Wisconsin son accused of killing dad now charged with murdering, dismembering mom

DANE COUNTY, Wis. (TCD) -- A 23-year-old man charged with murdering and dismembering his father, who went missing in July, has now been accused of the same crimes against his mother.

Chandler Halderson is now charged with two counts each of first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse, hiding a corpse, and providing false information on kidnapping, Dane County Sheriff's Office inmate records show. 

Bart and Krista Halderson were reported missing in early July by their son Chandler. He reportedly told Dane County Sheriff’s Office deputies that his parents went to a cabin in White Lake, Wisconsin, to celebrate July 4, but did not return. The Dane County Sheriff's Office said at the time they were holding Chandler on a charge of providing false information in a missing person investigation.

Not long after being reported missing, Bart Halderson’s remains were found on private property in Cottage Grove.

According to a criminal complaint, the property in Cottage Grove belongs to Chandler’s girlfriend’s mother’s girlfriend. Chandler allegedly went to her property and asked to use her pool, but she reportedly noticed he was not wet and the pool cover was still on an hour later. When investigators searched the Cottage Grove property, detectives found a "mound" that looked "not natural to the landscape."

Upon further investigation, detectives reportedly found a human torso wrapped in gray cargo pants, a black belt with a nylon rope around the waist, and extra rope. The torso reportedly was Bart’s and the autopsy report revealed there was a firearm injury to the abdomen, back, and neck.

On July 15, the Dane County Sheriff’s Office announced they were charging Chandler with first-degree homicide, hiding a corpse, and mutilating a corpse. Two weeks later, Dane County officials said they identified dismembered remains found in Roxbury as Krista Halderson’s.

The criminal complaint said Krista’s legs and an "approximate football or slightly bigger than a football sized body part" were discovered on land reportedly owned by the Department of Natural Resources.

According to the criminal complaint, Chandler reportedly told detectives he "didn’t feel bad about what I did." The Wisconsin State Journal reports Chandler allegedly searched online for terms such as "Body found Wisconsin" and "Dead body found in Wisconsin."

The criminal complaint says detectives discovered Burt and Krista’s phones wrapped in foil and their driver’s licenses in paper towels, which were hidden inside a pair of shoes.

According to The Associated Press, Chandler’s bail is set at $1 million and he will be arraigned September 1.

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