The Kansas City Star newspaper reported an interesting story. A sixty-seven year old millionaire, Bill Van Note, was in the hospital on a ventilator after a late-night attack at his house. That attack remains unsolved. The man was rushed to the hospital. The daughter had a power of attorney for health care. She told the hospital to pull the plug. "So after discussion — it’s unclear how long — doctors shut off the ventilator and pulled the tube from their patient’s throat. Over several hours, Bill Van Note, who had been a prominent Liberty businessman, died, slowly." Once it was discovered that the power of attorney for health care had been forged, the district attorney charged the daughter with murder. He also charged the two witnesses to the power of attorney with murder.
"Camden County Prosecutor Brian Keedy says Liz Van Note’s preparation of the document shows the premeditation required for first-degree murder. What killed her father, Keedy alleges, was being removed from life support." The witnesses to the forged power of attorney were involved in the same scheme so they were charged also.
They same situation would apply to the execution of wills. If someone knows that a person is not mentally capable of executing a will but helps the person obtaining the will by being a witness to the will, they also might be charged with a crime. So, if someone you know asks you to witness a will, make sure the affair is on the up and up to avoid problems.
Copyright by Robert Ray a Texas inheritance attorney.
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