Disagreement over Family Trust May Have Sparked Violence

Police suspect a lengthy disagreement over a family trust was a cause of a double homicide and suicide.

Raymond Giehl III of Indianapolis became concerned after his wife sent him a text message that her uncle was at their home but then she didn’t return his call. Raymond headed home and discovered his wife and young son had been killed.

Police began a manhunt for the uncle, Lucius Hamilton III, and eventually located him in an Indianapolis hotel room dead of an apparent suicide.

The Daily Mail reported this story in “Husband was watching home security footage from work when Indiana college administrator killed his wife and son, four, in fight over multi-million dollar family trust.”

The details of the dispute are unclear, but it is believed to have started over a family trust that had been a source of contention between Lucius Hamilton III and his niece for many years. Lucius and his brother Raymond (the father of Raymond Giehl III) were co-representatives of their father’s estate that was settled in 2007.

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Raymond passed away in 2012.

The details of the family trust are not public, but it is believed to be worth millions of dollars.

Although they rarely turn deadly, disputes over family trusts are not uncommon, especially between members of competing generations. Older beneficiaries often have interests that are in conflict with the interests of younger beneficiaries that can result in disputes over trust management.

If disputes do develop and they cause concern, the advice of an independent third party could be needed.

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