Derechos sucesorios en los casos de violencia de género

This paper analyses the consequences of deaths caused by gender-based violence in which the perpetrator, after taking the lives of his or her children and spouse or partner, ends his or her life by suicide. The application of current legislation on unworthy succession, which requires a final criminal conviction for intent, may result in the offender's relatives acquiring not only the assets belonging to the perpetrator but also the right to accept the victims' inheritances, in detriment of the offender's relatives, by inheritance law. This entails the need for a corrective interpretation of the causes of unworthiness and its requirements, which calls for legislative reform to adapt the law to current social needs.