SB 148 creates a new legal framework to prevent a person who intentionally and feloniously kills another person from benefiting financially from the victim’s death. It adds a new chapter governing intestate succession, wills, joint assets, life insurance, and beneficiary designations so that a killer forfeits statutory inheritance rights, revocable gifts and appointments are revoked, and jointly held property is severed and treated as a tenancy in common. The bill also provides procedures for probate courts to determine whether the killing was felonious and intentional, including use of a criminal conviction or, absent a conviction, a civil finding by a preponderance of the evidence.
The bill also creates a second new chapter addressing “proceeds of crime related to homicide.” It requires third parties who knowingly contract to pay more than $10,000 in profits from a homicide crime to a charged or convicted person, or that person’s representative, to notify the Department of Justice. The department must then notify known victims or the victim’s estate, and homicide victims are given a civil right of action to recover money damages from the convicted person or their representative within three years of discovering such profits. The Department of Justice is also authorized to seek provisional remedies and to act where restitution remains unpaid.
In practical terms, SB 148 would amend New Hampshire probate and civil recovery rules to codify and expand the “slayer rule,” ensuring that a murderer cannot inherit from, receive beneficiary designations from, or otherwise profit from the victim’s estate or related property interests. It also creates notice obligations for payors and legal entities, protections for good-faith third parties and bona fide purchasers, and rules for handling disputed funds through the probate court. The bill applies to estates not yet closed as of its effective date, January 1, 2026.
The overall sentiment reflected in the bill materials is supportive and punitive toward profiting from homicide, with the measure framed as a victim-protection and anti-enrichment policy. No committee transcript or vote record was provided, so there is no recorded floor or committee debate to indicate broader support or opposition. The fiscal note suggests the administrative cost is minimal, under $10,000 in each of fiscal years 2026 through 2028.
Potential points of contention likely center on the bill’s breadth and administration: the use of a civil preponderance standard when there is no conviction, the reach of notice duties imposed on third parties, and the new civil cause of action tied to discovery of profits from a homicide crime. Questions could also arise about federal preemption, the treatment of jointly held property, and how the law would interact with restitution, probate proceedings, and existing beneficiary or insurance arrangements.
SB 148 would add two new chapters to the New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated, expanding probate law and creating a new civil notice-and-recovery scheme for homicide-related profits. It would alter how estates, wills, joint tenancies, life insurance, and beneficiary designations are handled when a person is found to have feloniously and intentionally killed the decedent, and it would impose reporting duties on entities paying homicide-related proceeds over $10,000. The bill also gives homicide victims and the Department of Justice new tools to recover funds and seek provisional remedies, while protecting good-faith payors and bona fide purchasers.
The bill’s framing and text indicate a strong pro-victim, anti-profiteering policy stance, with the legislature seeking to ensure that a killer cannot benefit financially from the crime. Because no committee discussion or vote history was provided, there is no direct evidence of opposition or amendment debate in the available materials. The fiscal note’s low estimated cost suggests the measure was viewed as largely administrative rather than budgetary.
The main likely points of contention are procedural and legal rather than ideological. The bill allows a probate court to make a civil finding of felonious and intentional killing by a preponderance of the evidence if there is no conviction, which could raise due-process concerns for some stakeholders. It also imposes notice obligations on third parties and creates a new civil recovery path for victims, which may prompt questions about compliance burdens, litigation exposure, and interaction with federal law, restitution, and existing insurance or estate rules. The bill’s broad definition of “profits from a homicide crime” could also be debated for scope and enforceability.