In Wisconsin, a beneficiary who intentionally and feloniously kills the decedent is barred from receiving any benefit from the decedent’s estate under the state’s “slayer rule.” The killer is treated as having predeceased the decedent, so they take nothing under a will, by intestate succession, or through nonprobate transfers such as life insurance, retirement accounts, POD/TOD designations, joint tenancy survivorship, or trust interests. A criminal conviction is not strictly required; a probate court may apply the rule if it finds, under the applicable civil standard, that the killing was intentional and unlawful. The disqualification generally does not extend to the killer’s innocent descendants, who may still inherit through normal representation rules depending on the governing instrument and estate structure. This framework is codified in Wisconsin Statutes § 854.14.
If you would like to discuss this matter more thoroughly, please reach out to our Madison Wisconsin Estate Planning attorneys. We are here to help!