The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Cops: Agents probing death of Nathan Carman’s grandfather
Ex-Middletown resident’s relative was found fatally shot in Windsor in 2013
Following Nathan Carman’s federal indictment in the killing of his mother in an alleged effort to get his hands on the family fortune, Windsor police said state officials are investigating the former Connecticut resident’s involvement in his grandfather’s 2013 homicide.
In a nine-page indictment released Tuesday, federal authorities contend that Carman killed his grandfather, John Chakalos, who was found shot to death in his Windsor home in December 2013. But the indictment does not charge Carman with the murder.
Windsor Police Chief Donald Melanson said Thursday the Chakalos homicide is being handled by the Cold Case Unit with the chief state’s attorney’s office.
“The Windsor Police Department continues to work with state authorities to bring the investigation to a successful conclusion,” Melanson said.
A spokesperson for the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney said Thursday she is waiting to speak with the Cold Case Unit before commenting on the investigation into Chakalos’ death.
There is no information about the homicide among the cases posted on the Chief State’s Attorney’s Cold Case Unit website and no reward offered by the state.
Federal authorities in Vermont who indicted Carman declined to answer questions about the Chakalos homicide.
Carman pleaded not guilty Wednesday to the charges in connection with his mother’s homicide. He remains held pending a bond hearing scheduled for Monday.
According to the federal indictment, Carman used his New Hampshire driver’s license to purchase a Sig Sauer rifle in that state in November 2013. The document further stated that on Dec. 20, 2013, “Nathan Carman murdered his grandfather, John Chakalos, shooting him twice with the Sig Sauer while Chakalos slept in his Windsor, Connecticut home.”
After the homicide, Carman covered up his involvement in the crime by discarding his computer hard drive and GPS unit that was in his truck the night of the killing, the indictment said. Federal authorities also said Carman gave investigators false information about the homicide and “falsely” denied involvement in the crime. He also denied purchasing the Sig Sauer rifle in November 2013, federal authorities said.
Carman received $550,000 from Chakalos’ death from a trust set for the family and he was hoping to gain access to his grandfather’s fortune of $42 million by also killing his mother, Linda Carman, the indictment stated.
Carman purchased a boat called the Chicken Pox that he used to fish with his mother, the indictment said. Federal authorities alleged in the indictment that Carman planned on killing his mother during a fishing trip in September 2016 by altering the boat so it could sink at sea. Her body has never been found.
The boat never returned from its scheduled trip near Block Island in Rhode Island, authorities said. Federal investigators contend that Carman killed his mother and sank the boat, setting off alone in a life raft that was found eight days later by a commercial ship.
Although probate documents filed in New Hampshire related to Chakalos’ estate mention at various points that Carman is believed to have killed his grandfather, there are no documents that outline the crime.
Chakalos’ estate was originally filed in probate court in New Hampshire where the family had a home. But the probate case was moved to Connecticut after a New Hampshire judge ruled that Chakalos’ primary residence was in Windsor.
Probate documents indicated the estate is worth $42 million, of which Linda Carman and her three sisters would receive an equal share. A trustee has been appointed to represent Linda Carman in the proceedings. Federal authorities alleged that Nathan Carman killed his grandfather and mother to get his hands on her share of the estate.