Son who 'faked his life' chopped parents up with scissors as sick web of lies unravelled

Chandler Halderson had spun a web of lies about his career and education. As his double life slowly began to unravel, he was willing to go to extreme lengths to stop the truth from emerging

When Chandler Halderson's double life began to unravel, the twisted killer was willing to go to the most horrific lengths to avoid exposure. Born to Bart and Krista Halderson, Halderson's parents were extremely proud of his achievements as he progressed through life, and were always encouraging of his road to success. When Halderson informed them he'd secured a place at Madison Area Technical College, they couldn't be prouder as he updated them about his studies and the many jobs he had.

With Halderson having claimed to be working on the local police scuba team as well as at an insurance firm, Bart often asked his son why he wasn't paying rent. However, Halderson said there had been a mix-up with his wages and even produced emails from HR claiming to be sorting out the problem.

In June 2021, Halderson told his loving parents he’d secured a job at SpaceX and announced that he’d be moving to Florida. However, suddenly questions emerged over whether he could take the job when he began wearing a neck brace after claiming he'd fallen down some stairs. He alleged to have suffered concussion, with the head injury leading Halderson to not feel able to take the position.

At the same time, there was an issue with sorting out college documentation regarding his qualifications, meaning there was an additional delay. Ever the loving father, Bart attempted to help by emailing his son’s college to get to the bottom of the delay.

Desperate to help out his son, Bart phoned the college though was left shocked when he learned that Halderson had only attended for a while before dropping out. The staff he claimed to have been talking to on email didn't exist, and he had faked it all.

Following the revelation, Bart confronted his son and Halderson explained they had a meeting on 1 July to get to the bottom of things. However, this was another one of his sick lies. The meeting was fake and Halderson’s double life quickly began to unravel.

The truth was that he'd dropped out of college and was unemployed. He’d never worked for the police or at the insurance company. He was never offered a job at SpaceX either. Instead, it was all a web of lies. While his parents thought he was busy in education and in his career, he was spending all day at home playing video games.

To cover his tracks he'd created fake email accounts for the college and the HR staff supposedly helping him. He even had a burner phone to fake calls. And, as the fake college appointment got closer and closer, his life of lies began to crumble. On 7 July, Halderson reported his parents missing. He claimed they'd gone to their riverside cabin in north Wisconsin for the weekend but not returned and that no one had seen them since 1 July.

A search began and police started to question Halderson, but his story didn't add up and he wasn't too willing to help. He was arrested for being obstructive and witnesses placed him at a rural property, which he'd parked at before going into the woods. Police headed to the site and made an awful discovery as they came across Bart's torso. At the Halderson family home, officers also found human bone fragments in the fireplace and cutting tools which were covered in the DNA of his parents.

Halderson was charged with Bart's first-degree murder, hiding a corpse and mutilating a corpse. On 14 July, Krista’s legs were found alongside the Wisconsin river. 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 and had then killed his mum. He had dismembered their bodies with a saw and scissors and had attempted to burn them in the family fireplace before dumping their body parts.

At the trial, the prosecution said Halderson had killed his parents because his web of lies had been exposed. “The best way out of your pretend job is an even more pretend job,” the prosecutor said. “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.”

Although Halderson had pleaded not guilty, he didn't take the stand to explain or deny his actions. His defence said that while he was a liar, he was just a “normal kid”. They said: “Chandler Halderson did not murder his parents.”

The jury found Halderson guilty on two counts each of first-degree murder, mutilating a corpse, hiding a corpse and giving false information about a missing person. In March 2022, Halderson faced his sentencing. The judge sentenced him to life in jail without the chance of parole.