Former Bloomfield resident Nathan Carman has been indicted on charges of murdering his mother in 2016, according to a statement released Tuesday by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Vermont. Carman, 28, has also been called asuspect in the 2013 shooting death of his grandfather in Windsor.
"The indictment alleges that both killings were part of a scheme to obtain money and property from the estate of John Chakalos and related family trusts, " according to the statement.
Carman, of Vernon, Vermont, was charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of his mother, Linda Carman. He also was charged with multiple counts of fraud, federal court records unsealed Tuesday show.
Law enforcement officials believe Nathan Carman planned a fishing trip with his mother in September 2016 aboard their boat, the Chicken Pox, which departed from Rhode Island near Block Island. Carman was later rescued eight days later off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, but the boat was never recovered. Linda Carman remained missing and was presumed lost at sea.
“Nathan Carman planned to kill his mother on the trip. He also planned how he would report the sinking of the Chicken Pox and his mother's disappearance at sea as accidents,” the indictment reads.
Nathan Carman has never been charged with the death of his 87-year-old grandfather, John Chakalos. Authorities believe Nathan Carman killed his grandfather and mother as part of a plan to inherit money from his grandfather’s trust, according to the indictment.
“Nathan Carman murdered John Chakalos and Linda Carman. He concocted cover stories to conceal his involvement in those killings,” the indictment reads.
Nathan Carman made alterations to the boat, including “removing two forward bulkheads and removing trim tabs from the transom of the hull,” the indictment reads. The alterations were also part of an insurance fraud case in 2019.
Nathan Carman was arrested on May 10, according to the statement. He is scheduled to be arraigned May 11.
