Under Florida's slayer statute, how is property ownership affected if one joint tenant unlawfully kills another?

Under Florida's slayer statute, if one joint tenant unlawfully kills another joint tenant, the right of survivorship is severed. This means that the killer does not inherit the deceased joint tenant's property interest, effectively terminating the joint tenancy. Instead of the property passing solely to the killer due to the right of survivorship inherent in joint tenancies, the deceased's share of the property will go to their estate.

This legal principle is grounded in public policy that prevents a wrongdoer from benefiting from their own wrongdoing, reinforcing the idea that no one should profit from their illegal actions. In essence, joint tenancy creates a right of survivorship, but if one party unlawfully causes the death of another, that individual forfeits their right to benefit from the joint ownership.

The other options do not correctly reflect the application of the slayer statute: transferring property to the state would not occur under these circumstances, as the property would instead be assigned to the deceased's estate. Saying the killer inherits all property rights contradicts the intent behind the statute. Finally, the idea that the victim's estate automatically inherits does not capture that the killer's rights are severed first, and then a different transfer occurs according to intestacy laws or the deceased's