Colin Abbott

Colin Abbott is raising questions about how the millions in his dead father’s estate are being spent.

Attorneys representing the estate say those questions have reasonable answers.

But Butler County Judge S. Michael Yeager, who is overseeing the estate process, says he doesn’t want to hear from either side until it is decided if Colin Abbott has a right to raise those questions.

Colin Abbott, 43, is serving a 35-to-80-year state prison sentence, having pleaded no contest to killing his father, Kenneth Abbott, and stepmother, Celeste Abbott, at their Brady Township home in the summer of 2011.

Although Colin Abbott was named the main beneficiary of his father’s estate, officials have argued that he’s precluded from that inheritance under the state’s Slayer’s Act because he caused the deaths.

But Colin Abbott’s attorney has argued that Abbott is appealing his plea. And even if it stands, a no contest plea doesn’t acknowledge guilt, therefore, it doesn’t trigger the Slayer’s Act.

On Thursday, Colin Abbott’s civil attorney H. Craig Hinkle presented Yeager a 15-page request outlining places where his client believes money from his father’s estate has been spent exorbitantly. Based on those accusations, Hinkle asked the judge to remove Kathleen Neal from her role as executor and remove the estate’s law firm, Dillon McCandless King Coulter & Graham of Butler. Neal is Kenneth Abbott’s sister.

Tom King, representing the estate, answered the accusations with an 11-page response.

But Yeager, who said the questions did raise his interest, told both attorneys to hold off on their arguments. He said the matter is in abeyance until Colin Abbott’s appeal is decided.

“I understand (Colin Abbott’s) allegations and concerns,” Yeager said, “but we are not there yet.”

Further, if Colin Abbott is deemed to be excluded from inheriting his father’s estate, the point of the questions would be moot. Neal then becomes the main beneficiary and is entitled to the money.

A third lawyer, David Trautman, representing the interest of Celeste Abbott’s children, asked that sanctions be imposed on Colin Abbott and his attorney because they already knew this was not the appropriate time to raise these questions and they forced a court appearance.

Meantime, the estate of Kenneth Abbott has been almost completely sold for money that now is in escrow.

An exact accounting of the estate still is not finalized.

The only physical items left in the estate is a $2,400 marble collection, a $16,000 coin collection and the 25-acre homestead on West Liberty Road.

The property, with an asking price of $1.3 million, did not sell at an auction and is listed for sale.