Rutland, VT – A federal judge on Tuesday set an October trial date for Nathan Carman. The Vermont man is accused of killing his mother at sea in 2016. Carman will go on trial starting October 2 at the Federal Courthouse in Rutland.
Prosecutors say Carman was on a fishing trip with his mother off of Block Island in 2016. They say he altered the boat, to make it more likely to sink. Prosecutors say it was part of scheme to inherit millions of dollars. Along with the charge of murder “on the high seas,” the indictment alleges Carman shot and killed his grandfather John Chakalos in 2013 as part of an effort to defraud insurance companies. Carman has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and multiple fraud charges.
In addition to setting the trial date, District Court Judge Geoffrey Crawford heard arguments over whether Carman should have access to the grand jury minutes that led to Carman’s indictment.
Carman’s attorneys argued they want to make sense of the indictment in order to best present a defense. They say they want to know how the government presented information to the grand jury.
Prosecutors argued there should be no confusion and that no information is being kept a mystery from the defense.
The judge has blocked off three weeks for the trial, from October 2 to October 20.
