Nearly six months after the husband of a murdered South Jersey radio host took legal action to obtain his deceased wife’s life insurance policy, the woman’s daughter will speak.
Kimberly Pack and her attorney, Patrick D’Arcy, plan to read prepared statements Thursday at 11 a.m. addressing the federal lawsuit regarding the May 2012 killing of her mother, April Kauffman.
“Due to the ongoing interest in the story and the search for answers regarding her mother’s death, Kimberly has decided to come forward and announce the most recent legal developments in the case,” D’Arcy said.
A worker found 47-year-old Kauffman, well-known for her job as a DJ at WOND 1400 A.M., shot to death in the bedroom of her Linwood home. The next day investigators said the crime was not a random act, but they have yet to make any arrests and even said they lack sufficient evidence to prove a case in court.
About ten weeks after the homicide, an attorney for Kauffman's widower - Dr. James Kauffman- contacted the Transamerica Life Insurance Co. to collect on his wife’s two life insurance policies, which amount to a $600,000 combined payout, according to court records.
But Transamerica did not disperse the death benefits, insisting that a copy of the police report was required by law to make a claims decision. The refusal led James Kauffman to file a lawsuit against the insurance company in July 2013.
“Determination on the payment of death claim benefits could not be made without first determining that plaintiff [Dr. James Kauffman] had no involvement with the death of the insured,” according to a counter claim filed by the insurance firm in September 2013. “Transamerica, therefore is unable to determine whether plaintiff may have been responsible for the intentional killing of April Kauffman.”
James Kauffman, who retained an attorney the day after the murder, denied any involvement in his wife’s death and challenged the notion that it is legally required to prove he was not responsible for her murder to collect the insurance, according to a response filed in October.
Plus the husband's initial complaint indicates he tried to obtain the police report, but authorities would not provide him with the information since the homicide investigation is ongoing.
James Kauffman is the primary beneficiary on both policies and Pack is the contingent beneficiary.
Pack, who continues to hold vigils and work with prosecutors to find her mother’s killer, is a third party in the case.
There will be no question and answer session following the statements from Pack and D’Arcy Thursday due to the pending litigation.
The unsolved murder continues to haunt Pack, who contacted America's Most Wanted in the hopes that a feature on its website would help authorities.
She says she struggles to explain to her son why police have yet to capture his grandmother's killer and a break in the case would provide much needed closure.
Anyone with information about the murder can call AMW at 1-800-CRIME-TV.
Photo Credit: Family Photo