Madison in the Morning

Madison in the Morning

Madison in the Morning, keeping Madison informed weekday mornings on 1310 WIBAFull Bio

 

Chandler Halderson sentenced to life in prison without parole

MADISON (WKOW) -- Chandler Halderson was sentenced Thursday in Dane County Court to life in prison without parole for the murder and dismemberment of his parents.

At the sentencing, Judge John Hyland spoke on the severity of Halderson's crimes, and said that granting him the possibility of parole down the line would not be fair to the community. Chandler's grandmother Kayleen Halderson said in a victim impact statement that she hoped he would have the potential for parole, but Hyland said he could not abide by that.

"I cannot grant Chandler Halderson the same spirit of empathy and generosity his own grandmother gave him," Hyland said.

At the sentencing hearing, prosecutor Andrea Raymond read victim impact statements from Halderson's future sister-in-law and his grandmother. His brother's fiancee, whose name was not released by the court, said she worried for the safety of herself and her family if Chandler was granted parole at any point.

"We are comforted in knowing Chandler can't hurt us... I do not believe my family would be safe if he were ever released from prison," the statement read.

Raymond had previously interviewed Krista Halderson's longtime best friend Jane Hilgendorf, who spoke about Bart and Krista's reputations. She described Bart as "generous, doing the little things to take care of people" and that Krista "had a lightness about her... when she'd walk into the room you'd feel happier."

Fellow prosecutor William Brown said he believed Halderson's potential release in the community would be a danger to everyone around him, pointing to the fact that there had not been traditional warning signs or red flags that he may be capable of such violent crimes.

"As long as he breathes, he will be a risk," Brown said.

For the first time in any trial proceedings, Chandler Halderson spoke for himself. He only offered a brief statement, saying he would be pursuing an appeal of his conviction.

"It's not that I do not have feelings. It's that I was warned not to show them due to the scrutiny of this case," Halderson said.

"All that happened here was bad, was evil," Brown said after the sentencing. "This was the only appropriate outcome."

Bart and Krista Halderson were first reported missing July 7, 2021 by Chandler Halderson himself. He told law enforcement he had not seen them since July 1, when he said they went up to their cabin in Langlade County, and he hadn't heard from them since.

However, Halderson was arrested the next day for providing false information to police once investigators found "mutilated and dismembered" remains on the property of Halderson's girlfriend's family. He was later charged with first-degree intentional homicide, hiding a corpse and mutilating a corpse July 12.

Halderson was found guilty January 21 after the jury deliberated just two hours. His defense team did not call any witnesses, Halderson did not take the stand in his own defense, and only his defense team made statements in his favor at the sentencing hearing.

Halderson has three weeks to file an appeal. During his brief statement in court, he asked any attorney willing to take on his case to contact him. There are a variety of grounds that could be cited to seek an appeal, such as ineffective counsel.

More at WKOW 27 News


Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content