Precious Commodities: The Dangerous Intersection of Greed, Insurance and Children’s Lives

On July 26, 2021, I finally got an answer to a question I’ve pondered ever since I’ve read my first story about someone murdered for life insurance money: Can you take a life insurance policy on someone without them even knowing?

Sadly, I’ve read dozens of sad and sordid tales of betrayal and greed, often by the people the victims loved and trusted most. Few things surprise me these days. But I will never get used to stories of a parent who takes a life insurance policy out on their child, callously kills them, and cashes in.

Here’s one tragic tale. In August 2017, Joaquin Rams of Manassas, Virginia was convicted of murdering his 15-month-old-son, Prince, to collect on his life insurance. The cause of death is still unclear; the defense says Prince died from a febrile seizure, the prosecution says Rams murdered him by either suffocating him or-more likely-drowning him. Rams had allegedly taken out more than $500,000 in life insurance on Prince in the months before his death; what toddler needs that?

Prince’s biological mother had no idea about the insurance policies on her son’s life. While the insurance agency obviously did, they were also misled. Rams reportedly lied to MassMutual about a number of things; he stated that his toddler son…