Lawmakers attempting to close loophole that allows killers to profit
Apr 8, 2015, 4:23 PM | Updated: 4:32 pm
A case in which a man killed his wife and may be rewarded with her state pension benefits is prompting lawmakers to seek a fix to state law.
Senate Bill 6091 prevents slayers from profiting when they are found not guilty by reason of insanity.
“A killer shouldn’t benefit from his crime,” said Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist. Lindquist requested the bill.
Under current law, Robert Selland is entitled to $17,000 in pension benefits earned by his late wife Carol. Selland stabbed his wife to death in 2011 but was found not guilty by reason of insanity.
Selland is under treatment at Western State Hospital.
State law bars slayers and abusers from inheriting property, collecting benefits or otherwise profiting from their deeds. However, Selland was never found guilty. Selland was therefore entitled to collect the full pension she had earned as a family educator for Pierce County’s Community Connections Department.
Prosecutor Lindquist, whose office prosecuted the Selland case, asked the Department of Retirement Systems not to disburse the late Carol Selland’s pension to her husband, but the state agency has not yet responded. There is no impediment to the disbursement of Carol Selland’s pension before Selland is released from Western State Hospital.
The measure changes the definition of “slayer” to include those who are judged insane. Deadlines have passed for the consideration of new non-budget bills, but lawmakers hope to find a way to revive it either this session or next.
