I’ve got a question about life insurance and murder cases. If someone decides to murder their spouse, why do they take out a life insurance policy shortly before? Doesn’t it just make them look guilty? I’m guessing it’s so they can make sure the money gets paid before the insurance company investigates, but it still seems like a huge red flag.
Criminals aren’t exactly known for their smarts.
Wynn said:
Criminals aren’t exactly known for their smarts.
Yeah, the smart ones probably don’t get caught.
Sounds like you watch a lot of crime shows, same as me…
The thing is, these people always think they’ll get away with it. I don’t get why they take out the policy right before either, it’s like waving a giant red flag. Law enforcement always notices that stuff.
Even if the policy’s been in place for years, it still often ends up being a motive in investigations.
@nellysmith
Yeah, as Forrest Gump would say, stupid is as stupid does.
They probably think they’re smarter than everyone else and won’t get caught. Spoiler: they always do. Instead of just leaving the marriage, they throw their life away in jail.
Getting a payout isn’t as simple as people think.
First off, you can’t be linked to the crime at all. Insurance companies dig deep, they even investigate the agent who sold the policy. I know this because I’ve seen it happen.
Then there’s the matter of proving the person is dead. A ‘they fell off a boat’ story won’t work unless you have solid proof, like witnesses. Even when someone disappears, it can take years (up to seven in some cases) for them to be declared legally dead.
If there’s a body, the autopsy usually reveals what happened, which makes solving the case a lot easier. And in cultures where autopsies aren’t common, life insurance isn’t popular either. So, good luck to anyone trying this, it’s not as simple as in the movies.
If you’re going to do this, you’d have to plan way ahead and use someone else’s phone or computer for all the research to set them up as the scapegoat. (But just don’t do it, obviously.)
That kind of stuff only works in Hollywood movies.
In real life, people who plan this always get caught. If you’re unhappy, just get divorced!
It’s actually super rare. I spoke to a murder investigator once, and in 30 years of working in a big city (over 2 million people), they’d only seen one case like that.