MURDER FOR LIFE INSURANCE MONEY: PROTECTING THE CHILDREN JOHNNY C. CHRISCOEt I. II. III.
IN TRODU CTION ............................................................................... A CA SE ON PO IN T ........................................................................... CURRENT STATUTES ......................................................................
A. B.
DeterrentEffect of Apprehension and Prosecution................ InsurableInterestD octrine..................................................... 1. InsurableInterests in PropertyInsurance ........................ 2. InsurableInterests in Life Insurance................................
174
176 179
182 185 186 190
IV . SCENARIOS OF RISK .......................................................................
198
The Unlawful Beneficiary ....................................................... The Lawful Beneficiary...........................................................
198 200
PROPOSED PROTECTIVE MEASURES...............................................
203
A. B. V.
A. Narrowly Define the InsurableInterest Doctrine................... 204 205 B . Penalize Insurers .................................................................... 206 C . Lim it Coverage ....................................................................... V I.
CONCLU SION ..................................................................................
208
ABSTRACT
Children are being murderedfor life insuranceproceeds. Of course, if a beneficiary murders a child for the recovery of life insurance money and if he is apprehended, he will surely face numerous legal consequences. He will not recover the insurance money, he will be prosecuted and likely sentenced to lfe imprisonment or execution, he may be sued for the wrongful death of the child and he may be prosecutedfor insurancefraud. However, all of these legal responses are triggered by the death of the child and, therefore, do not serve to protect the child from being murdered in the first instance. On the other hand, there are legal doctrines in place that would appear to be directed towardprotecting a child from being the target of a murderous beneficiary, most notably the insurable interest doctrine.
Associate Professor, Campbell University School of Law. The author would like to t thank Megan Greene, Michael Dunn, and Johnathon Naylor for their research assistance.
173