She Mysteriously Drowned At Sea While On A Fishing Trip With Her Son Off The Coast Of Rhode Island
In 2013, John Chakalos, a U.S. Army veteran turned successful real estate developer, was found shot and killed in his Windsor, Connecticut, home at 87 years old.
Three years later, John’s 54-year-old daughter, Linda Carman, mysteriously drowned at sea while on a fishing trip with her son, Nathan Carman, off the coast of Rhode Island.
Following these two crimes within the same wealthy family, investigators set their sights on Nathan. They arrested and charged him with his mother Linda’s murder in 2022 and suspected he was also behind his grandfather’s slaying. Yet, Nathan took his own life while in prison in 2023, leaving many unanswered questions in both cases.
Now, a new book by true crime author Casey Sherman, entitled “Blood in the Water: The Untold Story of a Family Tragedy,” has revealed new insights that call into question whether Nathan was truly responsible or not.
“If I were on the jury, I would vote to acquit,” Casey revealed.
Linda and her ex-husband, Earle Clark Carman, welcomed Nathan into the world on July 6, 1994. Then the couple subsequently divorced four years later, and Linda moved to Middletown, Connecticut, to raise her son.
Nathan was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, which is now considered part of the autism spectrum, and following the death of his grandfather John, his three maternal aunts claimed he was responsible.
As for motive, they alleged that Nathan was trying to gain access to their family’s trust, which was worth nearly $50 million.
“I think they hated him because John doted on him. Whereas they were vying for John’s love, attention, and his money, Nathan was showered with affection and love and wealth by John, who didn’t treat him as someone on the autism spectrum,” Casey detailed.
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“He overlooked any mental challenges that Nathan may have had and treated Nathan as an equal.”
John was killed in his bed in December 2013, and according to former lieutenant Christopher McKee of the Windsor Police Department, authorities determined he’d most likely been killed with a SIG Sauer rifle, based on ballistics tests. Nathan was questioned by investigators, who asked if he owned any guns, but he stated he only had an air gun.
Yet, the police later discovered that Nathan had purchased a SIG Sauer in New Hampshire just a few weeks prior. When they approached Nathan about his purchase, he claimed that he had “lost” the firearm and “didn’t know” where it was. The gun has never been found.
Additionally, there was an hour of Nathan’s day that couldn’t be accounted for on the day his grandfather died. He said that he had left his home at 3:00 a.m. to meet up with his mom for a fishing trip, but he got lost.
This pushed the police to suspect that Nathan was involved, but according to an interview with a caretaker of John’s New Hampshire estate, which is included in Casey’s latest book, there were other people who seemed to be after the 87-year-old.
The caretaker, Joy Washburn, described the Chakalos as “an incredibly complex and volatile family worth $50 million that was almost Shakespearean to me.” Just two weeks before John’s murder in 2013, one of the family’s associates also allegedly reached out and asked Joy to kill him.
“Well, the entire family hates John. Can you take John out to the woods, shoot him, kill him, make it look like a hunting accident, and we’ll pay you $10,000?” the associate reportedly asked Joy, who was a longtime hunter.
Casey contacted the FBI and Coast Guard investigators to verify Joy’s account, and the investigators confirmed that she had told them the same thing.
“They deemed her incredibly credible. That story elevated itself to a 302 report in the FBI, which meant it would’ve been brought up in this criminal trial,” Casey recalled.
Then came Linda’s drowning in 2016. She and Nathan departed from Ram Point Marina in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, on September 17, 2016, for a fishing trip and had planned to return the following day around 12:00 p.m. However, the mother-son duo never showed up, and eventually, the Coast Guard launched a search mission.
They ultimately found Nathan alone on an inflatable raft on September 25, 2016. He stated there had been “water in the bilge” of the boat, and while he tried to gather emergency gear at the wheelhouse, he allegedly told Linda to bring fishing lines. Next, the boat supposedly gave out, and Nathan and Linda plunged into the water.
Nathan insisted that he didn’t realize the boat was sinking until it was too late, which is why he didn’t radio for assistance or activate the boat’s emergency locator. Moreover, he alleged that he didn’t see his mom in the water after the boat sank and said the vessel drifted eastward thereafter.
Next, he detailed how he was able to gather water and food before climbing onto an inflatable raft and putting on a life vest. Then, following his rescue, Nathan filed an insurance claim for $85,000 due to the loss of his boat.
Strangely, though, sea current data suggests the boat would’ve drifted in the opposite direction, and despite planning to go on a fishing trip, Nathan had reportedly left a bucket of bait behind in his car.
“There were too many inconsistencies. There were too many things that just didn’t add up,” explained Special Agent Eric Gempp.
That’s what led Nathan’s insurance claim to be denied on the grounds of “holes in his story,” and in 2022, he was arrested and charged with fraud and first-degree murder in connection with Linda’s death.
Nathan ultimately committed suicide inside his jail cell in 2023 while being the prime suspect in his mother’s drowning, as well as the shooting death of his grandfather, John. He had firmly maintained his innocence until taking his life at 29 years old.
Still, Casey has doubts, particularly because Nathan supposedly loved his mother and grandfather more than anyone else.
“He was accused of murdering both, allegedly to get his hands on this $50 million family fortune, which he was going to be getting a big chunk of anyway,” Casey noted.
Nonetheless, despite the criminal charges against Nathan being dismissed following his suicide, the Windsor Police Department confirmed that the investigation into John’s murder remains active.
“I think Nathan is both a victim and a villain in his own story. Nathan Carman remains an enigma,” Casey concluded.
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