MADISON (WKOW) — The Dane County Circuit Court Judge presiding over Chandler Halderson's case ordered Wednesday he must be present at his sentencing hearing, scheduled for Thursday.
Last week, Halderson's attorney Catherine Dorl filed a motion requesting he be absent from his sentencing hearing. She argued a defendant can waive their right to be present and stated Halderson had consented to be absent.
Deputy District Attorney William Brown opposed the motion, arguing Halderson's presence is required, as the request does not meet the two exceptions to Wisconsin Statue 971.04.
Judge Hyland's decision cited the same 1997 Wisconsin Supreme Court case as Brpwn, State v. Koopmans, where it was ruled a "defendant in a felony case could not voluntarily waive the statutory right to be present at sentencing by knowingly and voluntarily being absent from the proceeding."
He also noted that denying the motion "creates less of a potential appellate issue" than if he were to grant the motion.
Halderson was found guilty in January of two sets of the same four charges for murdering his parents after a several weeks-long trial and a two-hour jury deliberation.
Two of the charges are first-degree intentional homicide, which carry mandatory life sentences. What will be considered in court Thursday is when or if he has the opportunity to be paroled.
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