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Family claims man rescued at sea killed mom, grandfather for inheritance

BOSTON — A man who survived being lost at sea with his mother off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard is being sued by his aunts.

Linda Carman is presumed dead after she and her son, Nathan Carman, set out on a fishing trip from Rhode Island last year.

MORE: 1 of 2 missing boaters found alive, was object of 2011 search

Nathan Carman was found drifting on a life raft days later and told investigators their boat sank.

On Monday his mother's three sisters filed a lawsuit, accusing Nathan Carman of possibly killing his mother, and his grandfather years ago.

"They're not in this for money, they're in it for justice," Attorney Dan Small said. “The family agonized over this process but decided it was the right thing to do and it's what their father and sister would want them to do.”

His aunts claim the 23-year-old was motivated by greed, wanting access to a multi-million-dollar inheritance.

“John Chakalos was murdered in his bed with a 308-caliber weapon. Nathan Carman had purchased a 308-caliber weapon before the murder but when police asked him about guns afterwards, he never mentioned it and apparently claims it was lost,” Small said.

MORE: Timeline of mom and son's disappearance at sea

The lawsuit would block him from getting any of the money.

Nathan Carman has denied being responsible for either death and has never been charged.

MORE: Rescue at sea turns new attention on unsolved 2013 killing

PHOTOS: Linda Carman & Nathan Carman