When my shaking ten-year-old begged me to hurry home, I had no idea a nightmare was waiting. I raced inside to find my husband and child cold and motionless on the living room rug. Paramedics rushed in, but the lead officer grabbed my arm, shaking his head. “Ma’am, this wasn’t an accident…”

muttered, almost to himself. “If a spouse annihilates the family and commits suicide, the payout is frequently contested or voided under a slayer statute. But if the perpetrator survives, is convicted, and goes to prison… and the husband miraculously survives as the tragic, grieving victim…”

“The surviving victim inherits the windfall,” I finished, continue reading …