Could they have been brought up on wrongful death and tampering with evidence charges?
There was a millionaire in Galveston some years back who got into an argument with his neighbor and killed him. He then chopped up the body and sank it in the ocean. He was only convicted of something like improper disposal or tampering with the body.
Interesting dude, Robert Durst. From the Wikipedia:
Fugitive
In 1973, Durst married Kathleen McCormack, who disappeared in 1982. On December 24, 2000, Durst's long-time friend, Susan Berman, was found murdered execution-style in her Benedict Canyon California house. Durst was questioned in both cases, but not charged in either one.[1]
In 2001, Durst was arrested in Galveston, Texas, shortly after body parts of his senior neighbor, Morris Black, were found floating in Galveston Bay, but he was released on bail. Durst missed his court hearing and was declared the nation's first billion-dollar fugitive. He was caught in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, at a Wegmans Supermarket, after trying to steal a chicken sandwich and a Band-Aid, even though he had $500 cash in his pocket. A police search of his rented car yielded $37,000 in cash, two guns, marijuana, and Black's driver's license.[2]
These events inspired the 2010 film "All Good Things", the title of which is a reference to a health store of the same name set up by Durst and his wife in the 1970s.[3][4]
Trial
In 2003, Durst went on trial for the murder of Morris Black. He hired well-known defense attorney Dick DeGuerin and claimed self-defense. During cross-examination by Galveston District Attorney Kurt Sistrunk, Durst admitted to using a paring knife, two saws and an axe to dismember Black's body before dumping his remains in Galveston Bay.[5] The jury acquitted him of murder.[6]
In 2004, Durst pleaded guilty to two counts of bond jumping and one count of evidence tampering. As part of a plea bargain, he received a sentence of five years and was given credit for time served, requiring him to serve about three years in prison. [7][dead link]
Durst was paroled in 2005. The rules of his release required him to stay near his home; permission was required to travel.
Second arrest
In December 2005, Durst made an unauthorized trip to the boarding house where he killed Black and to a nearby shopping mall. At the mall, he ran into the presiding judge from his murder trial, Judge Susan Criss. Due to this incident, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles determined that Durst had violated the terms of his parole, and he was returned to jail.[8]. However he was released again from custody on March 1, 2006 [9].
Should have gone for the gold in Olympic skating.