BY EARNEST WINSTON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
BURLINGTON -- The maternal grandparents of Clay Shrout want him to testify about how he killed his parents and two younger sisters four years ago, and who died first.
In a motion filed Tuesday in Boone Circuit Court, Wayne and Carolyn Johnson said they want their grandson to give a deposition at the Kentucky State Penitentiary in Eddyville.
The motion will be heard Tuesday. The testimony could help decide who ends up getting the estate, which is valued at more than $1 million, mostly in insurance payments.
Mr. Shrout, now 21, was 17 when he killed his parents, Harvey and Rebecca Shrout, and his two sisters, Lauren and Kristen Shrout on May 26, 1994.
The key to the Johnsons' lawsuit is whether Harvey Shrout -- Clay's father -- died before his two daughters. If so, the Johnsons maintain, his estate passes to the girls, and they are entitled to a share. If the girls died first -- or if a state law that says such deaths occur simultaneously applies -- then the Johnsons have no claim on the estate, which passes to Harvey Shrout's mother, Roberta Shrout.
The Johnsons sued Mrs. Shrout, saying she reneged on an agreement to share proceeds of two policies. Mrs. Shrout said she never made such an agreement.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
