Chandler Halderson’s web of fabricated lies started to unravel and with that followed his unimaginable final act that resulted in the vicious murders of both his parents
Bart and Krista Halderson were proud parents, full of admiration for their son Chandler Halderson’s successful career but their love and support wasn’t enough. One fateful day in 2021, everything changed and he exploded, caught up in his web of tangled lies – resulting in a despicable, unimaginable act.
Worse still, his unsuspecting mother and father never saw the tragic event unfolding which was evident in a poignant text message sent from Bart to his son – the last one he ever sent.
Halderson has spent years impressing them with tales of his studies at a technical college and his work with the local police scuba diving team – and now he had landed a job with Elon Musk’s innovative spaceflight company, SpaceX.
This meant that he would need to leave his family home in Windsor, Wisconsin, and relocate to Florida. However, the entire family was thrilled about this incredible opportunity.
READ MORE: Woman’s wild cover story after partner’s body found dismembered in cat litter
The year was 2021 and there was plenty of discussion at home about Halderson’s future. Bart, 50, an accountant, had always been supportive of his son.
Halderson had been a Scout and Bart had shown his support by becoming a Scout den leader. His son was also an avid swimmer and Bart would often attend his training sessions.
Krista, 53, cherished her role as a mother to Halderson and her other son, Mitchell, who had already left home. Her friends said she had a knack for lighting up any room with her positivity – and she was always cheering Halderson on his path to success.
Both she and Bart were overjoyed when Halderson secured a place at Madison Area Technical College. He would share stories about his studies and the various jobs he was juggling alongside his classes.
His impressive swimming skills had reportedly led him to work on the local police scuba team, and he also maintained a job at an insurance firm, which he was managing remotely due to the pandemic.
Bart frequently questioned his son about his lack of rent payments, but Halderson explained there had been confusion with his salary. He even presented his father with emails from HR supposedly addressing the issue.
In June, Halderson informed them he had secured a job at SpaceX in Florida, announcing that he and his then-girlfriend would be relocating there. He claimed to have already arranged accommodation.
However, suddenly, there was uncertainty over whether Halderson could accept the job.
He began wearing a neck brace, explaining that he’d fallen down some stairs and suffered a concussion. The head injury meant he didn’t feel capable of taking on the role after all, due to issues with driving and flying.
The college also delayed his qualification documents, so Bart stepped in to assist. He started emailing Halderson’s college to understand the cause of the delay, eager to secure his son’s impressive new job.
UNEMPLOYED DROP-OUT
Growing frustrated with what felt like stalling tactics, Bart called the college – and was shocked to learn that Halderson had only attended for a short period before dropping out. The staff he claimed to have been corresponding with via email didn’t exist – he had fabricated everything.
When Bart confronted his son, Halderson arranged a meeting on 1 July to clear the air – but this, too, was a sham. The family home must have been awash with questions as the shocking truth of Halderson’s life of deceit began to dawn.
The stark reality was that he’d quit college and had never held down a job.
He’d never served in the police force or worked for an insurance company – and he certainly hadn’t been headhunted by SpaceX. Halderson had been living a lie, rising each day for non-existent meetings and whiling away the hours at home engrossed in video games, all the while spinning tall tales of a fabricated life to his parents.
He’d even set up bogus email accounts for the college and HR staff supposedly assisting him with his salary issues, just so he could correspond with Bart. He’d gone as far as using a burner phone – a cheap, disposable mobile you can ditch when it’s served its purpose – to stage fake calls.
As the date of the fictitious college appointment approached, Halderson’s web of lies began to unravel.
Then, on 7 July, he reported his parents missing. He claimed they’d headed off to their riverside cabin in northern Wisconsin for the weekend and hadn’t returned.
They hadn’t been seen since 1 July.
A search was launched and police began to interrogate Halderson. His account didn’t tally and he wasn’t exactly forthcoming.
He claimed his parents were travelling with another couple, but couldn’t say who. He also suggested they’d gone to see a parade – but there was no parade.
Halderson was arrested for being obstructive and witnesses placed him at a rural property, which he’d parked at before going into the woods.
Police went to the site and made a gruesome discovery – Bart’s torso. Back at the Halderson home, officers found human bone fragments in the fireplace and cutting tools covered in the DNA of his parents.
Halderson was charged with his father’s first-degree murder, hiding a corpse and mutilating a corpse.
Then, on 14 July, body parts were found alongside the Wisconsin River. They were Krista’s legs. The rest of her body, and Bart’s remains, would never be found. Halderson was charged with her murder, too.
Police determined that Halderson had shot his dad in the back at their home on 1 July. He then killed his mum when she returned.
With only Krista’s legs found, it was impossible to determine her cause of death.
He had dismembered their bodies with a saw and scissors before trying to burn them in the family fireplace. The ashes in the fireplace contained fragments of human skull, facial bones and knee bones.
Halderson had dumped Krista’s limbs along the Wisconsin River and Bart’s torso at the rural property. His mobile placed him at both locations where his parents’ body parts were found and he was seen buying ice at petrol stations – presumably in an effort to slow the decomposition of the remains.
His internet history revealed that after the murder, he searched for “Wisconsin dismembered body found” even before his parents’ bodies had been discovered. The prosecution suggested that the unravelling of Halderson’s fabrications was a primary motive.
He was mere hours away from having to accompany his father to college. Yet, there was no indication that Bart and Krista had ever threatened to evict him or cut ties with him – they appeared to be nothing but supportive.
It painted the picture of an inexplicable rationale for a heinous double homicide.
DESPERATE FINAL LIE
During the trial in January this year, prosecutors argued that Halderson had murdered his parents because his tangled web of deceit had come undone. He was under increasing pressure to start paying rent, and they claimed that the SpaceX job claim was a desperate final lie.
“The best way out of your pretend job is an even more pretend job,” stated the prosecutor. “He’s gonna be an astronaut. He had two options. Own up to his lies, stand up and finally tell the truth for once. Or, like a coward, shoot your father in the back – and that’s exactly what happened.”
The court was informed about the gruesome manner in which the bodies were dismembered and burned. “He had burned his parents’ heads in the fireplace,” said the prosecution.
Although Halderson pleaded not guilty, he did not testify to explain or refute his actions. His defence portrayed him as a liar but also just a “normal kid” who enjoyed video games and spending time with his girlfriend.
“Chandler Halderson did not murder his parents,” they asserted.
The prosecution argued that following the loss of his parents, he exhibited no signs of sorrow whatsoever.
During his time behind bars, authorities observed his calls and messages, in which they noted a total absence of grieving – something they described as “unique” based on their experience.
On 1 July, the day when Bart and Halderson were scheduled to visit the college, the movements of cars were tracked by neighbours’ surveillance systems. It was on this day Bart sent his son a text before the planned meet-up: “I’m ready whenever you are.”
It would be the last time his phone was active.
Subsequently, Halderson reached out to his mother informing her that Bart’s phone battery had died, and if she could bring back a soft drink for him. Krista, ever attentive, responded: “K I can,” accompanied by a smiley face.
In court, prosecutors declared with certainty that Bart and Krista entered their home but didn’t leave intact.
They likened solving the case to piecing together a jigsaw puzzle, one which Halderson had eight days to scatter across Wisconsin.
Ultimately, the jury convicted Halderson on two counts each of first-degree murder, corpse mutilation, hiding a corpse, and lying about a missing person’s whereabouts. He attempted to dodge appearing at his sentence hearing, but the judge denied his request.
In March this year, 24-year-old Halderson was handed his sentence and spoke briefly, stating his intention to appeal and offering an explanation for his detached demeanour during the trial. “It’s not that I do not have feelings; it’s that I was warned not to show them in the scrutiny of this case,” he expressed.
Despite the “horrific” nature of his crimes, Halderson’s grandmother conveyed heartfelt love for him and held onto hope that he could pick up a trade in prison and eventually be set free. The judge, however, couldn’t afford such leniency, declaring the need to shield the public with a stern sentence.
“I have to ensure the only time Mr Halderson comes back into the community is to have the privilege of a burial he denied his parents,” were the judge’s stark words before doling out a life sentence with no possibility of parole.
The scale of Halderson’s deception was astounding – but the lengths the fabricator went to keep his charade from collapsing were beyond anyone’s imagination.
