Tennessee has a statute which governs
whether an individual can inherit any property or recover any life insurance
from a deceased individual if they were responsible for killing that deceased
individual. T.C.A. §
31-1-106 provides as follows:
Any person who
kills, or conspires with another to kill, or procures to be killed, any other
person from whom the first named person would inherit the property, either real
or personal, or any part of the property, belonging to the deceased person at
the time of the deceased person's death, or who would take the property, or any
part of the property, by will, deed, or otherwise, at the death of the
deceased, shall forfeit all right in the property, and the property shall go as
it would have gone under § 31-2-104, or by will, deed or other conveyance, as
the case may be; provided, that this section shall not apply to any killing
done by accident or in self-defense.
It is important to note that this statute
does not apply to any killing that was done by accident or in
self-defense. However, any killing
beyond “accident” or “self-defense” prevents an individual from inheriting from
the deceased. It also prevents that
person from basically obtaining any benefit as a result of the deceased
individual's death as provided in this statute.
This would include obtaining property by Right of Survivorship in a joint
ownership situation.
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