Chicago Woman Convicted of Killing and Dismembering Landlord After She Served Eviction Notice

A Chicago woman who killed her landlord before dismembering her body in 2022 was convicted of first-degree murder.

Sandra Kolalou was convicted of murder and multiple other charges, including dismembering a body, on Monday, April 22, following a six-day trial, according to reports from ABC 7, NBC 5 and the Chicago Sun-Times.

Kolalou was initially arrested in October 2022 after the discovery of the head and limbs of her landlord, Frances Walker, in the freezer in a home they shared in the neighborhood of Arcadia Terrace, the outlets reported.

Prosecutors had previously said Kolalou killed Walker after a fight, which was preceded by Walker serving her with an eviction notice, the outlets reported.

Other tenants of the home told authorities that the two had gotten in an argument days before the murder, according to the reports.

Tenants of the home also told authorities that they found traces of blood in Kolalou’s room and followed her to a beach, the paper reported. At the beach, tenants said they saw Kolalou tossing plastic bags into the water.

The Sun-Times reported that Kolalou claimed during the trial that she had been framed, with attorneys attempting to place the blame on Walker’s husband.

While prosecutors argued that Kolalou’s DNA was found on the evidence, a defense expert testified that unknown DNA was also found, according to the Sun-Times and NBC.

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Following the verdict, Walker’s family spoke to the local media.

“We miss Fran a lot,” sister-in-law Maggie Walker said, according to NBC. “She was a person that nobody could ever say anything bad at all.”

According to her obituary, Walker, 69, played the piano and organ, receiving an M.F.A. in piano playing from Northwestern University.