs, and his repair of transom holes to determine if those acts invalidated the insurance contract by increasing the risk that the boat would sink without the insurers’ knowledge. In addition, McConnell, who is trying the case without a jury, will consider Carman’s allegations that the insurance companies are breaching their contract....

The police have identified Carman as “a person of interest” in the 2013 shooting death of his millionaire grandfather, a real estate developer, but no one has been charged. Carman has vigorously denied he had anything to do with the death...."

Nathan Carman boat case heads to trial Tuesday

 

[Bodhi]

Thank you for the updates to both threads, YESorNO.

 

[YESorNO]

Thank you for the updates to both threads, YESorNO.