§ 2-14-101 — Taking of life precludes one from inheritance, insurance or survivorship benefits; how benefits distributed; notification of insurer necessary

Wyoming § 2-14-101

• Jurisdiction: Wyoming
• Title 02: Wills, Decedents' Estates and Probate Code
• Ch. 14: FELONIOUS AND WRONGFUL DEATHS
• Art. 1: FELONIOUS DEATH

Text

(a) No person who feloniously takes or causes or procures
another to take the life of another shall:
(i) Inherit from or take by devise or legacy from the
deceased person any portion of his estate;
(ii) Inherit, receive or otherwise take any property
held with the deceased person in a joint tenancy with rights of
survivorship, tenancy by the entirety or any other form of co-
ownership with rights of survivorship;
(iii) Inherit, receive or otherwise take any property
conveyed by the deceased person by beneficiary designation,
transfer on death designation, payable on death designation or
other conveyance that occurs because of the death of the
deceased person;
(iv) Serve through nomination, appointment or
otherwise in any fiduciary or representative capacity for the
deceased person, including as a personal representative,
executor, trustee or agent. Any provision in a governing
instrument conferring any power of appointment on the killer
shall be deemed to have been terminated at the time immediately
preceding the killing of the deceased person.
(b) No beneficiary of any policy of life or accident
insurance or certificates of membership issued by any benevolent
association or organization, payable upon the death of any
person, who in like manner takes or causes or procures another
to take the life of another, shall take the proceeds of such
policy or certificate.
(c) Except as provided in subsection (d) of this section
in every instance mentioned in this section all benefits that
would accrue to the killer upon the death of the person whose
life is taken shall become subject to distribution among the
other beneficiaries or heirs of the deceased person according to
the will, trust or other valid dispositive instrument of the
deceased person as though the killer has predeceased the
deceased person, or if no such valid instrument exists,
according to the rules of descent and distribution. However, an
insurance company is discharged of all liability under a policy
issued by it upon payment of the proceeds in accordance with the
terms thereof unless before payment the company receives written
notice by or in behalf of some claimant other than the
beneficiary named in the policy that a claim to the proceeds of
the policy will be made by heirs of the deceased under the
provisions of this section.
(d) For purposes of paragraph (a)(ii) of this section, the
interests of the deceased person and the killer in property held
by them at the time of the killing as joint tenants with the
right of survivorship, tenants by entirety or any other form of
co-ownership with rights of survivorship shall be deemed to have
been terminated at the time immediately preceding the killing of
the deceased person and the interests of the deceased person and
the killer shall be recognized as tenancies in common.
(e) As used in this section, "killer" means the person who
feloniously takes or causes or procures another to take the life
of another person as provided in subsection (a) of this section.