(a) No payment shall be made if the deceased member suffered death as a result of lawful punishment for a crime or for a military or naval offense, except when death was so inflicted by any hostile force with which the Armed Forces of the United States have engaged in armed conflict.
(b) No payment will be made to a survivor implicated in the homicide of the deceased in the absence of evidence clearly absolving such survivor of any felonious intent.
(c) Unless the laws of the place where a minor beneficiary resides provide that such a payment would grant a valid acquittance of the Government's obligation to make a payment of death gratuity to or for a minor, a death gratuity of more than $1,000 may not be paid in whole or in part to a parent as natural guardian of a minor or to any other person who is not a legal guardian appointed by the civil court to manage the minor's financial affairs. [24 FR 7523, Sept. 18, 1959, as amended at 37 FR 6471, Mar. 30, 1972; 44 FR 25647, May 2, 1979]