Attorney Explains Will of Late John Chakolos

John Chakalos was a real estate mogul who left behind tens of millions of dollars in assets.

His four daughters, including Linda Carman of Middletown, are named as beneficiaries, along with a trust.

Unlike the will, the details of that trust can remain private.

NBC Connecticut Troubleshooters asked Hartford attorney John Gale to review Chakalos' will and estate. Gale is in no way connected to these records or Chakalos' heirs.

"I can see from what has been filed here, indeed the executor found what appears to be about $43 million worth of assets," Gale said.

NBC Connecticut Troubleshooters requested the paperwork from probate court in Keene, New Hampshire.

The 87-year old who was hard of hearing was shot to death at his modest Connecticut home, but he was born in New Hampshire and kept his multimillion dollar home there.

It appears the property was likely transferred to the trust, because it's not included in the list of inventory in probate papers.

"Early on the family would have gone in and divided up personal property. That's all will says divide up as you agree, from what I can tell they all agree," Gale said.

Documents show Chakalos' youngest daughter, who lives in West Hartford, is the executor.

After taxes and debts are paid, "there’s a number of 20 million federal estate tax. Paid over $100,000 for the funeral, mostly for a monument, $500,000.00 was given to a church in Hartford on Fairfield Avenue."

Gale said records show the remainder, just under $20 million, is slated to go to the trust, but has not been distributed yet.

“The terms of the trust are private. That’s one of the advantages of a living trust," Gale added.

Only this certificate of trust exists on file, in New Hampshire probate court.

"The trust probably continues in existence for his four children," he said. "And it's likely that if any one of his daughters were to pass away, that the trust would continue in existence for the benefit of any children the daughters had."

A search warrant executed on the Vernon, Vermont, home of Nathan Carman by the Windham County Sheriff’s Department at the request of South Kingstown, Rhode Island, police around 7:30 p.m. Monday, appears to show authorities there believe Nathan Carman is connected to his mother’s disappearance. She is now presumed dead, according to officials.

Additionally, a source close to the Chakalos murder investigation in Connecticut confirms Carman is a person of interest in his grandfather's unsolved homicide.

Windsor police and the State’s Attorney’s Office Cold Case unit are investigating.

Nathan Carmen told the Associated Press on Wednesday that he had nothing to do with the grandfather’s murder or his mother’s presumed death.

His father, Clark Carman, told NBC Connecticut, "The past is the past. And what I wasn’t to say about that is I wish the press would leave it alone because he was not involved with his grandfather, with his mother it was a pure accident. And he would never do anything like that. He’s a good kid. He loved his grandfather and nothing to that effect and it’s all being drudged up and I really hate to see that because there’s no substance to it."

"To speculate, it wouldn't be uncommon for grandchildren to inherit if their parent has predeceased them," Gale said about Nathan Carman possibly getting anything from his grandfather's will or trust. 

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