AITA for staying true to my threats after my dad died?
My dad died unexpectedly last week and my sister Jess and I lost our mom last year to a mix of cancer and the virus.
From how our family acted in the past over scavenging over dead people’s things both Jess and I decided to send out a family memo on no one is to enter or take anything from our parents' house until we get there. Both Jess and I work on the west coast so it takes some time to get there with all of our kids and family.
I saw several notifications from my parents' Ring Doorbell and I’m a lawyer. I reminded my family we will prosecute. Jess and I are on the same page. Jess gets to my parents' house first and notices stuff is missing and my parents had security cameras and an Amazon Echo Show.
It showed my cousin taking stuff from the house. So Jess did what we agreed on and called the police and two of our cousins were arrested. Because it was over a thousand dollars both are looking at felonies. My cousin said my dad promised him this stuff and I have my dad’s will making me executor of the estate. I told him he should have waited to file a claim with the estate and everyone was warned about what would happen.
Jess and I don’t have the best relationship with our extended family and We are not dropping charges. Because of this drama, dad was quietly cremated with no service and we plan to hold one when scattered our parents' ashes at Jess’s house in a tree planted for them. '
My last living grandma is upset about it but she sided with my cousins and aunt saying we are too tough on having them arrested.
There is nothing quite so unedifying as the rush by distant family members to grab what they can when someone dies.
Definitely NTA (Not the A**Hole).
mdthomas says:
So your dad had a will naming you the executor and your relatives decided to steal from your dad's estate.
NTA
The__Riker__Manuever says:
NTA
My advice?
Follow through with the charges and use this opportunity to remove these people from your life permanently.
Don't give a single thing or a single penny to anyone in the extended family that you are not on good terms with.