May 18, 2022 / Press
Jessica Babrick Quoted in Wealth Management Article About Man Accused of Killing Mother, Grandfather to Inherit Family Estate
Jessica Babrick was quoted extensively in a Wealth Management article detailing how a Vermont man named Nathan Carman allegedly murdered his mother and grandfather in hopes of inheriting the family’s vast fortune.
The article notes that Carman struggled with mental health issues during childhood, but he elected to stop treatment once he reached adulthood. Jessica shares how some estate plans incorporate contingency gifts as a way to mitigate such scenarios and encourage certain behaviors, and notes that as long as they align with public policy and there’s a practical mechanism for their enforcement, these gifts are usually upheld.
“It’s not uncommon to require a child to finish college or remain drug-free to receive a bequest from a trustor. Here, there could have been language that required Nathan to receive a certain amount of counseling on an annual or monthly basis to receive his gift,” Jessica explained. “Another option would be to require Nathan to submit to annual exams by a physiologist or psychiatrist and have the report provided to the trustee to determine whether the mental health requirements are met.”
Jessica also notes that “if Nathan is found guilty of murdering his mother, there are statutes to prevent him from receiving any inheritance either as an heir of her estate or as a beneficiary of her trust.”