Many times, when talking about death in terms of life insurance, we gloss over the fact that a tragedy has come about. People involved tend to wind up in a long and exhausting battle with legal representatives, as well as the insurance company themselves, and may never see the end of the war until it is too late, or maybe just too much.
This can be made even worse when it comes to Murder-Suicide cases. Although many know that it can occur, and that many insurance companies will deny the life insurance claims due to a death by murder-suicide, not many know what a murder-suicide is, or may only know what the general idea is. Read about life insurance claim denied.
What is a Murder-Suicide?
Let’s first take a look at what a murder-suicide is. Death can occur in many forms, with suicide being one of the most complex and heatedly discussed topics in the current period. The act of taking one’s own life can be seen as tragic, cowardly, and wrong. These are all just some of the facets of suicide, but it can take on a whole other meaning when it is a murder-suicide.
Murder-suicides include multiple people. This can be as small as two people, to a large group of people. The starting process of a murder-suicide will usually be an outright murder. For instance, if a home dispute became violent, and a spouse killed their partner, that would be murder. If the spouse then turned the gun on themselves, it would then be classified as a murder-suicide.
Different Situations of Murder-Suicides
Murder-suicides are not just single moments like the one described above. They can be such things like a person driving a car deliberately into a wall or off a cliff with a passenger inside. This would also be considered a murder-suicide.
In rare cases, it can also be two people consenting to both die together. This can be seen where one is killed by the other willingly, and the second will then follow through and kill themselves as well. It can also be done via proxy, such as a hit ona person, and then the contractor decides to commit suicide. This too is considered a murder-suicide.
Reasoning Behind a Murder-Suicide
The reasoning will differ from group to group. Some occur due to suicidal tendencies, with a hard lean into mental instability. Others occur in a fit of unknown guilt, as the act of killing may make the killer decide to take justice into their own hands and kill themselves off. Even worse, in some cases, it can be an act of supposed “prevention”, where a parent may kill their children and then themselves, in a twisted thought that they will be sparing their child a lifetime of pain and suffering.
There are many other points of contest when it comes to murder-suicides. The defining problem that comes about with them is when it is tied into issues such as a life insurance policy. When parties that are involved are ones such as the beneficiary and policyholder, it can become murky and dangerous as the reasoning behind the murder-suicide come under question. As such, it is important that you understand what the definition of a murder-suicide is, as well as what forms it can take.
Speak to our life insurance attorneys about getting you the full amount of the denied life insurance claim to which you are entitled.