Naman Shrestha
When Bart and Krista Halderson went missing after a supposed weekend getaway to their cabin in northern Wisconsin, the entire community joined the authorities in the search for the couple. In the following days, the investigation resulted in the police finding remains of Bart and Krista in two separate locations in Wisconsin, leaving their family and friends shocked. They were shocked further when the detectives connected their son, Chandler Halderson, to the murders. The entire case and the murderous son’s trial are explored in the episode titled ‘The Snapchat Clue’ of CBS’ ’48 Hours’ and ABC’s ’20/20: Road Map To Murder.’ Both documentaries also feature insightful interviews with the deceased’s loved ones and the officials connected to the case.
Chandler Halderson Killed His Parents When His Lies Came to the Surface
Bart and Krista Halderson were a pair of loving parents to two sons, Mitchell and Chandler Henderson. While the former worked in the tech industry, Chandler claimed to have landed a job at SpaceX while pursuing an IT degree at Madison Area Technical College and interning at American Family Insurance. Unfortunately, the proud parents met their untimely and sudden demise in early July 2021. When Krista failed to show up at her workplace on July 2, her colleague, Daniel, drove down to the Halderson residence in Windsor, Wisconsin, along with his girlfriend. Chandler attended them and told them that his parents had traveled north to their family cabin for the 4th of July weekend. When Bart and Krista could not be reached for a couple of more days after Independence Day, Chandler reported them missing on July 7, 2021.
While the police conducted their own investigation by searching the family cabin with Mitchell and his fiancée, the other son went door-to-door to inquire of his neighbors if they had seen his parents. At the time, Chandler was in a relationship with Cathryn “Cat” Mellender, one of whose acquaintances told the authorities that they had seen Chandler around their farm, which was situated about 20 miles away from the Halderson residence, on the weekend of the 4th of July. Following up on the lead, the detectives questioned him, but he decided to lawyer up after denying the allegations. The investigators searched the farm extensively and came across Bart’s remains on July 10, 2021. Near the remains, they also found several cutting instruments hidden inside an oil drum. Thus, Chandler was arrested for the murder of his father.
When the Halderson property was searched for evidence, the detectives not only found a shell casing in the basement but also found evidence of blood in various areas of the house. As they dug deeper into the relationship between the suspect and his late parents, the investigators found out that Bart had learned about his lies about being in college, interning at the insurance company, and having a job lined up at SpaceX. They found another break in the case through Cathryn, who had a Snapchat screenshot of Chandler being at a remote location near the Wisconsin River in the early hours of July 3. At the same location, Krista’s remains were also discovered. Eventually, on July 15, 2021, Chandler was formally charged with first-degree murder of both his parents, hiding the corpse, mutilating a corpse, and lying to the police.
Currently Incarcerated, Chandler is in the Middle of Appealing His Convictions Today
A couple of months later, in September 2021, Chandler Halderson pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and decided to take his chances in court. His trial for the murder of Bart and Krista commenced in January 2022. The prosecution presented multiple pieces of evidence in front of the jury. They claimed that the defendant killed his parents after they learned about his lies about college and a job. The prosecution also called a forensic expert to the stand, who testified that over 200 human bone fragments were recovered from the fireplace at the Halderson residence. Meanwhile, the defense argued that the prosecution lacked enough evidence to prove Chandler’s guilt.
Eventually, after several weeks of intense trial and a couple of hours of deliberations, the jury returned with a guilty verdict and convicted him of all eight charges against him. On March 17, 2022, at his sentencing hearing, he made his intention of appealing the conviction known by making a statement regarding the same, asking if there were any interested lawyers to take on his appeal. In the end, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. In over a year, on April 19, 2023, with the help of a new attorney, two of Chandler’s convictions were vacated after a judge decided that the two hiding the corpse charges should be withdrawn as they were lesser-included offenses. However, it had little to no effect on his prison time.
A few months later, in September 2023, Chandler’s former attorney, who represented him in the trial, reportedly filed a no-merit report. The 23-page report stated, “there was sufficient evidence for a jury to convict Halderson on all counts.” On April 1, 2024, Chandler responded to the no-merit report in an 8-page handwritten letter, claiming that he did not agree with the report and did not plan on retracting from his appeals. He also stated that “key evidence was unjustly regarded.” As of today, he continues to appeal his conviction while serving his sentence at an undisclosed Wisconsin prison facility.
Read More: Cathryn Mellender: What Happened to Chandler Halderson’s Ex-Girlfriend?
