Chandler Halderson

 

Chandler Michael Halderson (born March 15, 1998) is an American criminal who murdered and dismembered his parents, Bart and Krista Halderson, in Dane County, Wisconsin, in July 2021. He reported both of his parents missing on July 7, and while being questioned on July 8, authorities found a mutilated torso with several bullet wounds in the woods near a home Chandler was reported to have visited. The remains were determined to be those of Bart Halderson. A week later, on July 14, a pair of dismembered legs, identified as Krista Halderson, was found near the Wisconsin River, a spot Chandler often visited. Chandler was arrested initially for lying to detectives, but was subsequently charged with the murders and dismemberment of his parents.

Trial

Chandler Halderson was charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide, providing false information on missing persons, mutilating a corpse, and hiding a corpse. Halderson entered a plea of not guilty and went to trial in January 2022, with opening statements starting on January 4. Prosecutors argued that Chandler murdered his parents after they discovered that he was lying about various aspects of his life. Chandler had stated numerous times that he was attending Madison Area Technical College, was an employee with the local branch of American Family Insurance, and was planning to move to Titusville, Florida, with his girlfriend, Cathryn Mellender, where he would be working at SpaceX.

They further argued that after confronting Chandler about his not making any money, Bart called Madison College, and in the course of that call, he learned that Chandler was not enrolled at the school. Prosecutors believe that on a day Bart planned to attend a meeting with Chandler at MATC, Chandler shot him in the back with a high-powered rifle gifted to him by a friend. They believe that shortly after killing his father, he texted his mother, Krista, whom he also killed when she arrived home. He had then dismembered their bodies and scattered the pieces throughout southern Wisconsin. On July 7th, Chandler had reported to the authorities that his parents had left for their cabin in Langlade County, Wisconsin, with another unknown couple but had never arrived. On July 8th, during a search of a property associated with Cathryn Mellender and recently visited by Chandler, investigators discovered human remains, identified as Bart Halderson. On the same property, sometime later but before the trial, a rifle confirmed to have belonged to Chandler was discovered. On July 14 in Roxbury, Wisconsin in an area Chandler was known to frequent, additional remains were found and identified as Krista Halderson. Her specific cause of death couldn't be determined, as the only remains of Krista that were found were her legs. On July 8th, Chandler was arrested and charged with the murder of his parents. Halderson was convicted on all charges and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Thursday, March 17, 2022.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandler_Halderson