A MAN has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after killing his parents and burning their heads in a fireplace. Chandler Halderson, 23, was found guilty of shooting his dad Bart, 50, in the back before killing his mom Krista, 53, in July 2021. The jury took just two hours […]
A MAN has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after killing his parents and burning their heads in a fireplace.
Chandler Halderson, 23, was found guilty of shooting his dad Bart, 50, in the back before killing his mom Krista, 53, in July 2021.
The jury took just two hours to come to a conclusion that Halderson was guilty on eight counts back in January.
When the verdict was read out, the young man had no reaction.
Before his sentence on Thursday, Halderson spoke out about claims that he had no emotions and told the court that he had been told to act that way.
He also said that he was going to appeal his conviction and called for interested lawyers to get in contact with him.
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Dane County Assistant District Attorney William Brown alleged that Halderson killed his parents after his dad found out that he was lying about attending Madison College.
Halderson had lied to his parents that he was working at an insurance company and was getting a job in Florida at SpaceX, according to Brown.
He claimed that he fabricated dozens of emails between himself and the college.
The lawyer said that Bart had learned his son hadn’t attended classes at the college for over a semester, Law and Crime reports.
Bart and his son were due to meet with school officials when the 23-year-old allegedly shot his father to death on July 1.
It’s alleged that Halderson used a saw and scissors to cut up his parents’ bodies before dumping some of their remains in the woods and burning others.
Brown claimed that ashes from the fireplace in the couple’s home contained human remains, including fragments of human skulls, and facial and knee bones.
The 23-year-old reported his mom and dad missing on July 7, claiming they didn’t return from a weekend trip to their cabin.
Halderson was arrested the next day – hours after the body of his father was found by police.
Their son Mitchell told the court that he received a text from Halderson, saying he was “worried” for his parents, according to WMTV.
But, attorney Catherine Dorl said: “Chandler Halderson did not murder his parents.”
She said he was a “normal kid”, who liked to play video games and spend time with his girlfriend.
Dorl told the court: “The evidence will show you that there is a gap of evidence when it comes to that time frame.
“Your job is to listen to this evidence as jurors, listen to the evidence from the perspective of a juror, not from the perspective of a story corroborator.”
Coroners ruled that the cause of Bart’s death was “homicidal violence including firearm injury”.
Investigators found part of Krista’s body along the Wisconsin River near Sauk City.
Halderson was initially charged with lying to the police. The 23-year-old allegedly said that his parents were going to attend a parade in White Lake but no such parade occurred.
Cops examined Halderson’s Google search history from June 30 to July 8.
They found several searches for phrases such as “Wisconsin dismembered body found”, “Woman’s body found in Wisconsin”, and “Body found Wisconsin”. Investigators had not yet found his parents.
Deputy John Nelson told the court that Halderson was “slow to respond” to some questions while being quizzed by cops.
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He said: “He (Halderson) seemed lethargic and tired as he described not seeing his parents for a week.”
Halderson’s charges were upgraded to counts of murder and mutilation of a corpse. He pleaded not guilty to all charges in September.
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