A Wisconsin man convicted of murdering his parents after they caught him in a string of lies was sentenced Thursday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Chandler Halderson was charged in connection with the 2021 murders of his parents, Krista and Bart Halderson. The victims disappeared shortly before the 4th of July holiday weekend.
In January, Halderson was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder, and a Dane County judge set his sentencing for this month.
“I have to, for this sentence, ensure that the only time Mr. Halderson comes back into the community is to have the privilege of a burial that he denied his parents,” Judge Hyland said when handing down the sentence.
When Halderson reported his parents missing, he claimed they had gone to a cabin in a neighboring county with another couple. Investigators had doubts about Halderson’s story from the beginning.
Investigators said Bart was fatally shot and then dismembered before his body parts were found in the rural area of Cottage Grove. On July 14, investigators discovered parts of Krista’s remains in Roxbury.
Investigators still have not determined how Halderson killed his mother. Only parts of her leg have been found.
Before killing his parents, Halderson created an intricate web of lies about his life, school, and career. He pretended on the surface to be a college student who worked hard at an insurance company and got a job offer from SpaceX. He later said he was injured and couldn’t work.
The suspect began living with his parents again after his so-called injury, but when his father became aware of his lies, Chandler made plans to murder them and carried the heinous acts out.
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Law & Crime reports that Halderson, in actuality, had failed out of school, didn’t have a job, and faked being hurt “as an escape hatch from his non-existent job offer from SpaceX.” He then lied about getting insurance money, which alerted his father when no money was coming in.
Prosecutor Andrea Raymond stressed during the trial that the defendant grew up privileged with supportive parents, without any evidence suggesting he was abused or neglected.
“Chandler grew up with a life of privilege by pretty much any sort of angle you look at it,” Raymond said. “There’s absolutely no evidence of abuse whatsoever. Chandler grew up with no housing insecurities; he never had to wonder where his next meal was coming from; and he was never exposed to any violence . . . or, really, any guns.”
“Perhaps his mother babied him a little too much and was a little too doting. It is out of this life of privilege — this childhood, that was nearly ideal — that he committed these crimes. It’s also worth noting that these crimes were committed against these two individuals that provided this childhood for him; the two people that took care of him.”
The prosecutor added that family members were left devastated and wondering if there were signs or red flags they missed with the defendant’s behavior.
Halderson told the judge he plans to appeal the convictions. Check back for updates.
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