Podcasts > Murder, Mystery & Makeup > How Snapchat caught this parent killer red-handed | Mystery & Makeup

How Snapchat caught this parent killer red-handed | Mystery & Makeup

By Bailey Sarian

On this episode of Murder, Mystery & Makeup, the chilling tale of Chandler Halderson's web of deception unfolds. Chandler fabricated his academic achievements, deceiving his father Bart while draining his trust. Tragically, Chandler is accused of murdering and dismembering his parents, Bart and Krista, when his lies threatened to unravel.

The investigation unearths a trail of gruesome evidence — bone fragments in the fireplace, bloodied tools, attempted cremation over the 4th of July, and Bart's dismembered torso discarded nearby. Despite Chandler's pleas of innocence, the prosecution secures a life sentence without parole, reflecting the gravity of his unspeakable crimes.

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How Snapchat caught this parent killer red-handed | Mystery & Makeup

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How Snapchat caught this parent killer red-handed | Mystery & Makeup

1-Page Summary

Chandler's Web of Lies

Chandler fabricated his educational background, duping his father Bart into believing he had been attending Madison College full-time and had succeeded academically. In reality, a college representative confirmed Chandler's poor performance and minimal attendance. Chandler went as far as creating fake email accounts for non-existent college administrators to communicate with his father. This charade was exposed when investigators traced the IP addresses of these emails back to Chandler’s home and discovered the accounts were created using Chandler’s own birthdate.

Murdered and Dismembered Parents

Chandler’s parents, Bart and Krista Halderson, went missing under mysterious circumstances. Bart's coworker, Daniel, grew worried when Krista missed a crucial doctor's appointment and work. Chandler offered conflicting explanations, first suggesting a spur-of-the-moment cabin trip and later fabricating a story about a mystery couple who had allegedly picked up his parents. The investigation led police to the gruesome discovery of over 200 bone fragments in the family's fireplace and blood-stained tools, suggesting dismemberment. A farm property nearby was the grim scene where Bart Halderson's torso was found. Surveillance footage indicated Chandler attempted to burn his parents' remains over the 4th of July weekend. Arrested and charged, Chandler stood accused of heinous crimes, with physical evidence and Google searches on his phone further implicating him.

Found Guilty and Sentenced

Chandler Halderson maintained his innocence, pleading not guilty, but the collected evidence was overwhelming. Signs of a struggle at the family home, along with Bart’s intention to confront Chandlers’s lies about college, painted a picture of a likely violent confrontation. Despite a successful appeal that vacated two charges related to concealing his parents’ bodies, Chandler was convicted and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. The court delivered this sentence to reflect the severe nature of the murders and dismemberment Chandler committed.

1-Page Summary

Additional Materials

Clarifications

  • Chandler deceived his father, Bart, by creating a false narrative about attending college full-time and excelling academically. He went to great lengths, including fabricating emails from non-existent college administrators, to maintain this deception. Bart was unaware of Chandler's poor academic performance and minimal attendance until the truth was uncovered by investigators. This manipulation played a significant role in the larger narrative of Chandler's deceitful actions and the eventual tragic events that unfolded within the family.
  • Chandler initially claimed his parents went on a spur-of-the-moment cabin trip, but later fabricated a story about a mystery couple picking them up. These conflicting explanations raised suspicions during the investigation into his parents' disappearance. The evolving narratives added to the complexity of the case and pointed towards Chandler's attempts to mislead authorities. The discrepancies in his accounts contributed to the mounting evidence against him.
  • The discovery of over 200 bone fragments in the family's fireplace and blood-stained tools indicated that there had been an attempt to dismember the bodies of Chandler's parents. This evidence suggested a gruesome and violent act had taken place, leading investigators to suspect foul play in the disappearance of Chandler's parents. The presence of bone fragments and blood-stained tools pointed towards a disturbing effort to conceal the crime by dismembering the victims. This discovery was a crucial piece of evidence in the investigation that ultimately led to Chandler's arrest and subsequent legal proceedings.
  • Chandler's attempt to burn his parents' remains, as captured by surveillance footage, suggests he tried to destroy evidence of the crime by setting fire to their bodies. This act of burning the remains is a common method used by criminals to conceal the evidence of a murder. Surveillance footage played a crucial role in capturing Chandler's actions and providing evidence for the investigation. The attempt to burn the bodies indicates a disturbing and calculated effort to cover up the heinous crime.
  • Chandler Halderson was found guilty and sentenced to life without parole due to overwhelming evidence linking him to the murder and dismemberment of his parents. The court determined that the severity of his crimes warranted such a harsh punishment, considering the violent nature of the acts committed. Despite maintaining his innocence, the collected evidence, including physical proof and digital records, strongly implicated Chandler in the heinous crimes. The sentencing aimed to reflect the gravity of the murders and the extent of Chandler's involvement in the tragic events.

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How Snapchat caught this parent killer red-handed | Mystery & Makeup

Chandler's Web of Lies

Chandler's father, Bart, was meticulously checking his son's academic credentials when he uncovered a troubling series of falsehoods.

Lied about attending college and graduating

Bart's pursuit of the truth about Chandler’s educational background led him to discover stark inconsistencies. When he called Madison College, a representative named Omar Job revealed that Chandler had a lackluster academic history, only attending part-time, failing numerous classes, and gaining credit for just a few during his year there. Chandler, in response, crafted an elaborate façade of college administrators by setting up fake emails with names of individuals who never worked at the institution. Bart unknowingly engaged with these non-existent administrators via email. Investigators later tied the IP addresses from these emails to the Halderson family's home internet, and Chandler had used his own birthday to create these fraudulent accounts. Moreover, a man named Job verified that the supposed administrators Bart had been emailing did not exist at the school.

Lied about having a job and offer from SpaceX

Chandler's lies extended beyond his academic achievements; he claimed to have landed a lucrative job offer from SpaceX. He enticed both his parents and girlfriend, Catherine, with a narrative of relocation to Florida for this opportunity, even house-hunting online and discussing an $80,000 starting salary. To sidestep the actual move, Chandler feigned a serious injury by falling down the stairs at his parents' home, articulating a myriad of severe potential hea ...

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Chandler's Web of Lies

Additional Materials

Clarifications

  • The events described in the text suggest a sequence where Chandler's father, Bart, gradually uncovers his son's lies about his education and job offer from SpaceX. Bart's investigation leads to revelations about Chandler's academic history and the creation of fake identities to deceive him. Chandler's elaborate fabrications about attending college, his job offer, and the subsequent attempts to cover up his deceit create a complex web of lies that Bart struggles to untangle. The timeline is not explicitly laid out in a linear fashion, making it challenging to pinpoint the exact sequence of events without further context.
  • Bart's investigation into Chandler's academic and professional lies was significant as it revealed a pattern of deceit that extended beyond mere fabrications. By uncovering the intricate web of false identities and fraudulent communications, Bart discovered the extent to which Chandler had gone to maintain his deceptions. This investigation highlighted the depth of Chandler's dishonesty and the elaborate schemes he had constructed to uphold his false narratives. Bart's pursuit of the truth ultimately exposed a compl ...

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How Snapchat caught this parent killer red-handed | Mystery & Makeup

Murdered and Dismembered Parents

The case of a man charged with the murder and dismemberment of his parents unfolds with chilling details, including deceptive narratives and grisly evidence.

Parents went missing suddenly

Krista did not attend an important doctor's appointment or show up for work, which led her coworker, Daniel, to become concerned and start looking into her whereabouts. Chandler gave conflicting accounts of his parents' location, initially telling Daniel that they had made a last-minute decision to visit their family cabin for the 4th of July weekend. He further explained away Krista's silence by saying the cabin was remote with poor cell service.

Gave police different lies about parents' whereabouts

Chandler provided police with various stories. He claimed he had spoken to his parents and that they were staying at the cabin, expecting to return home soon. However, upon visiting the cabin, the police found no evidence of his parents being there or of any plumbing emergency Chandler mentioned. Additionally, Chandler alluded to a mystery couple picking up his parents, but neighbors did not corroborate his account, having never seen the couple, the parents, or any vehicles that matched the description Chandler provided.

Dismembered parents' bodies and tried to burn them

Authorities found blood and more than 200 bone fragments in the family's fireplace and discovered tools with his parents' blood on them, which were suspected to have been used in the dismemberment. Chandler was observed acting strangely on a farm property, and shortly after the initial investigation, police located a male torso on the premises, identified as Bart Holderson. Chandler had purchased ice and a tarp, presumed to be used for transporting his parents' bodies. Security footage suggested that a fire had been lit in Chandler's home during the 4th of July weekend, reinforcing the evidence of his attempts to burn his parents' remains.

Arrested and charged with murders

Chandler was charged with the murders and other related criminal activities as investigation proceedings exposed dubious actions, including efforts to disguise his involvement. It was believed that by the time Catherine spent the night at the house, Chandler had already kill ...

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Murdered and Dismembered Parents

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Clarifications

  • The timeline of events in the case involves Chandler giving conflicting accounts of his parents' whereabouts, leading to suspicions. Authorities found incriminating evidence in Chandler's home and near where one of the bodies was discovered. Chandler's phone contained Google searches that suggested premeditation, adding to the sus ...

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How Snapchat caught this parent killer red-handed | Mystery & Makeup

Found Guilty and Sentenced

Chandler Halderson faced the consequences of his actions after being adjudicated by the legal system for the murder of his parents.

Pleaded not guilty but evidence overwhelming

Despite Chandler’s plea of not guilty concerning the charges of the murders of his parents, the police gathered compelling evidence pointing to his guilt. They believe Chandler committed the murders at the parents' Windsor home. Notably, during the initial investigation, police observed a tumultuous scene at the house, including a flipped coffee table which seemed to suggest a struggle or confrontation.

Emails proved college lies

Further evidence came to light when Bart Halderson's texts to his son Chandler were found, revealing that he was ready to confront Chandler about his deceit. This confrontation was likely sparked by Bart’s discovery of falsehoods, potentially including misrepresented facts about Chandler's college attendance and achievements.

Convicted of murders and dismemberment

Sentenced to life without par ...

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Found Guilty and Sentenced

Additional Materials

Clarifications

  • Adjudicated by the legal system: This phrase means that Chandler Halderson went through the legal process where a judge or a jury reviewed the evidence, heard arguments from both sides, and made a decision regarding his guilt or innocence in the murder case.
  • Bart Halderson's texts were messages sent by Bart, Chandler Halderson's father, to Chandler. These texts were discovered during the investigation and revealed Bart's intentions to confront Chandler about his deceit. The texts suggested that Bart had uncovered lies, potentially related to Chandler's college attendance and achievements, which led to the confrontation. This confrontation could have been a significant trigger point in the events that unfolded.
  • Dismemberment is the act of separating or removing limbs or body parts from a living or deceased individual. It can occur in various contexts, such as accidents, capital punishment, or criminal activities like murder. In criminology, dismemberment can be categorized as offensive (intentional) or defensive (to conceal evidence). The distinction between dismemberment and mutilation involves the extent of body part removal, with dismemberment typically involving larger sections like limbs or the head.
  • Convictions being vacated due to procedural groun ...

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