Hoss v. Hoge

¶1 — On January 13, 2000, Joshua Hoge was found not guilty by reason of insanity for the murder of his mother, Pamela Kissinger, and stepbrother, James Zachary Kissinger. After obtaining a settlement in a wrongful death action, the personal representative for Pamela’s estate brought a motion for a determination of statutory beneficiaries in King County Superior Court, arguing that Hoge was a “slayer” as defined by chapter 11.84 RCW (slayer statute) and that he was therefore barred from receiving any portion of the settlement. Washington’s slayer statute prohibits individuals who have…