Nathan Carman, charged with killing mother off coast of Rhode Island, dies in jail

The man charged with killing his mother at sea in an alleged attempt to inherit millions has died while awaiting trial, authorities said Thursday. The cause of Nathan Carman's death wasn't immediately clear, and one of his attorneys said Carman apparently wrote a note to his lawyers before he died.

Carman, 29, of Vernon, Vermont, was scheduled to face trial in October, years after he allegedly killed his mother, Linda Carman, of Middletown, Connecticut, during a 2016 fishing trip off the coast of New England. Prosecutors have said the alleged slaying was part of a scheme to inherit millions of dollars. He had pleaded not guilty last year to fraud and first-degree murder in her death.

Nathan Carman was the sole occupant of a cell when he was found dead at around 2:30 a.m. by guards at a county jail in Keene, New Hampshire, said Doug Losue, the superintendent of the Cheshire Corrections Department. Losue said the death was being investigated by police in Keene, which is near the Vermont state line.

The U.S. Marshals Service, which handles federal defendants who are detained before trial, partners with state and local governments to house defendants because it doesn't operate its own detention facilities.

One of Carman's lawyers, David Sullivan, said he and fellow attorney Martin Minnella were told about Carman's death early Thursday morning by the Vermont U.S. attorney's office and the Marshals Service.

"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.

Vermont U.S. Attorney Nikolas Kerest said in a formal notice of dismissal filed on Thursday that "The United States received information from the U.S. Marshal that Carman died on or about June 15, 2023," and that dismissing charges against Carman "is thus appropriate."

"We had spoken to him yesterday. He was in good spirits," Minnella said. "We were meeting with some experts today over Zoom at 12 o'çlock. We were prepared to start picking a jury on Oct. 10 and we were confident we were going to win. It's just a tragedy, a tragedy."

The eight-count indictment also says Carman shot and killed his wealthy grandfather John Chakalos at his home in Windsor, Connecticut, in 2013 but does not charge him with murder in his death.

Minnella and Sullivan, both from Connecticut, where Carman grew up, had criticized the indictment, including allegations Carman killed his grandfather, saying Carman was never charged with that crime.

"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."

In September 2016, Carman arranged a fishing trip with his mother, during which prosecutors say he planned to kill her and report that his boat sank and his mother disappeared in the accident.

He was found floating in an inflatable raft eight days after leaving a Rhode Island marina with his mother, who was never found. Prosecutors allege he altered the boat to make it more likely to sink. Carman denied that allegation.

Chakalos' three surviving daughters — Carman's aunts — said in a statement Thursday that they were "deeply saddened" to hear about his death and asked for privacy "while we process this shocking news and its impact on the tragic events surrounding the last several years."

In:
• Nathan Carman
• Homicide
• Fraud
• Indictment
• Trial
• Crime