Photo: Boston Globe
A Vermont man has been charged with killing his mother as part of a scheme to receive a $7 million inheritance. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Vermont announced that Nathan Carman, 28, was being charged with murder on the high seas and several counts of fraud.
Prosecutors said that Carman killed his mother Linda and sunk his boat during a fishing trip off the coast of Rhode Island in 2016. After his ship sunk, Carman supposedly spent eight days adrift at seat until he was rescued by a Chinese freighter about 100 nautical miles south of Martha's Vineyard.
He claimed that his boat began taking on water and that his mother vanished during the chaos. Her body was never recovered.
Authorities disputed his claims that it was an accident, citing testimony from witnesses who claimed he made faulty repairs to the 31-foot vessel before setting out. They also noted that he brought "emergency" food and water with him.
The charging documents also say that he fatally shot his grandfather, John Chakalos, in 2013, though he was not charged in that killing. Prosecutors noted that Carman committed both murders so he could receive a large inheritance. When Chakalos died, his $42 million estate was split among his four daughters.
When Carman's mother died, he was set to inherit an estimated $7 million. In 2018, his sisters filed a lawsuit accusing him of killing his mother and grandfather in an attempt to block him from receiving the money.
If Carman is convicted of murder on the high seas, he will spend the rest of his life behind bars. The fraud charges carry a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison.