Nathan Carman Defends Himself Against Accusations He Killed His Mother, Grandfather
CONCORD, NH (CBS) - "I have no idea who killed my grandfather. I know that I did not," said Nathan Carman outside of court. It was out of character for the 23-year-old who's been representing himself in a New Hampshire lawsuit his aunts filed against him. For more than a year, he's been decidedly focused on blocking-out questions from reporters outside of the courtroom.
He broke that silence after his latest Concord District Court hearing Monday. "I had nothing to do with my mother's death. I did not do any of the things I'm accused of," he said. "It's been extremely extremely difficult for me these past couple of years."
Carman was rescued and brought to shore in Boston in 2016 after his mother, Linda Carman, mysteriously disappeared. He said they were on a fishing trip when his boat sank sometime after they left from Rhode Island. He turned up on a raft near Cape Cod.
Now his mother's two sisters have taken him to civil court accusing him in yet another suspicious death. His millionaire grandfather John Chakalos was shot to death in his Connecticut home in 2013. No one has been charged, but Carman was the last person known to be with him. He's refused a request by his aunts' attorney, Dan Small, to turn over a gun he owns, which they think is the murder weapon. "If he had nothing to do with it, what's the harm in testing the gun?" he said.
Despite the accusations, Carman says he has sympathy for his aunts. "I want them to know, and I also want the public to know that I don't hate my aunts…the petitioners are the ones who accuse me of a murder that I didn't commit."
Small says they are not reciprocating that sympathy. "It's a terrible tragedy, no question about it, but murder is a conscious act, and if you believe he consciously chose to murder his grandfather, then no they don't have any sympathy for him," he said.