Nathan Carman Vermont man awaiting trial over killing mom at sea for $7M inheritance found dead in jail cell. Trust funder was scheduled to go to trial in September. Defense lawyers believe a note was left behind.
How did he die? Did he take his own life? And if so, why? These are some of the questions being asked following the discovery of a 29 year old Vermont man who was found dead Thursday morning at a New Hampshire jail cell.
At the time of his death, Nathan Carman was awaiting trial for allegedly killing his mother at sea to get his $7 million inheritance.
The incarcerated man’s body was discovered inside a county jail cell in Keene, New Hampshire, at about 2.30 a.m. when officers were making their rounds, according to the Cheshire Corrections Department.
Trust funder denies murdering mother for $7M inheritance
The 29-year-old’s cause of death is still under investigation, with officials saying Carman was the sole occupant of the cell at the time.
Carman, who pleaded not guilty last year to fraud and first-degree murder in the death of his mother, Linda Carman, was scheduled to go on trial in federal court in October.
One of his lawyers, Martin Minnella, told of Carman appearing to be ‘in good spirits’ when he last spoke to his defense team on Wednesday.
‘We were meeting with some experts today over Zoom at 12 o’clock. We were prepared to start picking a jury on Oct. 10 and we were confident we were going to win,’ the attorney said according to the nypost.
David Sullivan, one of Carman’s defense lawyers indicated the deceased man leaving behind a note.
‘We believe that Mr. Carman left us a note that we look forward to receiving in trying to make some sense of a very tragic situation,’ Sullivan told reporters during a news conference Thursday afternoon.
Live now: Lawyer for Nathan Carman holds news conference after Carman’s death in NH jail — https://t.co/KzMEOEergf https://t.co/zErsHKZuVw
— WMUR TV (@WMUR9) June 15, 2023
Did indicted man leave behind suicide note?
Prosecutors in an eight-count indictment allege Carman planning to kill his mom on a fishing trip by making it appear as if their boat had sunk.
Eight days after they set off from a Rhode Island marina in September 2016, Carman was found alone floating in an inflatable raft off the coast.
In his initial statement after being rescued, Carman told the US Coast Guard he had tried to save his mother from the sinking boat but wasn’t able to.
It wasn’t until six years later that federal prosecutors filed charges against the self described trust funder.
Miraculous survivor or murderer?
Prosecutors alleged Carman deliberately altered the boat to make it more likely to sink.
The indictment also alleged Carman killed his grandfather, John Chakalos, 87, years earlier — though no charges were ever brought.
Chakalos, a wealthy real estate developer was found shot dead in his home in Windsor, Connecticut, in 2013.
Prosecutors said the deaths of Carman’s mom and grandfather paved the way for him to inherit an estimated $7 million — Linda Carman’s share of her father’s estate.
The inheritance remains tied up in probate court in Connecticut after Carman’s three aunts sought to block their nephew from receiving any money from his grandfather’s estate.
Prior to his death, Carman consistently denied any involvement in the deaths of his mom and grandfather. Assertions that the man’s defense lawyers backed up
‘The whole situation would have come out in court,’ Minnella said Thursday. ‘It would have come out in court and I’m positive … that this young man would have been vindicated.’
The cause of Carman’s death is pending a coroner’s report.
