I'll try to clear up any confusion:

First of all, my husband called the court to ask about the procedures that we should follow after the conviction because we are ignorant of them and figured they would be able to give us the best answer. It is clear to me now that they are not the place to be starting at.

Second, the life insurance policy is made payable to the estate. Again, since supposedly there can be no executor appointed until there is a conviction, we cannot probate the will and set up an estate account in which the money can be deposited into.

When you say that it doesn't make sense that we consulted with an estate-probate attorney about "removing" him as executor...i'm not sure I understand what you are asking. Does that mean we should not be hiring an estate attorney and instead hiring another type? If so, what type of attorney would be best for handling this situation?

I agree with you in your first statement that you "cannot fathom why someone wouldn't press the court by way of petition to proceed with probate if this person cannot carry out his duties; it's kinda unfathomable to allow estate to remain in limbo." However, both my husband and brother-in-law have been to the probate court and were told that there is nothing they can do if my father-in-law will not sign the renunciation papers. Also, when we consulted with the lawyer, he too said that we could sue him, but ultimately we would have to wait until there is a trial and conviction because no judge will make a judgement on the case because he is innocent until proven guilty.