A New Hampshire judge on Friday put off a decision on whether to dismiss a lawsuit accusing a Vermont man of killing his millionaire grandfather and possibly his mother for the inheritance money.
The lawsuit accused Nathan Carman of playing a role in the 2013 shooting death of 87-year-old real estate developer John Chakalos in Connecticut. No one has been arrested and the case remains unsolved. He also has been questioned about the day his boat sank last year near Rhode Island. His mother somehow went overboard and is presumed dead.
Carman has denied any involvement in either case and he wants the lawsuit dismissed.
His attorney argues that Carman and his grandfather weren't residents of New Hampshire at the time of the elderly man's death.
Attorneys for the sisters also are calling for additional documents related to the case to remain sealed. They argued in court that the documents could impede the investigation and bring unwanted media attention to anyone named in them.
The judge ruled more discovery is needed for the motion to dismiss, but no date has been set for that hearing.
"It’s clear there are holes, not just in Nathan’s boat, but in Nathan’s story. Nathan bought a $3,000 assault rifle, the same caliber used to murder John Chakalos. He refused to tell the police about it, he refused to tell the Court in Rhode Island until Court ordered and he refused to tell the Court here in New Hampshire, claiming in his response filing that he was ‘without knowledge.’ How does a clever, calculating person like Nathan buy a $3,000 assault weapon, lose it, and then forget about it? There are still, too many questions without answers and too many answers without justice," stated Dan Small, Holland & Knight LLP, and Attorney for The Chakalos Family.
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In July, the sisters filed a lawsuit in New Hampshire accusing Carman of killing Chakalos and possibly Carman's mother. They've asked a judge to block Carman from collecting money from his grandfather's estate. Chakalos left more than $29 million to his four daughters, including Carman's mother Linda, and $7 million of that money could go to Carman.
Neither Carman nor the sisters of his mother, Linda Carman appeared in court on Friday.
