Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 2 of 2
Full-Text Articles in Law
Killers Shouldn't Inherit From Their Victims . . . Or Should They?, Carla Spivack
Killers Shouldn't Inherit From Their Victims . . . Or Should They?, Carla Spivack
Carla Spivack
The article offers a profound reassessment of so-called “Slayer Rules,” laws that, in most states, bar killers from inheriting from their victims. For the first time in the literature, this piece questions the underlying rationale for these rules by examining the context of family violence and mental illness in which these killing occur, and argues that, given that context, they are often neither legally nor morally justified. at first glance, the idea behind Slayer Rules seems reasonable, indeed, morally obvious: a killer should not be able to profit from his or her crime. This truism, however, may not necessarily be …
Killers Shouldn't Inherit From Their Victims . . . Or Should They?, Carla Spivack
Killers Shouldn't Inherit From Their Victims . . . Or Should They?, Carla Spivack
Carla Spivack
The article offers a profound reassessment of so-called “Slayer Rules,” laws that, in most states, bar killers from inheriting from their victims. For the first time in the literature, this piece questions the underlying rationale for these rules by examining the context of family violence and mental illness in which these killing occur, and argues that, given that context, they are often neither legally nor morally justified. My argument is as follows: At first glance, the idea behind Slayer Rules seems reasonable, indeed, morally obvious: a killer should not be able to profit from his or her crime. This truism, …