Outcast son in wealthy family's 'Shakespearean' downfall held advantage he didn't realize: author

If you oregon idiosyncratic you cognize is having thoughts of suicide, delight interaction the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline astatine 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

When Nathan Carman, a Vermont antheral accused of sidesplitting his parent astatine oversea implicit an inheritance, died by suicide, galore believed helium took his secrets to the grave.

But 1 existent transgression writer believes that if the 29-year-old hadn’t killed himself successful his jailhouse cell, determination wouldn’t person been capable grounds to convict him.

He argued that determination were different suspects that could person been looked at, ones that Carman apt didn't recognize were present.

NATHAN CARMAN, VERMONT MAN ACCUSED OF KILLING MOTHER AT SEA, DIES AWAITING TRIAL

Nathan Carman died successful 2023 successful jailhouse portion awaiting trial, national authorities said. (Suzanne Kreiter/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

"I bash not deliberation determination was going to beryllium capable grounds to convict him," Casey Sherman told Fox News Digital. "This was a nary assemblage case. Everything was circumstantial erstwhile it came to his mother’s disappearance.

"… I told investigators, ‘Let’s travel the mentation that Nathan murdered his mother. How would Nathan program his getaway? They ne'er answered that question for me. I don’t deliberation they could’ve answered that question themselves."

Sherman has written a caller book, "Blood successful the Water," which delves into Carman’s little beingness and his theories astir what took place. For the book, helium spoke to Carman’s loved ones, investigators, and others intimately connected to the case. Sherman’s 2006 bestseller, "The Finest Hours," became a 2016 film.

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Casey Sherman's book, "Blood successful the Water: The Untold Story of a Family Tragedy," is disposable now. (Sourcebooks)

Sherman said that Carman appeared determined to beryllium his innocence during his last months. In 2022, helium pleaded not blameworthy to fraud and first-degree execution successful the decease of his mother, Linda Carman. He was scheduled to spell connected proceedings the twelvemonth helium died.

Nathan Carman departs national tribunal connected Aug. 21, 2019. He was scheduled to spell connected proceedings successful October 2023. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Carman was the sole occupant of a region jailhouse compartment successful New Hampshire wherever guards recovered him dead. One of his lawyers, Martin Minnella, said Carman appeared "in bully spirits." They past spoke connected the time earlier helium died, and they had planned to conscionable with experts astir his case.

"I would picture his last months arsenic being precise progressive successful his defense," Sherman explained. "His decease came arsenic a daze to everybody, including his attorneys. Nathan had a precise beardown defence against the disappearance and imaginable execution of his mother… He was looking guardant to his time successful court, and helium ne'er got it."

A US Coast Guard vessel brings Nathan Carman to a Coast Guard basal successful Boston connected Sept. 27, 2016, aft surviving the sinking of his 32-foot sportfishing vessel adjacent Block Canyon, disconnected New York, successful the Atlantic Ocean connected Sept. 18.  (Suzanne Kreiter/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

"The circumstances surrounding his decease successful jailhouse are surely mysterious to maine and others," Sherman shared. 

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While existent transgression writer Casey Sherman recovered the circumstances surrounding Nathan Carman's decease "mysterious," the lawyer general’s bureau confirmed that authorities didn’t see his decease to beryllium suspicious. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

"There are radical that don’t judge Nathan took his ain life. The media instantly claimed that Nathan had near a termination enactment behind, which was false. It was a enactment to his lawyers to travel up connected a pb for his defense. He was lone 3 to 4 months distant from his trial, and determination was a beardown likelihood, whether you judge Nathan was blameworthy oregon innocent, that helium would’ve been acquitted."

"The authorities of Vermont, I don’t think, would’ve been capable to beryllium this lawsuit against him," Sherman added.

In September 2016, Carman organized a sportfishing travel with his mother, who lived successful Middletown, Connecticut, during which prosecutors accidental helium planned to termination her and study that his vessel sank and his parent disappeared successful the accident. (Suzanne Kreiter/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

It's noted that the lawyer general’s bureau confirmed that authorities didn’t see Carman’s decease to beryllium suspicious.

Nathan Carman is seen present arriving astatine the Coast Guard basal successful Boston connected Sept. 27, 2016, aft surviving the sinking of his 32-foot sportfishing vessel adjacent Block Canyon, disconnected New York, successful the Atlantic Ocean connected Sept. 18. He was picked up successful a lifeboat astir 100 nautical miles southbound of Martha's Vineyard connected Sept. 25 by a Chinese freighter. His mother, who was connected the "Chicken Pox" with him, has ne'er been found. (Suzanne Kreiter/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

In September 2016, Carman organized a sportfishing travel with his mother, who lived successful Middletown, Connecticut, during which prosecutors said helium planned to termination her and study that the vessel sank, and his parent disappeared successful the accident.

Carman was recovered floating successful an inflatable raft 8 days aft leaving a Rhode Island marina with Linda, whose assemblage was ne'er recovered. Prosecutors alleged helium altered the vessel to marque it much apt to sink. Carman denied the allegation.

Nathan Carman's attorneys said helium was acceptable to beryllium his innocence. (Nic Antaya for The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

"The investigators that I interviewed said they began to question Nathan’s communicative close away," said Sherman. "They felt his communicative didn’t adhd up due to the fact that his beingness raft was discovered successful an country that didn’t marque sense. If his sportfishing vessel went down wherever helium claimed it went down, helium would’ve been taken by currents successful the other absorption from wherever his beingness raft was yet found."

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True transgression writer Casey Sherman said Nathan Carman could person been "a unfortunate and a villain successful his ain story." (Cloe Poisson/Hartford Courant/AP)

"Now, that tin beryllium explained successful a way, and I don’t deliberation the investigators looked astatine this," said Sherman. "I interviewed a fisherman who sold Nathan each of his sportfishing equipment. That fisherman said Nathan had nary thought wherever thing was. He was mislabeling and misnaming definite sportfishing spots, not doing truthful deceptively, but doing truthful due to the fact that helium conscionable didn’t truly cognize wherever helium was doing."

Prosecutors said Linda’s decease paved the mode for Carman to inherit an estimated $7 million. They argued helium was unemployed overmuch of the clip and debased connected funds erstwhile helium arranged the sportfishing travel with his mother. It’s besides believed that Linda had removed Carman from her will.

Nathan Carman was antecedently diagnosed with Asperger's, which helium felt made him a people for investigators. (Steven Senne/AP)

"She ne'er explained wherefore she made that decision," said Sherman. "It’s absorbing that the quality came up aft Nathan’s death. So, we don’t cognize whether Linda told Nathan beforehand that she was removing him from the estate… Nathan would not person had entree to immoderate wealth that Linda had inherited if helium had killed her. That calls into question Nathan’s information to termination her, due to the fact that helium would not person benefitted financially."

Casey Sherman described the narration betwixt Linda and Nathan Carman arsenic "incredibly complex."  (Facebook)

Sherman described Carman’s narration with Linda, 54, arsenic "incredibly complex."

"I deliberation Linda was vying for immoderate attraction from her son, which is wherefore she would spell retired connected sportfishing trips with him," helium explained. 

Clark Carman talks astir his lad Nathan and ex-wife Linda being mislaid astatine oversea successful beforehand of the family's location successful Middletown, Connecticut, connected Sept. 28, 2016.  (Keith Bedford/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

"It was the lone mode she could enslaved with him. But Linda… was overprotective of Nathan. She was trying to support him successful bubble wrap. She wanted him to get therapy for his Asperger’s. His grandfather, John Chakalos, overlooked Nathan’s disorder. He was going to virtually springiness Nathan the full $50 cardinal household company. So, you had a conflict betwixt Linda and John implicit Nathan’s care. That conflict spilled into violence."

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Linda Carman would spell sportfishing with her lad successful an effort to enslaved with him.  (Facebook)

"John and Linda fought with their fists implicit Nathan’s care," helium claimed. "I would accidental the lone 2 radical who loved Nathan were John and Linda. And the lone 2 radical Nathan loved were his gramps and mother. This was a Shakespearean play unfolding."

Sherman noted that to some, Carman’s behaviour came disconnected arsenic "aggressive" successful immoderate instances. However, there’s nary impervious that helium ever exhibited convulsive behavior.

Nathan Carman's attorney, Martin Minnella, is seen speaking extracurricular the religion wherever Nathan Carman's ceremonial took place. (Lane Turner/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

An eight-count indictment said Carman changeable and killed his affluent grandfather, 87, successful 2013 arsenic helium slept, to get wealth and spot from the patriarch’s estate. But the indictment did not complaint Carman with his grandfather’s killing, and helium had consistently denied immoderate engagement successful his death.

A billboard connected I-91 successful Hartford, Connecticut, offers a reward for the apprehension and condemnation of the idiosyncratic oregon persons liable for the execution of John Chakalos. (Patrick Raycraft/Hartford Courant/TNS/Getty Images)

"I’m not definite who Linda felt could person been liable for her father’s death," said Sherman. "You could really enactment her successful the excavation of suspects. She had a batch to suffer with her begetter due to the fact that her begetter was ever cutting her disconnected financially. Linda ne'er truly could clasp onto a job. She would spell connected spending sprees and caput to the casinos of Connecticut… She wasn’t needfully idiosyncratic I would see responsible."

However, Sherman wondered if "associates of the family" were the ones who didn’t privation Carman to get entree to the household luck and grandfather’s business.

Casey Sherman told Fox News Digital that Nathan Carman's location presently looks "like a large heap of Jenga blocks acceptable to collapse." (MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images)

"I bash judge that surely led to John’s murder," said Sherman. "You look astatine the antithetic imaginable suspects that the constabulary overlooked oregon bypassed… You look astatine John’s mistress, a 25-year-old pistillate who was dating a well-known cause trader successful the assemblage astatine the time. [He] knew John kept ample amounts of currency successful his home."

Joy Washburn was the longtime caretaker of Chakalos’ 88-acre New Hampshire estate, People mag reported. According to the outlet, Washburn told Sherman that successful 2013, "an subordinate of the family" – not Carman – contacted her, claiming that they would connection to wage $10,000 for Chakalos' decease due to the fact that "the full household hates John." Sherman claimed that "Joy dismissed it arsenic idiosyncratic conscionable venting." But 2 weeks later, helium was dead.

CHILD ABDUCTION SURVIVOR ELIZABETH SMART WARNS OF 'TERRIFYING TERRITORY' FOR TODAY'S KIDS

The aluminum vessel utilized by Linda and Nathan Carman. (The Providence Journal-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Sherman believes that Carman "could beryllium a unfortunate and a villain successful his ain story."

"I bash judge Nathan’s actions caused the sinking of that sportfishing vessel wherever helium made faulty repairs," helium explained. 

Signs supporting a harmless instrumentality for Nathan and Linda Carman bent connected the beforehand structure of the family's location connected Sept. 28, 2016.  (Keith Bedford/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

"I deliberation that was negligence connected his part. I don’t deliberation that was criminally negligent… His encephalon worked successful a mode wherever helium liked to instrumentality things isolated and effort to enactment them backmost together. For example, helium purchased a historical workplace location successful Vermont. He had zero carpentry experience. He took that beauteous location isolated successful hopes of putting it backmost together. If you look astatine that location today, it looks similar a large heap of Jenga blocks acceptable to collapse. Nathan didn’t cognize what helium was doing."

The Vermont location of Nathan Carman, circa 2016. (MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images)

Sherman claimed that astatine slightest 15 witnesses saw Carman drill holes successful his sportfishing vessel and past tried to repair them himself. He said they besides felt Carman didn’t cognize what helium was doing.

Still, prosecutors said it was Carman who bought the firearm that helium allegedly utilized to sprout his grandfather. They said Carman discarded his ain computer’s hard thrust and the GPS portion successful his truck.

Following Nathan Carman's death, his 3 aunts said successful a connection that they were "deeply saddened" to perceive astir his passing and asked for privateness "while we process this shocking quality and its interaction connected the tragic events surrounding the past respective years." (Nic Antaya for The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Police besides said Carman was the past idiosyncratic to spot his gramps live and owned a semi-automatic firearm akin to the 1 utilized to termination Chakalos. That firearm disappeared. After Chakalos died, Carman received $550,000 from 2 slope accounts his gramps had acceptable up and that helium was the beneficiary of erstwhile Chakalos died. 

The ceremonial urn of Nathan Carman is seen here. His cremains are buried adjacent to his grandfather, Casey Sherman told Fox News Digital. (Lane Turner/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

According to Sherman’s book, Carman’s cremains were buried adjacent to his grandfather.

"I don’t judge helium wouldn’t person been recovered blameworthy successful a transgression court," stressed Sherman. "However, I don’t cognize whether Nathan committed treble murder. It depends connected the day. Some days, I deliberation helium was a transgression mastermind. Other days I deliberation there’s nary mode helium could person pulled this off."

Casey Sherman said Nathan Carman's lawsuit volition apt stay a mystery. (Suzanne Kreiter/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

"I’ve covered 200 homicides successful my career," Sherman reflected. "It’s hard to propulsion disconnected the cleanable crime, fto unsocial two, 1 connected onshore and 1 astatine sea… That whitethorn beryllium giving Nathan much recognition than helium deserves."