Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Whose gun was it?

The following comment, posted late last evening, raises interesting questions. My article that prompted this comment was published here on June 12 and questioned how the Northwest Herald learned so quickly that it was a 9mm handgun that had been used.

"fluffykittycat123 has left a new comment on your post "Feldkamp used 9mm handgun":

"Gus - I know you've noticed that they can't figure out who the gun was registered to. Have you also noticed that Nygren's story says Scott was "visiting" his parents? He has in fact lived with them since February. Might I also point out that the elder Feldkamp's were quite rich? If I may propose this as a possibility - that Scott killed his parents and put the blame on Bloom, a young man with a history of mental illness. Now Scott goes from being 53 and living with his parents to a wealthy victim. Stranger things have happened, do you think Nygren's office has even considered this? I predict we will find out later that evidence is inconsistent with Scott's story."

Obviously, there is a huge difference between "visiting" one's parents and having moved back home at age 53, should that turn out to be the case. Which was it?

If Scott Feldkamp had come back to his parents' home in February, does he, or did he, have a home in Florida? Does he have family there? Employment?

If he has been here since February, what has he been doing with his time? Working? Looking for work? What was his source of income and how did he support himself? 

Jack and Audrey Feldkamp, 83 and 81 respectively, died Tuesday, June 7, as a result of stabbing wounds. Scott Feldkamp, 53, had stab wounds. Doran Bloom, 27, has been reported by the McHenry County Sheriff's Department as having stabbed the three Feldkamps before being shot by Scott Feldkamp. MCSD has not identified the owner of the gun.

If I recall correctly from stories in the Northwest Herald, Scott shot Bloom from an upstairs landing or balcony. At the time I wondered how he happened to fire accurately, and under presumed extreme pressure and excitement, from more than a short distance and hit Bloom but not his parents.

And so many more questions...

Thanks to "fluffykitty123" for your comment.

By the way, I am still wondering why Sheriff Nygren hurried back for a press conference about this case, in which the alleged attacker was dead, but didn't show up for any press conference after Kurt Milliman was killed, a case involving an alleged assailant who was in custody.

Petitions were filed on June 16 in the McHenry County courthouse for Letters (of Administration?) and to establish heirship. A petition to establish heirship could be used to avoid a full intestate procedure and to control real estate, although deeds and titles might not be fully clear, if debts of the estate(s) had not been fully paid.

What is the possibility that an elderly couple of some wealth, successful in real estate, would not have Wills?

4 comments:

Dave Labuz said...

Not to put too fine a point on it Gus, but the possibility exists that an elderly couple of means might theoretically not have a Will. Or at least not a Will that either needs a public filing or be subject to Probate.

Chances are their affairs are wrapped up in one or more of a variety of Trusts and/or through Directed Beneficiaries on investment accounts.

Through the above arrangements, one avoids the necessity of the public Probate process altogether.

In the above situations, yes, there is usually a Will per se, but it needn't be publicly filed - the Trust Documents and Beneficiary directions alone suffice.

PTL that I have yet to exercise any Trusteeship or Executorial responsibilities, so I don't know what filings or legal requirements are forthcoming in my particular situation.

However, it could well be that their named Trustee or Executors need still produce perfunctory filings with the Court establishing the Trustee or Executor's authority to proceed, and/or because certain particular circumstances throw particular assets or disputes outside of the wording and authority of the Trust.

Dave Labuz said...

In essence, there may have been Wills prepared, but you will probably never see them, and you will probably never see an accounting of assets, nor an accounting of distributions.

The Court might, but you, as a member of the public, almost certainly never will.

Except for very extraordinary circumstances.

Dave Labuz said...

PS - just because this info remains "hidden" from the public, such terms and distributions ARE discoverable by an interested prosecutor and investigators, should the need suffice.

Regardless, NO beneficiary can ever profit from murder.

Gus said...

As I understand it, one of the important reasons to open Probate after a death is to give formal notice to creditors that they have a specific, statutory period of time in which to file claims against the Estate.