PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Jennifer Piel
TI  - Expanding Slayer Statutes to Elder Abuse
DP  - 2015 Sep 01
TA  - Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online
PG  - 369--376
VI  - 43
IP  - 3
4099  - http://jaapl.org/content/43/3/369.short
4100  - http://jaapl.org/content/43/3/369.full
SO  - J Am Acad Psychiatry Law2015 Sep 01; 43
AB  - Common law has a dictum that people must not benefit from their crimes. In years past, states have enacted slayer rules to prevent killers from inheriting from their victims. The specific criteria and applicability of slayer rules vary by jurisdiction. Recently, several states, including Washington, have expanded their slayer rules to disqualify persons from inheriting if they have been involved in abuse or financial exploitation of the deceased. Reviewed herein are the abuse disinheritance laws, the relationship of the laws to concepts of testamentary capacity and undue influence, and the relevance to forensic psychiatric evaluations.