Father Says Son Who Was Lost At Sea Is 'Not Capable' Of Murder
VERNON, Vt. (CBS) -- The father of a man rescued after a week lost at sea said he had nothing to do with his mother's presumed death on their ill-fated fishing trip--or his grandfather's unsolved 2013 murder.
Nathan Carman, 22, left Rhode Island on a fishing trip with his mother, Linda Carman, 54, on September 18. They disappeared, and the Coast Guard called off the search for them. Then, on Sunday, Nathan was picked up in a life raft 100 miles south of Martha's Vineyard by a freighter. His mother is still missing and is presumed dead.
As investigators look into whether or not Nathan had a role in the sinking of the boat, court documents from 2014 surfaced that show Nathan was a suspect in the unsolved murder of his wealthy grandfather, John Chakalos, in 2013.
More: Search Warrants Paint Disturbing Picture Of Man Rescued After Week Lost At Sea
Clark Carman, Nathan's father, flew out from California to be with his son once he heard he had been rescued. He says Nathan had nothing to do with Chakalos's murder or his mother's disappearance.
"The past is the past, and what I want to say about that is, I wish the press would leave it alone, because he was not involved with his grandfather, with his mother," Clark Carman said Wednesday. "It was a pure accident, and he would never do anything like that."
A warrant named Carman as the last known person to see his grandfather alive on Dec. 20, 2013, because he had dinner with him at his home in Windsor. Chakalos was found dead the next morning. He had been shot three times.
"He's a good kid," Clark said. "He loved his grandfather. It's all being drudged up, and I really hate to see that, because there's no substance to it."
He said Nathan's never really talked to him about the murder of his grandfather, but says "I know my son, he's not capable of it, for one."
When asked if he believes Nathan could have murdered Chakalos and his mother, he said "Most definitely not."
"They were the two most important people in his life," he said.
As for Nathan's condition, Clark said his son is doing as well as he can be, and is "coping with what's going on."
"He's not at the point he really wants to speak, but when he does, he's going to contact the press," Clark Carman said. "He wants his alone time. None of us really know what he went through, and I'm sure it was traumatic, and so we have to bear with that."
Nathan was debriefed by the Coast Guard Tuesday. Clark said he isn't sure whether the Coast Guard, or law enforcement, have any more meetings planned with his son.
Clark said he flew out from California on a one-way ticket when he heard his son was rescued. He said he hasn't slept much, but "you have to do what you have to do for your loved ones."
For now, Clark says he's thrilled his son is okay, and that the past few days have been an emotional rollercoaster.
"I know for Nathan it has been too," he said, adding that, once his son has had his alone time, "We're going to work through everything."
