Crockett's wife's fortune?

[Stinger390X]

I always wondered after the death of Crockett's wife by Hackman what happened to all the money?

She was a millionaire and bought their house cash etc.

Since they were married, I would think that sonny would get the estate?

 

Back in the season two opener you see Crockett and Tubbs in the bankers office and he rhymes off their bank account numbers and amounts and Crockett is a very frugal guy with only a couple of grand to his name at that time.

 

After his marriage to a music star you think that in the final episode he could just go fishing with his kid and have no worries in the world???

 

This was never clarified in the series I think...any comments?

[Susanna Girl]

I remember them trying to downplay her popularity as Crockett says something about her career being in the toilet.  Possibly she didn't have as much money as you would think?  Plenty of musicians are flat broke...lol.  

 

Good question! 

[DJsluckylady]

She had to have some money.  Even if she didn't have a lot of cash that $875,000.00 house was worth at least that amount.  That should have gone to Sonny. At least it was a place to live, or he could have sold it, actually bought the St Vitus Dance or the Ferrari or both.  I'm sure the police property department would have sold them to him.   Just another lost thread like where is Rico's son since he wasn't even in the car when it was blown up.  Was the coffin just ceremonial because Rico thought he was dead?  I've always thought that was left hanging to bring back at a later date.  Too bad nothing ever happened with that.  But I think there is no doubt that Sonny should have been financially well off after Caitlin's death.  

[vicegirl85]

You're so right, DJsluckylady.  Watching the show, a person would think that both Crockett and Tubbs just walked away and left everything.  

 

In the case of Tubbs, maybe he did--he didn't have property (as far as was ever shown in the series) in Miami, and whether he had enough time in the Miami PD to be vested or whatever in the  pension system is outside of my scope of knowledge!

 

But Crockett had the house, any cash in Caitlin's estate, and he had somewhere between 15-20 years of service (especially if his military service counted--I think sometimes in that type of job the person gets credit toward their pension for military service).  Even if he didn't care about Caitlin's money, he would have to do something about the house and it wouldn't make sense to walk away from his pension.  A person has to eat, and if he wanted to start up any kind of business he would need money.    

[Tony D.]

You're so right, DJsluckylady.  Watching the show, a person would think that both Crockett and Tubbs just walked away and left everything.  

 

In the case of Tubbs, maybe he did--he didn't have property (as far as was ever shown in the series) in Miami, and whether he had enough time in the Miami PD to be vested or whatever in the  pension system is outside of my scope of knowledge!

 

But Crockett had the house, any cash in Caitlin's estate, and he had somewhere between 15-20 years of service (especially if his military service counted--I think sometimes in that type of job the person gets credit toward their pension for military service).  Even if he didn't care about Caitlin's money, he would have to do something about the house and it wouldn't make sense to walk away from his pension.  A person has to eat, and if he wanted to start up any kind of business he would need money.

At the time, those questions weren't in our minds.......now 30 yrs. later after discussing all the episodes, we start thinking about little details that never mattered back in the 8o's.

[vicegirl85]

How true, TonyD!

 

LOL in 1989 I wasn't worried about a pension or even money from the sale of a house...

[Stinger390X]

Yeh... I know what you guys mean!

 

I'm getting close to grabbing my pension ( a few years yet) but you have to stop a moment and think about it.

 

 

 

I know if I were Sonny, I would definitely take time to get to spend more time with his son.  In "Freefall" Sonny said he would go somewhere where no one knew his name.

[vicegirl85]

(snipped)

I know if I were Sonny, I would definitely take time to get to spend more time with his son.  In "Freefall" Sonny said he would go somewhere where no one knew his name.

 

Yes, his son was at an age that he needed his dad, and Sonny did have guilt about the amount of time he hadn't spent with Billy.  Certainly it seems like he'd consider doing that.  If Caroline and her husband were still living in Ocala (as was my impression), Sonny could definitely relocate closer to them and no one would know him, but I think Ocala itself might be too cold in the winter and too far from the ocean for him https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocala,_Florida

[Detective_Crockett]

Yeah! it's possible at the end of the series Crockett is a multi-millionare from Catlin's death, I still wish he and Tubbs didn't go seperate ways, they could have gone off together to start a new life.

[vicegirl85]

Well... I have to say that I think if Crockett was a multimillionaire because of Caitlin's death, he would set up a trust fund/college fund for Billy but give away everything else.  If he thought he was in a position to profit from her death he would not be able to take any of the money for himself.  It would make him sick to think that.

 

Although Caitlin's career apparently was on the rebound upward I didn't have the impression she was raking it in before she died.  The house seemed to be her big splurge, as far as I could see.

Edited October 25, 2015 by vicegirl85

[airtommy]

The record execs talk about how they plan to cheat her out of her royalties.  If she gets a percentage of the net rather than gross, they can just shift some costs onto her account and make it look like her music lost money (concert tour costs, promotion costs, etc).

[Vice Immersion]

Considering the house Caitlin and Sonny bought, the type of hotel she stayed in while at Los Angeles, usually traveling in a limousine when she wasn't traveling in the Ferrari with Sonny, the restaurants she and Sonny went to, and having an assistant.  I'm guessing she was probably worth $2-3 million.  A comfortable amount that she could survive on.  On one hand, she didn't live as extravagantly as some of the other wealthy people in Miami, but on the other, she never seemed to worry about money as much as Sonny did.

 

With the show not presenting Caitlin's funeral in "Deliver Us From Evil", the show seemed to imply that all the other financial and legal matters related to her death were not important.

 

I just assumed that Sonny did acquire all of Caitlin's assets, but the money he gained wasn't substantial enough for him to quit his job altogether and live like a "lottery winner".  I also assumed that sometime between "Deliver Us From Evil" and "Mirror Image", Sonny sold off the house she bought for them as soon as possible, in order to avoid being painfully reminded of her over and over again.

Edited October 26, 2015 by Vice Immersion

[Kavinsky]

and now you see why I get hung up on the small details like I did in the Bond Thread, overtime they build up and leave unanswered questions that get bigger as time goes on, personally I think he did a burn and split, Via leaving a secret amount for billy that would be unlocked to him overtime

 

that way he doesnt spoil the child by living like he did on the edge all the time, given it was a plot point in the pilot that he was addicted to the action, and the money that he had would bring that kind of action down on billy and well just look at Drew Barrymore to see how that effected her. 

 

so imagine that for billy, although I would think that given his time with his car and his boats, and the gradual feeling that he owned them anyways that he would buy and save up abit to keep them going, and then just leave it at that.

 

hence his line about a trip in his stolen car, plus he did have some positive memories in it with his kid

 

With Tubbs I think there was some mention of him having his own place past the pilot, like a rented apartment, the second episode makes a passing reference to this and Tubbs' trouble commuting and finding the place and I would imagine he put his car in storage while he got reaccumulated to New York all over again.

 

and I still wish I knew where that car got to, hell Switek had his T bird all of these years.

 

and all of this was probably left untied given the idea of doing a spin off with that girl from Just Shoot Me, and thus it was reworked and put into the plot of nash bridges.

 

Ex Wife, fully grown daughter that kinda thing.

Edited October 25, 2015 by Kavinsky

[mvnyc]

I always wondered after the death of Crockett's wife by Hackman what happened to all the money?

She was a millionaire and bought their house cash etc.

Since they were married, I would think that sonny would get the estate?

 

Back in the season two opener you see Crockett and Tubbs in the bankers office and he rhymes off their bank account numbers and amounts and Crockett is a very frugal guy with only a couple of grand to his name at that time.

 

After his marriage to a music star you think that in the final episode he could just go fishing with his kid and have no worries in the world???

 

This was never clarified in the series I think...any comments?

There's the question of a Will involved also, she likely didn't have one, which normally means her money would go to the state.  

Edited October 25, 2015 by mvnyc

[vicegirl85]

As I understand it, when a person dies without a will ("intestate"):  it's not that the money goes to the state, i.e. the state benefits financially.  Instead, state law decides how the money is divided.  Depending on the amount of money in the estate, there may be taxes involved, but if Sonny (her spouse) is her sole surviving family he would most likely get nearly all of the money after taxes and any debts she may owe.  Only if there were no heirs, i.e. no spouse, children, parents or siblings, would the state ultimately inherit the money/property.

 

From my friend Google http://estate.findlaw.com/wills/what-happens-if-i-die-without-a-will-.html

Married With No Children  

Depending on how your assets are owned when you die, your estate will either go entirely to your surviving spouse (if community property), or split between your surviving spouse, siblings and parents (if separate property).  - See more at: http://estate.findlaw.com/wills/what-happens-if-i-die-without-a-will-.html#sthash.kWcY7I2A.dpuf

 

However, since Caitlin had some large assets (if only the house and maybe she owned band equipment or a bus for traveling) and she had embarked on a long overseas tour, I would think she would have made a will in the event of a plane crash, etc.

 

and now you see why I get hung up on the small details like I did in the Bond Thread, overtime they build up and leave unanswered questions that get bigger as time goes on, personally I think he did a burn and split, Via leaving a secret amount for billy that would be unlocked to him overtime

 

that way he doesnt spoil the child by living like he did on the edge all the time, given it was a plot point in the pilot that he was addicted to the action, and the money that he had would bring that kind of action down on billy and well just look at Drew Barrymore to see how that effected her. 

 

so imagine that for billy, although I would think that given his time with his car and his boats, and the gradual feeling that he owned them anyways that he would buy and save up abit to keep them going, and then just leave it at that. (snipped)

 

Good points, Kavinsky.  My take has always been that while Crockett was addicted to the action, after Freefall  he had reached a point where he believed that the law-enforcement community and especially the federal government agents were more dangerous than the criminal underworld in which he felt so comfortable.  I felt like he wanted to at least try to quit cold-turkey.  In my mind he moved down to the Keys and started up a deep-sea fishing tour boat thing.  Whether he'd be happy or able to keep that up long term might be another story altogether, though.  

 

What level of contact would he really have with his son?  In spite of the fact that I believed him when he said he wanted to be involved with Billy, during the past 5 years he's barely seen him.  Maybe that month in the summer that he talked about in To Have and To Hold, or maybe he'd find himself putting that off due to busy-ness or he'd get involved in some type of investigative work again.  He would equate avoidance with protecting his son from danger, but ultimately they would be close to strangers if he did.

 

Considering the house Caitlin and Sonny bought, the type of hotel she stayed in while at Los Angeles, usually traveling in a limousine when she wasn't traveling in the Ferrari with Sonny, the restaurants she and Sonny went to, and having an assistant.  I'm guessing she was probably worth $2-3 million.  A comfortable amount that she could survive on.  On one hand, she didn't live as extravagantly as some of the other wealthy people in Miami, but on the other, she never seemed to worry about money as much Sonny did.

 

With the show not presenting Caitlin's funeral in "Deliver Us From Evil", the show seemed to imply that all the other financial and legal matters related to her death were not important.

 

I just assumed that Sonny did acquire all of Caitlin's assets, but the money he gained wasn't substantial enough for him to quit his job altogether and live like a "lottery winner".  I also assumed that sometime between "Deliver Us From Evil" and "Mirror Image", Sonny sold off the house she bought for them as soon as possible, in order to avoid being painfully reminded of her over and over again.

 

You're so right, Vice Immersion.  Even if Caitlin died debt-free, the average 40-year-old would probably not be able to retire on 2 million dollars and expect it to last the rest of his life, and I can't see Sonny being able to sit back and relax on a monthly payout at this time in his life.  He needed to stay active and work to keep his mind from dwelling on his loss.  I always assumed Mirror Image followed very closely after Deliver Us From Evil, but it may well have been a gap of several months, during which he may have sold the house and the estate could have been settled.

[Stinger390X]

Intersting points guys...

 

I guess I brought up a good topic for discussion? Lots of interesting points

 

Thanks all for participating.

 

The reason I started this sis that I recently watched the episode and the question just dawned on me

Edited October 25, 2015 by Stinger390X

[vicegirl85]

Yes, lots of interesting points and I'd never thought about them before!  Thanks for bringing it up

[Vice Immersion]

You're so right, Vice Immersion.  Even if Caitlin died debt-free, the average 40-year-old would probably not be able to retire on 2 million dollars and expect it to last the rest of his life, and I can't see Sonny being able to sit back and relax on a monthly payout at this time in his life.  He needed to stay active and work to keep his mind from dwelling on his loss.  I always assumed Mirror Image followed very closely after Deliver Us From Evil, but it may well have been a gap of several months, during which he may have sold the house and the estate could have been settled.

 

...Not necessarily was I suggesting several months, but possibly a gap of 1-3 weeks (a quick house sale) because "Mirror Image" seemed to still be relatively recent, because of Crockett stating he felt suffocated by everyone's "well-intentioned concern".

[vicegirl85]

I think either scenario is possible, but in 1-3 weeks the estate would most likely not have been completely settled although it's possible the house could have sold almost instantly.  I think the cash disbursement has to wait 6 months in case there are any claims on the estate, i.e. debts owed.  

 

Even after a couple of months Crockett's friends on the squad could still have been treating him with extra concern--and driving him crazy since he just wanted to bury the pain in work.  Of course, the boat explosion could have happened during the time he is waiting for the estate to be settled.  

 

Which brings up another thought:  initially Crockett was believed to have been killed in the explosion, correct?  So I wonder how long the settlement of Caitlin's estate might have been held up while his death was being verified, or if it would have been passed on to Billy as the next heir before Crockett returned?

[Stinger390X]

Now there is a new twist!

 

I never even considered the fact of the "Burnett saga and his apparent death...

 

Great point!!!!!!

[timm525]

I just had a thought. Did she legally marry James Sonny Crockett or did she marry Sonny Burnett? What would the marraige certificate say in the event the drug dealers decided to check up on him? Pretty sure all that is public record for anyone to look up.

I'm sure the legal paperwork could be worked out behind the scenes just like the rest of his cover and documents.

Just curious as the though just occured.

[Stinger390X]

Good point Timm

 

If I remember correctly he did use Burnett as I recall some dialogue about it (I'll have to watch the episode again)

The would make it a bit awkward to claim Crockett under Burnett????????

 

As Ricky Ricardo used to say... Jou gotta lotta splainin to do!

[vicegirl85]

I just had a thought. Did she legally marry James Sonny Crockett or did she marry Sonny Burnett? What would the marraige certificate say in the event the drug dealers decided to check up on him? Pretty sure all that is public record for anyone to look up

Yes, good question, Timm.  As you say I'm sure there would be documentation not available to the public record to prove Sonny Burnett was Sonny Crockett but it might cause a temporary delay, at least during the time he was believed killed in the explosion.

[Spyder]

I'm going to weigh in and assume that she married Sonny Crockett, not Burnett. There are lots of marriages every day and the state can't afford to start getting frivolous with aliases and cover names, no matter how important it is to your job. It was Sonny's job to preserve his cover; a marriage license wasn't going to keep the lid on it. Though, to be fair, most drug dealers wouldn't be going to the registry office to look these things up anyway.

 

Remember in Love at First Sight, when Sonny re-routes the dating service calls to their house? Caitlin gets upset because she never knows whether to answer "Burnett residence" or "Crockett residence," which tells me that they were legally Mr. and Mrs. Crockett, but she had to play along with the cover for this one case when she didn't want to. If she agreed from the outset of their relationship to be "Mrs. Burnett," she wouldn't likely make such a stink about it. Let's also remember that Caroline and Billy didn't live with Sonny's cover, either. 

 

As for the assets when Sonny lost his memory, I'm thinking that the authorities would have gone back to re-distribute Sonny's funds appropriately upon discovering that he was indeed alive. Though let's remember that he probably needed to spend a lot of money on lawyers and other people when he was clearing his name. IRL, he'd have been convicted of murder, sent to prison, and his fortune -- including money he made from the Burnett empire -- garnished by the state to pay for restitution, etc. 

 

I'm willing to bet that by the time he was let back onto active duty, he was back to square one, financially speaking, with only his "$425 a week" police salary to see him through. By the time of Freefall, all he probably had were the clothes on his back and his few thousand bucks in the bank referenced in Prodigal Son, after he (presumably) returned the Ferrari. 

Edited November 8, 2015 by Spyder

[vicegirl85]

Great points all, Spyder.  I agree with all you have said.