Attorneys for murderer charged under slayer statute

In what is claimed to be the first case of its kind in Georgia, the attorneys for a murderer are being criminally charged under state’s slayer statute.

Here is how this strange set of events unfolded according to Lawyers Accused Of Stealing From Murder Victim’s Estate, CBS46.com, Aug. 22, 2008:

• Debra Post allegedly murdered her husband, Jerry Post, in 2002.
• Debra hired Candice Rader and Valerie Cooke to defend her.
• As payment for their services, Candice and Valerie accepted assets valued at over $320,000 from Debra to which Debra was not entitled because of the slayer statute (that is, proceeds of Jerry’s life insurance and some real property).
• Subsequently, Debra pled guilty to felony murder and was sentenced to life without parole.
• A Douglas County Georgia grand jury indicted Candice and Valerie on August 21, 2008 for knowingly taking assets which were “covered” by the slayer statute.
• The attorneys were arrested and taken to jail.