AT A GLANCE

Victims: Bart Halderson, 50, and Krista Halderson, 53
Date: Thursday, July 1, 2021
Location: Village of DeForest, Wisconsin
Perpetrator: Chandler “Chaz” Michael Halderson, 23
Crimes in sum: Chandler Halderson fabricated lie after lie because he didn’t want to assume the responsibilities of an adult. But for him to continue playing video games and living at home rent-free, he had to remove the obstacles that stood in his way: his loving and devoted parents.

This crime takes place here:

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Chandler Halderson, 23, started the summer of 2021 with a shadow cast on him, or so it seemed.

For several months, Chandler, or “Chaz,” planned to move out of his parents’ home in the Village of DeForest, Wisconsin, and relocate to Titusville, Florida, with his girlfriend. He recently started working remotely for SpaceX, the renowned company owned by tech mogul Elon Musk, and needed to relocate for the position.

It was exciting news for Chandler. He was on the cusp of adulthood.

Chandler kept busy in the months leading up to the move. For nearly a year, he worked remotely for American Family Insurance. For at least two years, he volunteered for the Madison Police Department’s scuba diver search and rescue team, and assisted with many efforts. He also prepared to receive a certificate in solar panel installation from Madison Area Technical College (MATC), which he attended for the last two years.

Unfortunately, on June 17, 2021, Chandler suffered severe injuries after falling down the stairs at home. No one was there to witness the fall, so Chandler drove himself to the emergency room. The news was devastating: he suffered nerve damage to his spine and a brain bleed. The health complications forced Chandler to pass up the opportunity with SpaceX and cancel the move.

It looked like Chandler was right back where he started—in his parents’ house. However, his parents, Bart and Krista Halderson, didn’t realize their son planned it all along.

A Pathological Liar for a Son

Chandler lied to his parents and girlfriend of two years, Cathryn “Cat” Mellender, about everything. He never worked for American Family Insurance, he failed out of school after only a semester, and SpaceX didn’t hire him. The fall and corresponding injuries? He made that up, too.

Chandler wanted an excuse to stay home and play video games. He used lies to stir sympathy and manipulate his loved ones into believing him. Chandler didn’t have a history of crime or malicious behavior, so he was given the benefit of the doubt. For a few years, his plan worked.

However, on Thursday, July 1, 2021, the jig was up. In light of some issues with American Family Insurance, Bart wanted to help his son find another job, but he needed a copy of Chandler’s certificate from MATC. In typical Chandler fashion, he drummed up excuse after excuse, complaining about how the school refused to send him copies of his transcript or certificate. Bart then called MATC and spoke with an enrollment advisor while impersonating his son. During the call, Bart learned there was no certificate, Chandler hadn’t attended the school since 2020, and he owed over $2,000. Bart scheduled an in-person meeting with the advisor and Chandler on July 1 to discuss the matter further.

Needless to say, Chandler and Bart didn’t make the appointment, and no one saw Bart or Krista again—at least not alive.

Chandler told concerned friends and family that his parents left the morning of Friday, July 2, 2021, for a long weekend at their cabin in White Lake, Wisconsin. According to Chandler, another couple picked up Bart and Krista Halderson around 6-7 am, so they could take the three-hour trip north together.

But when Chandler’s older brother, Mitchell, didn’t hear from his mom, and one of Krista’s close friends grew particularly worried, they urged him to call police. On Wednesday, July 7, 2021, he finally did. Just 32 hours later, police arrested Chandler for the murder of his parents.

Keep reading to learn about the nitty-gritty details on how it all happened.

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Who is Chandler Halderson?

Chandler “Chaz” Michael Halderson was born on March 15, 1998, to parents Krista and Bart Halderson.

Bart Halderson and Krista Frater met in the early 1990s, when they worked at the same department store in a local mall. The couple married on July 30, 1994 and settled in Windsor, Wisconsin. Both Bart and Krista were native Wisconsinites and they both earned bachelor’s degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

In 1996, the Halderson’s had their first child, a son named Mitchell, and 18 months later, they welcomed Chandler in 1998. Friends and family knew of Bart and Krista to be loving and devoted parents. Loved ones said that Krista never even raised her voice at her sons.

Throughout Chandler’s childhood, Bart worked as an accountant with BDO, USA. He saw success in his position, which allowed Krista to be a stay-at-home mom. Though Bart worked long hours, Krista was “helicopter parent,” as Mitchell later told courts. She fulfilled that role proudly until her sons reached adulthood and she returned to the workforce as an administrative assistant for Zimbrick Automotive; a role she learned about from a friend. Both parents had great reputations at their jobs and were known for being overall pleasant people.

At the time of these crimes, Bart was 50 and Krista, 53.

Chandler lies about his job.

Despite working full time, Chandler never received a paycheck—in about a year. Naturally, his parents were concerned. Bart often probed his son about paying rent and asked where his money was. But not to worry, because Chandler had an answer for everything.

Chandler blamed his missing paychecks on American Family Insurance (AMI), a company founded in 1927 with more than 13,000 employees. First, he said AMI incorrectly filed him as an hourly employee instead of a salaried employee. Chandler would be paid when his paperwork was updated.

When that excuse was played out, Chandler said he mistakenly provided AFI with the wrong direct deposit information, which delayed payment further. Then, he said AFI owed him so much money that the bank flagged his paychecks as fraudulent, which delayed the process yet again.

Bart contacts Chandler’s ’employer.’

Bart became suspicious enough to take initiative. As an accountant, he didn’t want the company taking advantage of his son.

Bart communicated with AMI personnel, including an individual named Tom Sellsnick, a human resources manager. For months, their email exchanges went back and forth. Curiously, Tom misspelled his own title in his email signature as “human recourses” manager and his emails were also riddled with spelling errors.

It’s no surprise that Chandler made up the name Tom Sellsnick and the email address, a Gmail account, to correspond with his father and keep up the guise about his job.

Chandler lies about his fall.

After Chandler fell down the stairs (picture shown), he told his family and girlfriend that he suffered nerve and spinal damage, as well as a brain bleed. He said he experienced numbness in his legs and frequent lightheadedness, and was told he couldn’t drive or fly. Doctors told him the damage to his legs was likely permanent and eventually he would need brain surgery and a colostomy bag.

It was a trying time for the family. Shortly before Chandler fell, Krista was diagnosed with skin cancer and his brother Mitchell was admitted to to the hospital for undiagnosed diabetes. Perhaps Chandler felt that with so much going on, no one would scrutinize his health issues.

During this time, Chandler pretended to start working for SpaceX. He reassured Cat and his parents that SpaceX permitted him to work from home during the hiring process. He was eventually “fired” from SpaceX due to poor performance and too many errors after the “fall.”

In reality, Chandler was only diagnosed with a mild concussion.

Chandler lies about school.

Because of the concerning experience at Chandler’s “job,” Bart tried to help his son find another job. To do so, he needed a copy of Chandler’s college transcripts, which provided proof of his certificate. Unsurprisingly, that was also problematic.

MATC is a two-year community college and technical school, but Chandler took a bit longer to graduate. He was now in his third year. Chandler claimed that MATC refused to release his transcripts because he didn’t complete his certificate yet. Bart corresponded via email with people he believed were MATC enrollment advisors, including Alyssa Brandt and David Speith. These individuals also had Gmail accounts and were also created by Chandler.

On June 29, 2021, Bart called the school directly and pretended to be Chandler. He spoke with Omar Jobe, an actual enrollment coordinator there, who told him the truth: Chandler had an outstanding balance of $2,000, he hadn’t taken classes since the fall of 2020 and he never earned his certificate. He hardly even took any classes in his desired field. He also learned that Chandler never had an internship with American Family Insurance, which is how he “learned about the job.” Now, Bart officially became aware of Chandler’s lies.

Chandler gets ahold of a gun.

Remember when we mentioned that Chandler loved playing video games? Chandler especially loved to play first-person shooter games. His favorite game was Escape from Tarkov.

Chandler played online with other players and formed friendships with a few of them. One of these friendships was with Andrew Smith, who later testified in court.

Chandler and Andrew, a former U.S. Army soldier, played video games together on a daily basis. When they “met” sometime in 2018 or 2019, Andrew was stationed overseas. Shortly after, he returned to his home in Kansas on an honorable discharge. Andrew suffered a head injury after being in a Humvee crash in Germany. Now that Andrew and Chandler were in the same time zone, they played together even more.

Chandler also lied to Andrew. He told Andrew he was attending school, was recently hired by SpaceX and injured his head after a fall down the stairs.

In June 2021, Andrew visited Chandler at his home in Wisconsin. During the visit, Andrew gifted Chandler a rifle and 480 rounds of ammunition. The rifle was a Russian-designed SKS rifle, which is the weapon Chandler preferred to use in the game. Andrew collected guns but didn’t particularly like that one and thought Chandler might appreciate it more. He took a photo of Chandler’s Wisconsin ID with the serial number of the rifle to document the transfer.

The Unraveling

As mentioned earlier, Bart made an in-person appointment with Chandler and enrollment counselor Omar Jobe on Thursday, July 1, 2021. At 2:15 pm that day, Bart texted Chandler, “I’m ready when you are.” After that, Bart’s phone went dark and no other activity was recorded.

Chandler texted his mother afterwards to say “Dad’s phone died,” and “Text or call and get soda on your way home, I have an extra hour of work.” Krista arrived at the Halderson home around 5:12 pm.

That was the last time anyone saw the Krista and Bart Halderson aside from Chandler.

The Weekend Getaway That Never Was

Chandler’s parents had plans for the Fourth of July weekend—at least according to Chandler. Because he was such a kind, caring son (please note the sarcasm here), he helped them pack for a weekend at the family cabin in White Lake, Wisconsin. The cabin was passed down to Krista from her father, who built it himself in the 1940s. The family of four shared many fond memories in that cabin, and Bart and Krista continued to visit several times a year.

In the morning of Friday, July 2, 2021 around 6 am, Chandler said that another couple, friends of his parents, picked them up. His parents were going to repair a water pump and fire pit that were damaged in a recent storm, and enjoy Fourth of July festivities.

His explanation also justified why both of the Halderson’s vehicles remained in their driveway.

Out of character behavior for Bart and Krista.

Chandler said he didn’t know who who his parents went upstate with. Krista’s best friend of 30 years, Jane Hilgendorf, who she met in middle school, felt the situation didn’t make any sense. Krista told her everything and they communicated often. Jane also spent the weekend with her husband, Michael, at their cabin up north, which they would have shared in common.

Chandler said his parents brought $4,000 in cash and a significant amount of alcohol. Bart was a known penny-pincher and neither of them were drinkers, so this didn’t make sense either.

Also, neither Krista or Bart took off work that Friday, which was alarming. Krista was so meticulous with her work schedule that she requested all her vacation days for 2021 in January. For her to be a no-show without calling suggested an emergency. Krista worked with a close friend, Daniel Kroniger, who was so worried that he went to the Halderson’s house to check on her. Chandler answered the front door dripping wet and wearing only a towel, and casually told Dan about their weekend trip.

When Chandler called police on Wednesday, July 7, 2021, he said he last heard from his mom that Sunday, July 4. He said Krista texted him around 11 am to say that her and Bart were attending a Fourth of July parade in White Lake. However, that parade was held the previous day, July 3.

Krista’s best friend gets involved.

With Bart and Krista missing, investigators took a ride to the family’s cabin. Their visit proceeded with a visit from Jane and Michael Hilgendorf, who drove 88 miles from their own cabin to check on their friends. When they arrived, they noticed a large fallen tree trunk blocked the driveway, the grounds were overgrown and the inside was undisturbed. It was clear no one visited there in quite some time.

Jane called Chandler to say that Krista and Bart weren’t at their cabin. Chandler’s responses were unsettling, as he asked Jane if she found any “bullet casings” or “blood.”

The Hilgendorfs’ twin daughters, Hailey and Hanna, were Mitchell’s age, and the children grew up together. When the twins heard that Bart and Krista were missing, they drove to the Halderson’s home to check on Chandler. The sisters immediately noticed something off about his demeanor.

Chandler enjoys his July Fourth weekend.

Even though Krista was the kind of mom who spoke to her sons throughout the day, every day, Chandler wasn’t overly concerned with his parents’ absence. In fact, despite his head and back injury, he enjoyed his weekend thoroughly. Suddenly, he felt well enough to ditch the neck brace and drive on his own.

Chandler spent his weekend swimming and watching fireworks with Cat. On July 4, he went swam at Cat’s parents’ pool, located on a small farm in Cottage Grove, Wisconsin, that spans 30 to 40 acres. Kind people they are, Cat’s parents invited Chandler to use the pool whenever he needed, suggesting it might be therapeutic for him post-injury. The family was surprised when he returned by himself the very next day. Nonetheless, they welcomed him with open arms.

After an hour or so, Cat’s mother, Dulce Mellender, peeked out the window to check on Chandler. She noticed he wasn’t in the pool, but had driven his parents’ SUV into the woods behind the house. The car had its hatch open. Dulce was worried that, with so much going on, Chandler was using drugs. She later relayed this information to police.

Chandler reports his parents missing.

On Wednesday, July 7, 2021, Chandler traipsed through the doors of the Dane County Police Department around 11:25 am to file a missing person’s report.

Detectives went to the Halderson home to interview Chandler that day. Immediately, they noticed areas of the floor were missing and there was an outline of what appeared to be a half-wall, now removed, near the front door.

Later that day, Chandler walked door-to-door around the neighborhood to ask neighbors if they had surveillance footage. Chandler wanted to know if their surveillance cameras captured any unknown vehicles coming or going from on July 2 between 6-7 am. Neighbors reported Chandler’s demeanor as unusual.

Police canvas the neighborhood.

While Chandler asked neighbors for their surveillance footage, police did the same. The footage revealed to investigators what everyone feared: Bart and Krista never left their home that Friday or any day afterwards. Chandler was the only person who came and went from the Halderson home, and did so at all hours.

One neighbor had a surveillance camera in his backyard that faced his pool. By enhancing the footage, flames could be seen through one of the windows of the Halderson home. The flames poured out of the fireplace and glowed wildly, which continued all night on Friday, July 2. Remember, it was early July, and there was no reason to use a fireplace. Neighbors, many of which were retired police officers, reported a smell similar to a pig roast.

Cat and Dulce speak to investigators.

Shortly thereafter, police questioned Cat and her mother Dulce. Both women were forthcoming and provided important information. Cat told them Chandler had to do chores on Friday. When she checked his location via Snapchat Map, she noticed he was in a remote area; a place in the woods they occasionally visited together near the Wisconsin River. Cat worried Chandler was there with another woman and took a screenshot of his location to confront him later. She didn’t know it then, but the screenshot played a major part in cracking this case.

Dulce told police about Chandler parking his SUV in the woods behind her home, and how it was out of character for him. Police went to Dulce’s to search the wooded area and saw turkey vultures flying overhead; birds that are attracted to the smell of decay. In this spot, they located Bart Halderson’s torso. At a later date, they also found the SXS rifle.

Chandler is arrested.

Chandler was brought in to the police station for what he believed was routine questioning. After a short time, detectives asked him to tell the the truth about his parents’ deaths. This was supposedly the first time Chandler heard about their deaths, and he hardly reacted to the news. In fact, he hardly reacted to anything.

Chandler was arrested on Thursday, July 8, 2021, the day after he reported his parents missing.

The Truth

Chandler didn’t want to fess up to his lies on Thursday, July 1, 2021, though he knew the time was near. After lying to his parents, brother, friends and girlfriend for years at this point, he foresaw the outcome of that meeting as catastrophic to his fragile ego. Chandler knew the truth, and the truth was that he achieved nothing in life.

Before him and his father could leave for their appointment, he took that SXS rifle that his friend gifted to him and shot his father two or three times in the back. Then, he waited for his mother to return home from work, and it’s presumed he shot her as well.

With the bodies in the basement just a few feet away, Chandler slept downstairs with girlfriend that night. He claimed that, because of his injuries, he had to sleep closest to the only working bathroom in the house. That was another lie meant to prevent Cat from entering the basement where his parents’ dead bodies lay in an ice-packed freezer.

On Friday, July 2, 2021, Chandler set out to get rid of the bodies. Using every tool he could find, from saws to scissors to knives and shears, he dismembered his parents. Then, he took their body parts and attempted to burn them in the fireplace. He used a fan to increase the heat of the fire to burn the bodies faster, which still wasn’t very successful. Police later found over 200 bone fragments in the ash of that fireplace, which included a knee bone, pieces of a human skull and teeth.

The next day, Chandler took what remained of his parents’ bodies and scattered them throughout the area. He dumped his father’s remains on the family farm of his girlfriend’s family, and his mother’s in a wooded area near the Wisconsin River that he frequented with Cat and friends.

The Trial and Verdict.

Despite the mountain of evidence, narcissistic and delusional Chandler pled not guilty. The trial was in the state’s favor from the start, which is quite apparent from the attorneys’ opening statements.

William Brown, attorney for the state, explained his case for 50 minutes. Speaking in a soft, inviting voice, he presented all sorts of evidence that explained why Chandler was guilty of murdering and dismembering his parents. Chandler’s attorney, Crystal Vera, spoke for about 10 minutes. It was a feeble attempt, but there was hardly anything she could say. No one spoke on Chandler’s behalf.

The jury deliberated for two hours. On March 17, 2022, Chandler was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder and dismemberment of his parents. He is on the lookout for a new attorney to appeal his conviction.

Here are his charges:

• Two counts of first-degree intentional homicide for the murders of Bart and Krista Halderson
• Two counts of giving false information to police on a kidnapped/missing person
• Two counts of mutilating a corpse
• Two counts of hiding a corpse

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Resources

• Bart and Krista Halderson Obituary – Gunderson Funeral and Cremation Care
• Halderson’s father’s call exposed school deceit before killings – 27 WKOW
• Chandler Halderson has a new attorney as he intends to pursue appeal – Fox 47
• Former video game buddy testifies that he gifted the rifle Chandler Halderson allegedly used to murder parents the next month – Law Crime
• Pathological Liar Butchers Parents Part 1: Chandler Halderson – Kimbyrleigha, YouTube
• Pathological Liar Butchers Parents Part 2: Chandler Halderson – Kimbyrleigha, YouTube
• Pathological Liar Butchers Parents Part 3: Chandler Halderson – Kimbyrleigha, YouTube
• PSYCHOPATH: The case of Chandler Halderson & his missing parents – Cristina Randall, YouTube
• ‘That’s not my best friend’: Family friends dispute version of events described by Chandler Halderson – Channel 3000
• Prosecutor shocks jury with evidence that seals his fate – BOZE vs. the WORLD, YouTube
• Chandler Halderson’s charges and the official case document
• How not to get away with murder; Chandler Halderson and his dumb web of lives – Cracked
• Secrets & Lies: The Murders of Bart and Krista Halderson – The Midwest Crime Files
• Episode 61: Chandler Halderson, Part 01 – Obscura: A True Crime Podcast
• Episode 61: Chandler Halderson, Part 02 – Obscura: A True Crime Podcast