On the last day of 2009, a UBS wealth manager was murdered in her bath tub. She was in the midst of a divorce from her husband at the time, and had left life insurance policies worth millions for the couple's 11-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son. Now, the husband is a suspect in his wife's murder, and his control of the woman's estate is in question.

Earlier in the year, the husband was granted control over $1.6 million of life insurance payments intended for the benefit of the couple's children. The judge that granted the husband control was unaware that the man is suspected in his wife's murder. Further, the judge did not know the husband had been removed as executor of his wife's estate or that the public administrator now handling the estate has sued him for wrongful death for allegedly killing his wife.

Now that those facts have been brought to the judge's attention, he has stripped the husband of his control over the life insurance policy.

Whether in New York or California, estate litigation can have many strange twists and turns. While the husband has not been formally charged with murder, authorities remain focused on him. It is unclear what will happen in this specific case, but it serves as an example of how complicated estate litigation can become.

Those in California or elsewhere dealing with estate litigation issues would likely benefit from working with an experienced attorney. An attorney can help sort out the matter, and work for an equitable and fair resolution for all parties involved.

Source: New York Daily News, "Judge blocks Shele Covlin's hubby's payday," Barbara Ross and Helen Kennedy, Dec. 29, 2011