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Bill the Billionaire has his wealth divided amongst various assets (a portion of it is cash under his mattress, a portion of it is stocks, a portion of it is cryptocurrencies, a portion of it is real estate, a portion of it is Pokemon cards, etc.). The entirety of his wealth was completely lawfully obtained. Also, Bill has essentially no friends/confidants/anyone in his life he can count on.

One day, he goes out and decides to publicly go on a murder spree. Once captured, he obviously gets sentenced to at least life in prison. What happens to all his assets? Is Uncle Sam allowed to just swoop in and take the cash under his mattress? Is Bill allowed to dictate in any way what happens to his wealth? What if Bill wrote a will (perhaps dictating that, upon his death, his son Sonny should inherit all his assets), will that will be followed, or can Uncle Sam rip it in half and do whatever they want?

chausies
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Other than any fine or restitution as part of the judgment, the assets stay where they are. A billionaire would likely direct someone to manage them under a power of attorney arrangement or trust. There are professional trust managers who will do this for a fee.

Jen
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NOTHING happens without a verdict

Only such assets that are forfeited or explicitly taken in the judgment can legally be taken away from a person by the state. All other assets remain the property of a convict, under the protection against Search and Seizure aka 4th Amendment.

Trish
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The victims can bring a separate civil case for wrongful death.

The heirs of the victims will seek money for economic damages (lost wages, funeral expenses), non-economic damages (mental and emotional anguish) and punitive damages. This is a civil lawsuit and has a lower standard of proof than the criminal case, so a success is highly likely.

O. J. Simpson is perhaps the most famous example, he was found not guilty of the murders of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson, but was found civilly liable in the sum of $33.5 million.

However, he declared bankruptcy in Florida. There, certain assets, particularly pensions and a home are protected against seizure in a bankruptcy; his NFL pension was where most of his remaining money was. Other assets were seized and sold, which continued over his lifetime.

Another example was the murder of Lana Clarkson by Phil Spector. A civil claim was settled before trial, the amount was confidential.

user71659
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