Illinois Woman Kills and Dismembers Landlord After She's Served Eviction Notice
A woman from Illinois was sentenced to 58 years in prison for murdering her landlord.
On April 2024, Sandra Kolalou was found guilty of the 2022 first-degree murder of Frances Walker in the neighborhood of Arcadia Terrace, Chicago, People reported.
Kolalou was a tenant in the boarding house owned by Frances Walker, ABC7 reported. The landlord was reported missing in October of 2022.
Officials found Walker's head, arms, and legs in the freezer of the home she shared with Kolalou, but not her torso. Investigators collected evidence from a trash can on Foster Beach.
According to police, there was blood in the victim's bedroom and knives, ABC7 reported. Kolalu maintained her innocence until the end and claimed to the jurors that she wouldn't do anything to harm Frances Walker. She said, "I would do anything for Fran."
During the trial proceedings prosecutors stated that Kolalou allegedly killed Frances Walker after a fight because of an eviction notice, People reported. Other tenants in the boarding house told officers that Kolalou and Frances Walker got into a fight a few days before the murder.
The tenants had also allegedly seen Kolalou tossing plastic bags into the water. In October 2022, officials arrested Kolalou as a suspect in Frances Walker's murder.
Prosecutors stated that Kolalou's DNA was found on the evidence, Sun-Times reported. Kolalou's defense argued that unknown DNA was also found on the evidence and pointed fingers at Frances Walker's husband.
Kolalou was also found guilty of one charge of dismembering a human body and one charge of aggravated identity theft, ABC7 reported. She got six years for dismemberment and two years for aggravated identity theft.
During the sentencing, the judge heard victim impact statements from Frances Walker's relatives, ABC7 reported. The judge also took into account letters written in support of Kolalou. She was sentenced to 50 years for the murder of Frances Walker.
The victim's family was happy with the sentencing, ABC7 reported. "Her being inside a jail is the right decision to make society safe," said Maggie Walker, the victim's sister-in-law.