Jan. 29, 2025

S11, Chapter 18: Retribution

Let's dive right in with...

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Season 11 S11 | The Haldersons

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—

Let's dive right in with the jury's decision in the trial of Chandler Halderson.

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—

Music:
Augusta Treverorum
https://linktr.ee/trvrrm

20six Hundred
https://20sixhundred.bandcamp.com/

Artist: I Think I Can Help You
Tracks: The Ten Names, The Bardo, The Hungry Ghost
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Ripple Sound Effect
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-2j_g9Xb_0

—

Sources:
https://www.wmtv15news.com/2022/01/20/prosecutors-continue-their-case-halderson-trial-enters-day-9/
https://www.wkow.com/news/we-were-all-shocked-halderson-juror-says-defenses-lack-of-witnesses-helped-seal-killers-fate/article_bcf8f72e-7ef8-11ec-a0ad-6320731a1b80.html
https://www.wkow.com/news/chandler-haldersons-attorney-files-motion-to-waive-his-appearance-at-sentencing/article_5c2b8218-a3ba-11ec-8f87-8f11435be49f.html
https://www.channel3000.com/news/crime/judge-orders-chandler-halderson-must-attend-sentencing/article_09d6f76d-58fb-5db1-aa28-5e34d26f6203.html

—

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WEBVTT

1
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That has changed.

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Mister Holderson would like to give a statement to your.

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Honor, and I would only ask that you read slowly,

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simply because my court reporter has to take down what

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you're saying, and sometimes we read faster than we mean to.

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Here, Hunter, I want to take this opportunity to stay.

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Tapes from the Dark Side contains descriptions of violence and sexuality.

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Listener, discretion is advised.

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The Chandler holders than trial lasted ten days, and I

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watched all ten days of testimony more than once, probably

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more than twice. On January twentieth, twenty and twenty two,

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the jury returned a verdict in just over two hours.

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Let's not beat around the bush.

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The verdict form on count one, as signed by the

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presiding Juror and dated today, reads, we the Jury find

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the defendant Chandler m Alderson guilty of first degree intentional

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homicide as to bart A Holderson, as charged in count

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one of the amended information. As to the verdict form

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for count two, as signed and dated, we the jury

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find the defendant Chandler m. Holderson guilty of providing false

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information about a missing person as to bart A Holderson

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Count three, we the jury find the defendant Chandler M. Halderson,

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guilty of mutilating a corpse as to bart A. Holderson.

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Count four, we the jury find the defendant Chandler M.

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Holderson guilty of hiding a corpse as to bart A. Holderson.

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For count five, as signed and dated reads, we the

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jury find the defendant Chandler M. Alderson guilty of first

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degree intentional homicide as to CHRISTA. R. Alderson. Count six

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guilty of providing false information about a missing person as

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to CHRISTA R. Halderson. The verdict form has to count

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seven guilty of mutilating a corpse as to CHRISTA R. Halderson.

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And finally, the verdict form for count eight, as signed

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and dated reads, we the jury find the defendant Chandler M.

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Halderson guilty of hiding a corpse as to CHRISTA R. Holderson,

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as charged in count eight of the amended information.

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Judge John Hyland then thank the.

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Jury, ladies and gentlemen. At this point in time, you

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have finished your service here as the jury in this case.

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I have to tell you that words are difficult to

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come with to express the gratitude that I feel and

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that I believe those people within the criminal justice system

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which we serve feel regarding the time and concentration and

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sacrifices which you gave for this process. You are committed,

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holly and wholeheartedly to this process, and I thank you.

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I'll be happy to with you after I've finished here

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in the courtroom, if you wish to stay and please

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go with our thanks and gratitude.

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Brandy, all right, bond or lack thereof is set and

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a sentencing hearing is then discussed.

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I will revoke bail at this time, and we have

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a date in March for a sentencing hearing. I think

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we have a full day available, but I don't know

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if the parties anticipate needing a half day or a

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full day. Do you have any thoughts on that, Attorney Brown?

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And the tentative date for a sentencing hearing is set

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for March seventeenth or eighteenth. Bond is revoked, meaning Chandler

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Holderson will unquestioningly remain behind bars for at least the

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next three months. Not that it really matters, because Chandler

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had no one left to pay his bond even if

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it was set. His parents are obviously gone, his brother

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Mitchell wants nothing to do with him, and at this

62
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point him and Kat were broken up. I got an

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interview with Chandler's bunk made from County Jail, who told

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me a little bit about the specifics of Chandler and

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Cat's break up, the phone calls between them on YouTube.

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I think people are curious about as far as how

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or whyatt ended, because I think the last call we

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got was, you know, just a very happy, cheery call,

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and then that there were no more calls after that.

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But yeah, to be.

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Honest, I think that it actually happened over a text,

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if I remember correctly. I remember just one day he said,

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well me catter over. I was just like you all right,

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and He's like, yeah, yeah, I'll be fine, And I

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kind of want to say that was a little bit

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of the end of it. He had some strong opinions about,

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you know, about what happened, but he always is very

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into her. It really upset and that Kat had cooperated

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with the police to the point that she did a

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lot of things that he had said were like he

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didn't have to give them anything. She could have just

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declined an interview.

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I'll play the rest of that interview later, but for now,

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let's hear from a jury member in the trial of

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Chandler Holderson. I was curious to hear if she was

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as surprised as I was in how lack lust hers

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defense was.

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First time we're hearing from one of the jurors and

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Chandler Halderson's homicide trial last week.

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Halderson was convicted of killing and dismembering his parents, Bart

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and Christa. During the two week trial, Halderson did not

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testify and his attorneys did not call any witnesses. Only

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on twenty seven News, a juror reveals how that decision

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played a key role in the verdict.

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What did you think about the fact that Handler Holderson's

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attorneys called no witnesses.

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We were all shocked. I mean we we didn't None

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of us had ever been in a jury like this, obviously,

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in a trial this like this, So it was we

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were shocked because you think that you're going to hear

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two sides to a story, and when they said they

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had nothing, we were shocked. So it obviously made our

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deliberations a lot shorter than they might have been if

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we had anything to go on we had, We had

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no nothing.

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And you'll remember that one of the defense attorneys in

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her closing argument, made it clear that they conceded that

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Chandler Holderson had told lies about his life and other things,

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but she emphasized that, you know, from her perspective, we

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didn't know what happened in that home. She even suggested

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that we can't rule this out as an accident. How

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did you and how did you respond to that?

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It just the timeline and the technology in this case

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was just too great for us to ignore. They're just

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it just there was just no question. We just we

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didn't have anything else to go on except for what

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the state presented, and it was all there for.

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Us after the evidence was presented. Testimony, the closing arguments.

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You received your instructions from the judge when you and

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the other jurors went into the jury room, did you

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immediately take a vote? How did you go forward?

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No, we did not take a meeted vote. We kind

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of all got our notes together and decided to put

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some things on a whiteboard and each charge and kind

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of discuss each charge and you know, go from there.

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How difficult was it to look at those photos of

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body parts and know that they were Bart and Crystal Halderson.

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It was It was pretty gruesome for sure. I mean,

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and we were warned, but you know, it's just something

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you look at and look away. It's it was something

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a lot all of us had never seen before, obviously,

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so it was not very it was gruesome.

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Darcy. What did you think of the testimony of Andrew Smith,

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Chandler Holderson's friend who came from Kansas and brought that

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brought that rifle.

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He was quite a carecharacter. We thought he was pretty

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straightforward and shot from the hip, and you know, told

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us everything that he thought would be important. And I

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think he was honest. Would I swear that they would

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have moved heaven and earth for him if he would

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have came to them and said, mom, Dad, I don't

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know what happened to me. I snapped, I've been telling

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lies for the last how many years to you and

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my friends and my girlfriend, and I need help.

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Darcy. Why do you think Chandler Halderson did this abominable thing?

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I don't you know. I don't know, Tony, I really don't.

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I just think he got caught up in the lies

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and it was just his whole life was a lie.

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His friends didn't know him, his girlfriend didn't know him,

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his parents had been caught up in these lies the

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past couple of years. We didn't know what kind of

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person Chandler was before this happen. We were given no

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information about his life, nothing about him, so I can't

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say I know anything about that. The only thing I

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can say, and that I think I do know, is

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that his parents loved him very much, and for their

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fate to be what it was is just it was incomprehensible.

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Tony Galli of WKOW News had one last question for

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Darcy Widmer. What should his sentence be? This would be

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the question on the forefront of everyone's mind going into

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the next phase of this case. We knew that Chandler

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Halderson would get a minimum of life in prison, but

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would he or should he be eligible for parole at

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some point during this sentence?

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Do you have an opinion on what his sentence should be?

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And I'll qualify that he will get a mandatory life sentence,

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but the question will be whether the judge set's a

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eight when he potentially could be eligible for parole. The

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earliest I believe would be twenty years, So whether he

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said it at twenty forty sixty or never, do you

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have an opinion.

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On that, I don't. I think it should be longer

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than twenty for sure, but I don't really have an

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opinion on that.

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Before the date of the sentencing hearing had arrived, Chandler

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Holderson's attorney filed one last, quite surprising motion, and that

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was a motion to waive his appearance at sentencing. It

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seems that Chandler Holderson didn't want to be there in

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person to accept the consequences of his actions. His lawyers

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cited in nineteen ninety six case which allegedly allowed defendants

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to waive their right to be present. District Attorney William Brown,

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whose voice you've heard throughout this series, opposed this request, adamantly,

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arguing that Wisconsin law mandates the defendant's presence at sentencing.

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This whole debacle post an important question. Is it possible

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that Chandler's absence could be permissible under the law? Could

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he dodge accountability one last time?

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The man convicted of murdering and dismembering his parents his

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schedule to be sentenced later this week, but Chandler Holderson

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does not want to be there.

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Holderson's attorney filed an affidavid with the court verifying he

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wants to skip it.

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UW Associate law professor John Gross notes Marcy's law guarantees

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a victim's right to address a court on the harm

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done to them.

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The question really becomes, well, you know, does the defendant

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have to be present to hear that?

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If Chandler Holderson must be in court, Gross says he's

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unlikely to be able to sabotage that.

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If a defendant is on a hunger strike or a

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threatened self harm or will will not cooperate in any

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way to be taken to court where we left, then.

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The judge always has the capacity to order that the

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defendant be brought to court.

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In a document to Judge John Hyland by Attorney Brown,

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he acknowledged that Alderson had constitutional and statutory rights, but

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that these were not endless. Quote.

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He's a convicted murderer, body mutilator, and a liar. His

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request to skip his sentencing hearing is absurd, in an

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affront to the public's interest and expectation of his court system.

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The defendant has no right to simply eskip court hearings

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that might be uncomfortable, or to avoid finally being held

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responsible for his behavior.

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We only know of two exceptions to the law that

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a defendant must attend their sentencing hearing. One is for

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misdemeanors and the other is when a defendant refuses to

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attend the trial. I want to give a quick thank

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you to Channel three thousand News and Sierra rem and

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Tony Galli at WKOW for their reporting on this specific

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situation and the entire Holderson case. We've referenced their articles

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a number of times in this series. When we come back,

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we'll hear the judge's decision. Would Chandler be forced to

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attend sentencing? If you want to skip the ads in

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be right back. Don't go anywhere. Judge John High issued

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his order Wednesday morning a response to the motion filed

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by Alderson's defense. His specific request that he not be

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required to attend the sentencing hearing.

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The Dane County man convicted of killing and dismembering his

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parents will have to face his family and the public

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at his sentencing hearing tomorrow.

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Judge Hyland cited a ruling from nineteen ninety seven in

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which a Wisconsin Supreme Court said a defendant in a

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felony case could not voluntarily waive the right to be

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present at sentencing. We must consider if a factor in

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Highland's decision was setting precedent. If he ruled that Halderson

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could voluntarily not show up for sentencing, could this stop

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future convicts from pulling the same stunt? Hyland wrote, quote.

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Requiring his attendance at trial may violate Hallerson's expressed wishes,

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but it does not violate his constitutional rights. While any

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right can be waived, the Court has not observed any

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successful appellate cases where the denial of a waiver has

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resulted in a reversal of conviction. And so the sentencing

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date had finally arrived Thursday, March seventeenth, twenty twenty two,

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the moment Chandler had so desperately tried to delay. We've

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seen this with other cases we've covered. The red Wine

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trial comes to mind, where the perpetrator tries so desperately

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to keep their secrets hidden that their actions become some

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kind of self fulfilling prophecy. Chandler wanted more than anything

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to hide the fact that he had no job, had

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flunked out of school, wasn't a rescue diver, and was

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essentially a bum who played video games all day. On

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top of that, he was now a convicted murderer, and

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for the first time in his life, he couldn't duck

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the consequences. No, Chandler would have to appear in person

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to hear the judge's sentence remarks and the victim impact statements.

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Let me call Stated Wisconsin versus Chandler m. Halderson Case

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number twenty one CM fifteen sixty eight afternoon. Good afternoon.

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Let's first touch base to ensure that everyone has had

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access to the same materials as we're here for sentencing.

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I also wanted to note the following victim impact statements

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which the court received to ensure that the parties received

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those as well. Beyond statements reflected within the pre sentence.

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I received a impact statement from BH, which is mister

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Halderson's brother. From CN, mister Mitchell Holderson's fiance jah who,

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as I recall, testified at trial and is essentially a

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sister in spirit to Krystal Halderson. And then a fourth

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letter from an individual et who was an individual impacted

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here based upon past connections with Crystal Halderson. As a

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statutory question, Attorney Vera, is there any reason we should

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not now proceed to a sentencing hearing?

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A very good One thing that Judge Highland will reference

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in his statements today is a PSI. For the uninitiated,

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PSI is a pre sentence investigation, basically a background report

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on an individual who the judge is determining a sentence for.

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It can include interviews with the defendant, interviews with people

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in the defendant's family, and a number of other documents.

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It's meant to give the judge a holistic idea of

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the defendant in their background, criminal history, education, employment, and

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even substance abuse. Essentially, the PSI attempts to get at

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what we've been trying to get at this entire season.

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How can we make sense of the crime that occurred

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in past cases? We've had ten of them so far.

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I feel like we've been able to come to at

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least some satisfying conclusions with Mark RedWine, there was a

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secret fetish with Jesse Washington, there was racial prejudice with

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Don Spirit, there was drugs and a failed social system,

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And in this case, quite frankly, I expected to find

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something like that. One thing I suspected was perhaps there

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was some kind of abuse going on that no one

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had seen. I doubted that it was from Chandler's mother, Christa,

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but maybe Bart. Is there any possibility that Bart had

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been abusing Chandler Except in all the research we've done

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and in all the interviews that were conducted, there was

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never any hint that anything like that was happening. And

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in my research I found out that study show that

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most parrisides don't happen because of a Sometimes it's money. Now,

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remember there was a million dollar life insurance policy, but

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it's very rarely because the parents were abusing a child

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that the child kills the parents. Now you know by

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now my theory of video game addiction, and I'm still

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convinced that that could have played a role, But it

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still doesn't seem to be a satisfying answer to the

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question why. We also had the possibility of ketamine drugging,

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but we can't be sure of that, because Chandler lied

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about almost everything, and even if you were drugged with ketamine,

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why would that make you kill your parents? At almost

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every turn, we're left with extremely underwhelming explanations. Let's find

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out what the court found in their PSI.

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I'm going to spend a lot of my time today

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talking about the victims and who they were as people,

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but I am going to start with.

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Talking about the character of the This PSI was kind

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of not your average PSI.

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I've often said in serious sentencings that reading PSIS is

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one of the most depressing things about my job, and

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that I really dislike it, although what it does provide

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is a context to crime.

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Almost every homicide.

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I've prosecuted there's been a fairly tragic backstory of the defendant, violence, drugs,

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just tragedy, and you often are left with an explanation,

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not an excuse, but an explanation as to why a

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crime occurred. Why did this eighteen year old kill a

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seventeen year old.

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There's not an explanation here.

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Chandler grew up with a life of privilege by pretty much.

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I think any sort of angle you look at it.

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He had two parents that were married and that seemed

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to be happily married two parents that from all evidence,

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were completely supportive, very sort of. His dad was the

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den leader for boy Scouts. His parents attended every swim

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meet that he had. There's absolutely no evidence of abuse

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whatsoever in this case. Chandler grew up with no housing

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in securities. He never had to wonder where his next

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meal was coming from, and he was never exposed to

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any violence that we saw any evidence of, or even

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really guns. The only tragedy, if you can even call

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it that, it's more really a part of life that

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we saw that occurred to him during his childhood was

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he did lose his maternal grandparents.

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He went to good and safe schools.

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By all accounts, he had a supportive extended family that

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saw him often, and a large network of family friends

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that considered themselves his family. He had numerous people that

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would drop everything to help him if it was needed.

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He never faced any sort of discrimination that I can

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find from any source, by pretty much ever measure.

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He was a white male who had a childhood of privilege.

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The only potential criticism that anyone that we talked to,

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and we talked to well over one hundred people, was

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that perhaps his mother babied him a little too much

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or was a little too doting. As I often explained

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to my husband, that's what mothers do. It is out

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of this life of privilege, this childhood that was nearly ideal,

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that he committed these crimes. It's also worth noting that

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these crimes were committed against these two individuals that provided

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this ideal childhood for him, the two people that took

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care of him. I only want to say one other

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thing about the character of the defendant. We certainly spent

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a lot of time and trial, and I don't need

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to labor any points about that, but I do think

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it's worth noting that in all of the jail calls

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and messages that the detectives and mister Brown and I

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listened to, there was never even a moment where Chandler

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mourned his parents' death.

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I found that really unique.

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I've prosecuted a lot of cases where somebody has killed

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a family member, sometimes even a family member who was

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highly abusive to them, and they still there's mourning there,

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there's some sort of notion that they miss this person.

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It was interesting in one message somebody had told him

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that they just got back from his parents' memorial service

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and they were sad. He suggested that they watch a

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slasher movie Halloween. There was no discussion of who was

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at the memorial s, what they talked about, who they saw.

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Any remembering of his parents.

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I just think it's notable to bring up that how

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significant losing your parents is to a person's life and

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how much it impacts them. It impacts someone, and there's

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been no comment, no tears, and I just think that

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that is worth noting. You know, certainly you could take

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that in a couple of different ways. You could say, well,

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maybe they're just not an emotional person. That's certainly possible,

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But it also suggests a certain amount of carelessness and

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perhaps even lack of remorse that is worth noting. So

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I'm going to spend the bulk of my time talking

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about the seriousness of the offense, and part of what

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that entails is the fact that this world no longer

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has Barton Christa Halderson, and so I think it's an

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important part to reflect on who they are. I'm going

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to start that by reading two victim impact statements. One

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was submitted to you earlier, but they asked that I

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read it out loud. The other one has not been

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submitted yet. It was just written today, I believe. The

399
00:26:20.240 --> 00:26:24.599
first victim impact statement is submitted by Can who's the

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00:26:24.839 --> 00:26:25.920
future daughter.

401
00:26:25.680 --> 00:26:27.799
In law to Barton Krista Halderson.

402
00:26:29.880 --> 00:26:33.640
She's engaged to their son, Mitchell. She writes, my life

403
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will be forever changed by the actions that occurred the

404
00:26:36.839 --> 00:26:40.519
week of July first through July seventh of twenty twenty one.

405
00:26:40.880 --> 00:26:43.319
I've lost my future mother and father in law in

406
00:26:43.359 --> 00:26:47.160
such a senseless and brutal way. This loss will remain

407
00:26:47.240 --> 00:26:50.079
with me for the rest of my life. My mental

408
00:26:50.079 --> 00:26:53.640
and physical health have suffered tremendously. As Mitchell and I

409
00:26:53.680 --> 00:26:57.880
move forward planning our wedding, each decision we make comes

410
00:26:57.880 --> 00:27:00.720
with a reminder of two of the most important people

411
00:27:00.720 --> 00:27:03.400
to us, bart and Christa will not be there to

412
00:27:03.440 --> 00:27:06.160
celebrate this special occasion with us.

413
00:27:06.839 --> 00:27:08.000
I've cried about.

414
00:27:07.720 --> 00:27:11.000
Their loss on multiple occasions and will continue to mourn

415
00:27:11.079 --> 00:27:14.640
and cry many more times. I've experienced a lot of

416
00:27:14.640 --> 00:27:17.200
weight loss as I was unable to eat due to

417
00:27:17.240 --> 00:27:21.119
the high level of stress, anxiety, and uncertainty surrounding what

418
00:27:21.240 --> 00:27:23.759
had happened to bart and Christa. Over that long period

419
00:27:23.759 --> 00:27:26.640
of time, I missed work for over a month, and

420
00:27:26.720 --> 00:27:28.920
even now that I'm back, there are times I struggle

421
00:27:28.960 --> 00:27:31.599
to make it through the day. Bart and Christa were

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00:27:31.680 --> 00:27:35.480
amazing people. They were there to help everyone in anyone

423
00:27:35.519 --> 00:27:39.319
with whatever they could. Christa had always been so welcoming

424
00:27:39.359 --> 00:27:41.839
to me, from the first time I met her in

425
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twenty fourteen for Christmas, to the morning that we both

426
00:27:45.000 --> 00:27:47.000
called her and Bart to tell them the good news

427
00:27:47.079 --> 00:27:49.319
that Mitchell and I were engaged in twenty twenty to

428
00:27:49.400 --> 00:27:51.640
the afternoon we spent at their home for Father's Day

429
00:27:51.680 --> 00:27:54.000
in June of twenty twenty one, just a week.

430
00:27:53.880 --> 00:27:54.839
Before they were killed.

431
00:27:55.640 --> 00:27:58.440
Christa was excited to talk with me and always made

432
00:27:58.480 --> 00:28:01.119
me feel at home. He had a wonderful sense of

433
00:28:01.200 --> 00:28:04.400
humor and was a great handyman. He helped us with

434
00:28:04.680 --> 00:28:07.079
set up many things when we moved into our new home,

435
00:28:07.279 --> 00:28:08.920
and helped teach us so that we could do.

436
00:28:08.920 --> 00:28:09.519
It on our own.

437
00:28:09.599 --> 00:28:13.519
Next time, I miss their warm presence and their kind

438
00:28:13.559 --> 00:28:14.880
hearts every single day.

439
00:28:16.079 --> 00:28:18.599
Both mart and Christa had so much to look forward

440
00:28:18.640 --> 00:28:18.960
to that.

441
00:28:18.920 --> 00:28:21.839
They will never get to experience. They will never get

442
00:28:21.880 --> 00:28:24.480
to see their son get married or start a family.

443
00:28:25.039 --> 00:28:28.000
Mitchell and I will miss them terribly during these milestones,

444
00:28:28.640 --> 00:28:32.559
holding their grandchildren, watching them play sports, hearing about school,

445
00:28:32.839 --> 00:28:34.839
and all those things that Bart and Christa were so

446
00:28:34.920 --> 00:28:38.519
excited for they will never get to do. They loved

447
00:28:38.559 --> 00:28:42.359
going to wineries, breweries, concerts on the Square, the Farmer's Market,

448
00:28:42.400 --> 00:28:45.519
and had been dreaming about many different trips to explore

449
00:28:45.519 --> 00:28:46.160
Wisconsin in.

450
00:28:46.160 --> 00:28:49.039
The United States. But again to their.

451
00:28:48.920 --> 00:28:51.920
Senseless murders, they will never get to experience these things.

452
00:28:52.920 --> 00:28:56.880
We are comforted in knowing that Chandler cannot physically hurt us. However,

453
00:28:57.279 --> 00:29:00.599
if he was given the opportunity for parole, terrified for

454
00:29:00.720 --> 00:29:03.920
Mitchell in my family's safety, given the fact that he

455
00:29:04.279 --> 00:29:08.119
was capable of a such calculated and horrific act of murder.

456
00:29:08.519 --> 00:29:10.640
I do not believe my family would be safe if

457
00:29:10.640 --> 00:29:13.720
he were ever to be released from prison. For this reason,

458
00:29:14.160 --> 00:29:16.519
I believe he should not be given the chance for parole.

459
00:29:17.079 --> 00:29:20.079
Bart and Christa's murders have greatly impacted my life and

460
00:29:20.119 --> 00:29:23.359
the rest of the Halderson and Freighter family lives as well.

461
00:29:28.680 --> 00:29:31.880
There's something that I like to call the ripple effect.

462
00:29:32.319 --> 00:29:35.480
It's pretty much the same thing as the butterfly effect,

463
00:29:35.799 --> 00:29:39.680
but I like the visual of a ripple. Imagine a

464
00:29:40.240 --> 00:29:45.839
perfectly still lake and suddenly stone is tossed into the center,

465
00:29:48.680 --> 00:29:51.799
which you would see happen. Next is a ripple omitting

466
00:29:51.839 --> 00:29:57.799
out from the point of contact, eccentric circles vibrating larger

467
00:29:57.839 --> 00:29:59.119
and larger rings.

468
00:29:59.720 --> 00:30:00.519
All of our.

469
00:30:00.400 --> 00:30:06.119
Actions have consequences, positive and negative. The most immediately identifiable

470
00:30:06.359 --> 00:30:10.119
are those ripples that occur right near the impact site.

471
00:30:10.440 --> 00:30:14.839
But those ripples extend far beyond that point, and if

472
00:30:14.880 --> 00:30:18.480
a pond is still enough, those ripples will emanate all

473
00:30:18.559 --> 00:30:22.640
the way to the shoreline. Mitchell Halderson and his fiance

474
00:30:22.960 --> 00:30:27.200
eventually called off the wedding. It's impossible to know how

475
00:30:27.279 --> 00:30:31.599
much of an impact Chandler's crime had on this decision,

476
00:30:31.920 --> 00:30:35.079
but we know it must have played a role. As

477
00:30:35.160 --> 00:30:38.480
far as we know, they are no longer together romantically.

478
00:30:38.920 --> 00:30:42.559
The last I could find of Mitchell was his Twitch channel,

479
00:30:42.680 --> 00:30:45.480
where he sometimes streams himself playing video games.

480
00:30:47.839 --> 00:30:52.799
The second letter is from Kayleen Halderson, mother of Bart

481
00:30:52.880 --> 00:31:00.839
and Chandler's grandmother. Judge, these are my feelings about Chandler.

482
00:31:00.880 --> 00:31:04.680
He is my grandson. I love him, even though what

483
00:31:04.759 --> 00:31:09.079
he did was horrific. I can't believe his parents would

484
00:31:09.119 --> 00:31:09.799
want him to be.

485
00:31:09.759 --> 00:31:11.640
Incarcerated for life.

486
00:31:11.880 --> 00:31:14.359
I'm hoping he will find a trade or a craft

487
00:31:14.440 --> 00:31:18.759
while and while there to become a productive and caring person.

488
00:31:19.599 --> 00:31:21.440
We hope the people in charge of that.

489
00:31:21.400 --> 00:31:24.720
Facility will feel someday he deserves a second chance in

490
00:31:24.799 --> 00:31:27.039
life with the possibility of parole.

491
00:31:27.519 --> 00:31:29.960
Chandler's grandma, Kayleen Halderson.

492
00:31:31.440 --> 00:31:36.640
After Chandler's grandmother, Kayleen, we would next hear from Jane Hilgendorf,

493
00:31:36.720 --> 00:31:40.079
not through an official statement or letter, but through the

494
00:31:40.119 --> 00:31:43.960
prosecution's description of meeting her and spending time with her

495
00:31:44.039 --> 00:31:47.160
in the preceding week. Jane had been friends with Christa

496
00:31:47.279 --> 00:31:51.200
for thirty eight years and perhaps was the only person

497
00:31:51.240 --> 00:31:54.680
who might have known more about her than her husband, bart.

498
00:31:57.680 --> 00:31:59.839
So last week I.

499
00:32:00.039 --> 00:32:03.519
Had the pleasure and the opportunity to meet with Christa's

500
00:32:03.559 --> 00:32:07.880
best friend of thirty eight years, Jane, and I just

501
00:32:07.960 --> 00:32:08.759
spoke to her.

502
00:32:10.160 --> 00:32:12.720
Very candidly, tell me about Barton Christa.

503
00:32:13.799 --> 00:32:16.799
She shared that Christa was a staple in her life,

504
00:32:17.160 --> 00:32:19.480
a sister in every way except for biological.

505
00:32:20.400 --> 00:32:21.599
She was the aunt to her.

506
00:32:21.599 --> 00:32:26.640
Daughter's She described Krista Halderson as having a lightness about her.

507
00:32:27.400 --> 00:32:28.359
She was bubbly.

508
00:32:29.960 --> 00:32:33.440
She was a helper wanted to always fix people's problems.

509
00:32:35.359 --> 00:32:38.079
Christa was described by her boss at work as the

510
00:32:38.119 --> 00:32:41.160
work mom for everything. She was the person you went

511
00:32:41.200 --> 00:32:43.799
to if you needed tailan all, a hug, or a

512
00:32:43.839 --> 00:32:47.880
pep talk. The title that was most important to Christa

513
00:32:48.119 --> 00:32:51.279
was that of mom. That was her identity. Being a

514
00:32:51.319 --> 00:32:55.119
mom was her purpose in life. She was the type

515
00:32:55.119 --> 00:32:58.680
of mom that had bins where she saved her kid's legos.

516
00:32:58.759 --> 00:33:02.599
For the grandchildren. She had meticulous bins in her basement,

517
00:33:02.680 --> 00:33:06.960
each one perfectly labeled with no dust on them, that

518
00:33:07.000 --> 00:33:11.119
were organized and labeled their awards, their Eagle Scout journey,

519
00:33:11.799 --> 00:33:17.559
and various paraphernalia and photos. Bart was quieter, He worked hard,

520
00:33:17.559 --> 00:33:20.319
and he provided for his family. He was up for

521
00:33:20.559 --> 00:33:24.119
quite a big promotion right before his murder. He liked

522
00:33:24.160 --> 00:33:29.119
the outdoors, nature, fishing, and his family. He was redoing

523
00:33:29.160 --> 00:33:32.480
and in the process of renovating his entire house nearly

524
00:33:32.519 --> 00:33:35.839
down to the studs. He had recently built a brand

525
00:33:35.920 --> 00:33:40.960
new dining table made pure wood, which he had hoped

526
00:33:41.359 --> 00:33:42.200
that they would.

527
00:33:42.119 --> 00:33:43.279
Use for the rest of their lives.

528
00:33:43.279 --> 00:33:47.440
Celebrating the holidays with the grandkids, Jane pointed out that

529
00:33:47.480 --> 00:33:50.240
every time he was in Milwaukee, he would always take

530
00:33:50.279 --> 00:33:52.559
her daughters out when they were in college for a

531
00:33:52.599 --> 00:33:56.839
free meal with their uncle bart One other thing that

532
00:33:56.920 --> 00:33:59.559
actually one of our detectives pointed out today is in

533
00:33:59.599 --> 00:34:02.240
the course of their employment, they read through a whole

534
00:34:02.319 --> 00:34:06.720
bunch of text messages from all sorts of people, and

535
00:34:06.759 --> 00:34:10.599
they were really struck about how nice bart and Crystal were.

536
00:34:12.000 --> 00:34:15.079
They really didn't say a bad word about anyone, not

537
00:34:15.199 --> 00:34:16.079
even to each other.

538
00:34:16.280 --> 00:34:18.559
They were kind, respectful.

539
00:34:20.079 --> 00:34:23.880
They texted often about worrying about this son or that son,

540
00:34:24.079 --> 00:34:25.679
and various things.

541
00:34:26.559 --> 00:34:27.960
They were loving towards each other.

542
00:34:29.599 --> 00:34:32.920
Barton Krista, of course, will now not see their older

543
00:34:32.960 --> 00:34:36.679
son get married. They won't be present for their grandchildren,

544
00:34:37.599 --> 00:34:40.280
they won't get to experience the retirement that they really

545
00:34:40.320 --> 00:34:44.760
had been planning for decades, and they didn't get to

546
00:34:44.800 --> 00:34:51.400
say goodbye to anyone. Multiple people when we talked to

547
00:34:51.440 --> 00:34:55.000
them about Barton, Christa said, you know, if they would

548
00:34:55.000 --> 00:34:58.760
have found out about Chandler's lies and his deception, they

549
00:34:58.760 --> 00:35:02.199
would have been upset, would have been, but they also

550
00:35:02.320 --> 00:35:04.440
would have worked with him to get him back on

551
00:35:04.480 --> 00:35:07.880
the right track. They were sure that more than one

552
00:35:07.920 --> 00:35:10.920
person had made a statement like this to us that

553
00:35:11.519 --> 00:35:14.239
Bart and Krista would have continued to be the support

554
00:35:14.280 --> 00:35:17.800
of parents, that their entire track record had showed that

555
00:35:17.880 --> 00:35:21.159
they were. I just want to point out one more

556
00:35:21.199 --> 00:35:24.559
thing about the seriousness the offense. The victimization that was

557
00:35:24.599 --> 00:35:32.039
caused here extends well beyond Bart and Christa Halderson. Because

558
00:35:32.079 --> 00:35:35.599
of Chandler's actions, his grandparents had to bury a child,

559
00:35:36.960 --> 00:35:43.679
his brother lost his entire nuclear family overnight. People who

560
00:35:43.719 --> 00:35:49.119
were generous to Chandler, such as his girlfriend and her family,

561
00:35:49.280 --> 00:35:50.079
have had their.

562
00:35:49.920 --> 00:35:51.719
Lives completely uprooted as well.

563
00:35:52.960 --> 00:35:56.639
Bart and Christa's friends will again never get to enjoy them,

564
00:35:57.000 --> 00:35:59.320
And numerous numerous.

565
00:35:58.800 --> 00:36:00.719
People have guilt.

566
00:36:00.599 --> 00:36:03.440
Because they wonder were there red flags that I missed?

567
00:36:03.440 --> 00:36:10.000
Could I have prevented this? Chandeler's actions have caused uncalculatable

568
00:36:10.280 --> 00:36:14.639
amounts of trauma for dozens of people your honor as

569
00:36:14.639 --> 00:36:17.559
you craft a sentence, I'm asking that you please consider

570
00:36:18.199 --> 00:36:21.599
all this trauma as part of the seriousness of this

571
00:36:21.679 --> 00:36:23.559
offense and creating adjust sentence.

572
00:36:26.599 --> 00:36:29.639
I'm gonna comments on some of the other sentencing factors.

573
00:36:29.639 --> 00:36:32.719
I'm going to start with this submission by the defense,

574
00:36:33.159 --> 00:36:37.079
which I thought was well put together, well written, and

575
00:36:37.239 --> 00:36:39.639
included an article, a law of your article that I

576
00:36:39.679 --> 00:36:42.639
read with great interest. Obviously, it concerns what I do

577
00:36:42.679 --> 00:36:44.960
for a living, and it's something I.

578
00:36:44.960 --> 00:36:45.679
Should think about.

579
00:36:47.679 --> 00:36:50.199
Mister Halderson's being sentenced to life in prison today. This

580
00:36:50.480 --> 00:36:52.440
hearing is about whether he's ever going to be granted

581
00:36:52.480 --> 00:36:56.440
parole or eligible for a parole, excuse me. And that's

582
00:36:56.480 --> 00:36:59.440
a challenging, challenging decision for everyone to make. And I'll

583
00:36:59.519 --> 00:37:01.599
let you know that I have not entered this process

584
00:37:01.639 --> 00:37:05.599
in thinking about what the state's recommendation should be. With

585
00:37:05.679 --> 00:37:09.480
that being a foregone conclusion, I'll start with the rehabilitative

586
00:37:09.519 --> 00:37:10.480
needs of mister Alderson.

587
00:37:12.079 --> 00:37:13.159
I have no idea what they are.

588
00:37:14.360 --> 00:37:17.719
Almost always in a sentencing hearing for a homicide or

589
00:37:17.719 --> 00:37:21.639
even lesser crimes, we have some understanding as players in

590
00:37:21.639 --> 00:37:25.199
the criminal justice system of the underlying causes of someone's problems.

591
00:37:25.199 --> 00:37:30.119
The root causes frequently, it's substance abuse, frequently, it's mental

592
00:37:30.159 --> 00:37:35.719
illness frequently, its inability to control anger, and other behavioral

593
00:37:35.760 --> 00:37:40.159
problems that have manifested themselves throughout someone's life. You probably

594
00:37:40.199 --> 00:37:42.559
are wondering, and I'll tell you it's been thoroughly investigated

595
00:37:42.599 --> 00:37:44.920
of whether there were any red flags that anyone missed.

596
00:37:45.400 --> 00:37:46.719
Was mister Alderson.

597
00:37:47.119 --> 00:37:50.039
Engaged in bad behavior as a youth, Was he harming animals?

598
00:37:50.119 --> 00:37:51.400
Was he harming people?

599
00:37:52.840 --> 00:37:53.199
None of that.

600
00:37:53.800 --> 00:37:56.679
It's true that we can tell he seemed.

601
00:37:56.400 --> 00:38:00.159
To be a pretty normal kid with pretty normal life

602
00:38:00.639 --> 00:38:03.239
who did a pretty abnormal thing as he turned twenty three.

603
00:38:05.079 --> 00:38:07.840
You don't know what as rehabilitative needs are, and that's

604
00:38:08.000 --> 00:38:11.039
a challenge. The reason we focus on that is this

605
00:38:11.320 --> 00:38:13.960
idea and the criminal justice system that we can rehabilitate

606
00:38:14.039 --> 00:38:14.800
almost everyone.

607
00:38:15.320 --> 00:38:17.440
And I'll say I think that to be true. I

608
00:38:17.519 --> 00:38:17.960
really do.

609
00:38:18.440 --> 00:38:20.360
The vast majority of people who are charged with this

610
00:38:20.440 --> 00:38:23.559
crime a first orree intentional homicide, as grave as that

611
00:38:23.679 --> 00:38:25.599
it might be, and as difficult as it might be

612
00:38:25.639 --> 00:38:28.239
sometimes for the victims to hear it, they are people

613
00:38:28.559 --> 00:38:31.000
who can be rehabilitated, that we can address that root

614
00:38:31.119 --> 00:38:34.920
underlying cause of mental illness or substance abuse, and they

615
00:38:34.960 --> 00:38:38.559
can emerge from the state prison system, perhaps not a

616
00:38:38.559 --> 00:38:41.360
perfect person, but a better person, and society can have

617
00:38:41.400 --> 00:38:43.000
some comfort, and we can all go to bed at

618
00:38:43.079 --> 00:38:45.199
night and sleep soundly knowing that we've done what we

619
00:38:45.239 --> 00:38:47.239
can to try to prevent some future harm from occurring.

620
00:38:47.239 --> 00:38:51.360
Because we've addressed that identifiable problem, you don't have that.

621
00:38:52.880 --> 00:38:54.320
And if you don't have that, I'm not sure how

622
00:38:54.360 --> 00:38:56.280
much you can consider that factor. And the law is

623
00:38:56.360 --> 00:38:58.400
very clear when you're addressing the Galleon factors, you don't

624
00:38:58.400 --> 00:38:59.360
have to weigh them up equally.

625
00:39:00.000 --> 00:39:00.920
I have to consider them all.

626
00:39:01.360 --> 00:39:03.760
But I would post to the court that's not a

627
00:39:03.760 --> 00:39:06.280
factor that you should ultimately consider a great deal because

628
00:39:06.280 --> 00:39:08.519
I don't know what information the court could rely on

629
00:39:08.880 --> 00:39:13.199
in determining that there are some identifiable and fixable rehabilitative

630
00:39:13.239 --> 00:39:16.519
needs of mister Halderson. Next to the court has to

631
00:39:16.519 --> 00:39:20.480
consider the protection of the public, and here's where the

632
00:39:20.519 --> 00:39:24.800
court has to probably give a great weight to this factor.

633
00:39:26.000 --> 00:39:29.320
Mister Halderson, by all accounts, chose to commit the crime

634
00:39:29.360 --> 00:39:33.760
of first degree intentional homicide twice on a single day

635
00:39:33.840 --> 00:39:35.960
because he was caught lying about where he was working

636
00:39:36.000 --> 00:39:38.119
and going to school, or perhaps just where he was

637
00:39:38.159 --> 00:39:42.519
going to school. It was uncomfortable probably that he was caught.

638
00:39:43.320 --> 00:39:46.320
It probably wasn't an experience he was looking forward to

639
00:39:46.800 --> 00:39:48.320
and dealing with the repercussions of that.

640
00:39:49.199 --> 00:39:50.039
But those kind of.

641
00:39:50.000 --> 00:39:55.119
Inconveniences and uncomfortable situations are constantly present in life. Every

642
00:39:55.159 --> 00:39:57.519
one of us in this courtroom have dealt with bad

643
00:39:57.559 --> 00:40:00.440
situations in life. Every one of us have left work

644
00:40:00.480 --> 00:40:02.119
one day thinking, man, I really don't want to go

645
00:40:02.159 --> 00:40:04.280
home tonight because I did something and I'm going to

646
00:40:04.320 --> 00:40:04.480
have to.

647
00:40:04.480 --> 00:40:05.039
Talk about it.

648
00:40:05.239 --> 00:40:07.159
Every one of us here is probably walked into work

649
00:40:07.159 --> 00:40:08.800
one days thinking, boy, I don't really want to walk

650
00:40:08.840 --> 00:40:10.760
into my supervisor's office and got to talk about that.

651
00:40:12.760 --> 00:40:16.079
Life is full of inconveniences, Life is full of being uncomfortable.

652
00:40:17.920 --> 00:40:19.920
The difference between everyone else in this room and mister

653
00:40:19.960 --> 00:40:22.320
Alderson is all of us have owned up to that.

654
00:40:23.400 --> 00:40:25.559
All of us walked into those rooms, walked into our

655
00:40:25.599 --> 00:40:29.800
front door. All of us have addressed those situations. Whether

656
00:40:29.840 --> 00:40:33.400
it be comfortable or uncomfortable, whether it lead to the

657
00:40:33.440 --> 00:40:38.440
loss of relationships or respect or money, We've.

658
00:40:38.320 --> 00:40:39.199
All addressed them.

659
00:40:40.119 --> 00:40:44.559
You walk in, you take your lumps, you leave. But

660
00:40:44.639 --> 00:40:47.079
when faced with in the grand scheme of things, a

661
00:40:47.119 --> 00:40:51.960
minor inconvenience in his life, mister Holderson chose to commit

662
00:40:52.000 --> 00:40:54.079
the crime of first or grant intentional homicide two times,

663
00:40:54.639 --> 00:40:58.679
and then, over the course of several days, chose to

664
00:40:58.719 --> 00:41:01.440
cut up those people's bodies, spread them around the state,

665
00:41:02.960 --> 00:41:05.519
chose to lie to the police, concoct a bizarre story,

666
00:41:05.639 --> 00:41:08.519
lead his family down this road of believing that there

667
00:41:08.599 --> 00:41:10.760
was just some hope somewhere out there that Barton Crystall

668
00:41:10.800 --> 00:41:15.400
were alive because he got caught in a minor inconvenience.

669
00:41:18.199 --> 00:41:19.880
I don't know how you protect the public from someone

670
00:41:20.079 --> 00:41:24.679
like that. I don't know how any of us would

671
00:41:24.679 --> 00:41:27.840
have any comfort in thinking that mister Halderson would ever

672
00:41:27.880 --> 00:41:30.119
be in a better place to make those decisions. More Wisely,

673
00:41:30.920 --> 00:41:34.800
it's even more compounded and perhaps aggravated in the legal sense,

674
00:41:34.840 --> 00:41:38.119
by the fact that no one saw this coming. He

675
00:41:38.239 --> 00:41:41.559
is someone who is able to perhaps have this capability

676
00:41:41.599 --> 00:41:44.400
or perhaps have these thoughts in life, and insert himself

677
00:41:44.400 --> 00:41:49.199
into relationships, social situations, his family without anyone wondering is

678
00:41:49.239 --> 00:41:52.440
this a safe person to be around. Sometimes, in court

679
00:41:52.480 --> 00:41:55.920
for homicide sentencings, the guy next to us is a

680
00:41:56.039 --> 00:41:59.840
history a mile long of violent crime and is willing

681
00:41:59.840 --> 00:42:02.079
to talk about it, and you wonder when people are

682
00:42:02.119 --> 00:42:04.880
even around that person. It seems like a dangerous guy.

683
00:42:05.719 --> 00:42:08.280
Part of the risk of Chandler is he doesn't look

684
00:42:08.280 --> 00:42:11.599
like a dangerous guy. He's packaged up into a normal

685
00:42:12.119 --> 00:42:17.159
middle class kid and was able to fool everyone, not

686
00:42:17.199 --> 00:42:21.920
only fool everyone about these crazy lies about work and

687
00:42:22.000 --> 00:42:26.840
school and activities, but fool everyone into believing that he

688
00:42:26.880 --> 00:42:29.480
was a safe person to be around, that he was trustworthy,

689
00:42:29.679 --> 00:42:34.199
that he wasn't going to and not exaggerating the fact

690
00:42:34.239 --> 00:42:37.079
shoot you in the back, because that's in fact what happened.

691
00:42:38.880 --> 00:42:42.320
Someone in mister Halderson's shoes, with his mindset can never

692
00:42:42.360 --> 00:42:47.280
be safely in this community. His willingness to solve the

693
00:42:47.320 --> 00:42:52.679
minor inconveniences of life with brutal violence can never be

694
00:42:53.000 --> 00:42:56.079
mitigated in our community. As long as he breathes, he

695
00:42:56.119 --> 00:42:58.599
will be a risk. He will be a risk because

696
00:42:58.599 --> 00:43:04.599
he will suffer more conveniences as were we all. And lastly,

697
00:43:04.639 --> 00:43:06.679
the court has to consider the gravity of the offense.

698
00:43:08.159 --> 00:43:10.400
Miss Raymond talked a good deal about that. Part of

699
00:43:10.440 --> 00:43:12.880
that is considering the people.

700
00:43:12.920 --> 00:43:13.480
He heard.

701
00:43:14.320 --> 00:43:18.119
Gravity of the offense is sometimes called a retribution in

702
00:43:18.159 --> 00:43:21.679
some systems, and I'll note that retribution is inappropriate thing

703
00:43:21.719 --> 00:43:24.039
to consider in law. At times it's part of the

704
00:43:24.039 --> 00:43:26.760
gravity of the offense. But here there is no more

705
00:43:27.559 --> 00:43:31.239
grave offense. The crime of first or intentional homicide is

706
00:43:31.280 --> 00:43:34.760
as serious as it gets. Committing it twice is even

707
00:43:34.760 --> 00:43:38.519
more serious, and committing it against the people who are

708
00:43:38.800 --> 00:43:42.880
you're supposed to love the most is beyond comprehension for

709
00:43:42.920 --> 00:43:46.320
many in our community. There's an interesting quote. As I

710
00:43:46.400 --> 00:43:49.199
prepared for today, I was looking at some cases. I'm

711
00:43:49.239 --> 00:43:53.320
just trying to look into the mindset of other judges

712
00:43:53.360 --> 00:43:57.880
as they've considered these factors and the concept of punishment

713
00:43:57.880 --> 00:44:00.960
in the law. Justice Stewart a while back, in Furman

714
00:44:01.079 --> 00:44:03.960
versus Georgia, I wrote, the instinct for retribution is part

715
00:44:04.000 --> 00:44:06.239
of the nature of man, and channeling that instinct in

716
00:44:06.280 --> 00:44:09.519
the administration of criminal justice serves an important purpose in

717
00:44:09.559 --> 00:44:13.719
promoting the stability of a society governed by law. There

718
00:44:13.760 --> 00:44:17.480
was another case in the late forties, as Williamsbirst New York.

719
00:44:17.559 --> 00:44:20.639
Retribution is no longer the dominant objective of criminal law,

720
00:44:21.000 --> 00:44:24.239
but it is neither forbidden nor one inconsistent with our

721
00:44:24.280 --> 00:44:27.960
respect for the dignity of man. When we talk about

722
00:44:27.960 --> 00:44:30.960
the gravity of the offense consideration, the court gets to

723
00:44:31.000 --> 00:44:32.039
decide what that means.

724
00:44:35.400 --> 00:44:36.679
But you should consider.

725
00:44:37.519 --> 00:44:40.760
That in my mind, in my experience as prosecutor in

726
00:44:40.760 --> 00:44:44.039
this county as a citizen of this state. I've never

727
00:44:44.039 --> 00:44:46.639
heard of a crime more serious. I've never heard of

728
00:44:46.639 --> 00:44:51.840
a crime more brutal. Mister Alderson's mere presence in our community,

729
00:44:51.920 --> 00:44:55.559
the fact that he did any of this, has ripped

730
00:44:55.559 --> 00:45:01.360
apart the fabric of our community. The idea that someone

731
00:45:01.360 --> 00:45:03.599
can live amongst us with no warning signs and commit

732
00:45:03.760 --> 00:45:07.400
such heinous acts should scare everybody, and it sure as

733
00:45:07.440 --> 00:45:11.199
he'll scare everybody here. No one who's interacted with mister

734
00:45:11.199 --> 00:45:16.280
Halderson will ever be the same. For whatever reason he

735
00:45:16.320 --> 00:45:19.519
decided to do it, whatever justification he can come up

736
00:45:19.559 --> 00:45:22.119
within his own mind, whether it be today or down

737
00:45:22.159 --> 00:45:25.480
the road, in many years, nothing will ever explain it.

738
00:45:26.199 --> 00:45:31.760
His actions in July of this year were evil, and

739
00:45:31.920 --> 00:45:34.719
for this generation and at this time, mister Halderson is

740
00:45:34.920 --> 00:45:41.760
the personification of evil in our community. He can work

741
00:45:41.800 --> 00:45:43.760
the rest of his life by trying to earn back

742
00:45:43.800 --> 00:45:46.119
the respect and trust and love of maybe some of

743
00:45:46.119 --> 00:45:49.400
his family, and I hope he does that. But that's

744
00:45:49.440 --> 00:45:51.679
a different thing than what's going on here today. Our

745
00:45:51.760 --> 00:45:54.599
question is whether mister Halderson should ever be released from prison,

746
00:45:54.639 --> 00:45:56.960
and if so, when should he have that opportunity to ask.

747
00:45:58.679 --> 00:46:00.840
It's my position that he should never be released from prison.

748
00:46:02.039 --> 00:46:06.599
That the mere possibility of his return to our community

749
00:46:08.000 --> 00:46:11.840
would shock the conscience of almost every citizen of this community.

750
00:46:12.639 --> 00:46:16.719
It would appreciate the seriousness of what he's done. It

751
00:46:16.719 --> 00:46:20.960
would cause extreme angst animosity probably for many to even

752
00:46:20.960 --> 00:46:25.880
feel that that's a possibility. We don't have a more

753
00:46:25.920 --> 00:46:29.840
serious punishment, but sometimes it's appropriate, and in this case,

754
00:46:30.239 --> 00:46:32.400
it's the state's position is my position. It is my

755
00:46:32.480 --> 00:46:35.480
recommendation that mister Halderson spend the remainder of his life

756
00:46:35.480 --> 00:46:38.519
in prison, that he not be eligible for a parole

757
00:46:38.679 --> 00:46:42.960
at any point. Mister Alderson has to come to terms

758
00:46:42.960 --> 00:46:45.280
with what he's done, and I hope he does someday,

759
00:46:46.559 --> 00:46:48.719
but that doesn't mean he should ever be released. And

760
00:46:48.760 --> 00:46:50.400
I ask that you not let him be released.

761
00:46:50.679 --> 00:46:52.079
Thank you, Thank you.

762
00:46:55.760 --> 00:46:59.800
Next, we hear from defense attorney Crystal Vera one last time.

763
00:47:00.119 --> 00:47:03.920
The beginning of this statement perhaps the most important part.

764
00:47:04.159 --> 00:47:06.880
She says, no matter what the decision is, no one's

765
00:47:06.920 --> 00:47:09.320
going to run out of the courtroom feeling like justice

766
00:47:09.440 --> 00:47:14.000
was served. And I sincerely disagree. I feel like life

767
00:47:14.079 --> 00:47:18.400
with no parole is precisely the sentence that justice demands.

768
00:47:18.760 --> 00:47:22.199
But let's go ahead and hear from defense attorney via

769
00:47:22.760 --> 00:47:24.039
one last time this season.

770
00:47:24.599 --> 00:47:26.559
No one is going to run out of this courtroom

771
00:47:26.679 --> 00:47:29.719
feeling like justice is served. No one is going to

772
00:47:29.760 --> 00:47:34.679
run out of this courtroom feeling good. This family is

773
00:47:34.719 --> 00:47:37.880
going to always have this situation, is going to be

774
00:47:37.920 --> 00:47:41.320
touched by this situation, and Chandler himself is always going

775
00:47:41.360 --> 00:47:46.320
to be touched by this moment, which makes it a

776
00:47:46.400 --> 00:47:49.719
very intimate matter, but it also has become a very

777
00:47:49.760 --> 00:47:56.360
public affair. Regardless of what you do today, the outside world,

778
00:47:56.440 --> 00:47:59.239
the community, the public, however you want to address it

779
00:47:59.280 --> 00:48:02.559
is going to be not happy. And there are going

780
00:48:02.639 --> 00:48:06.280
to be people that if you decide to sentence Chandler

781
00:48:06.280 --> 00:48:09.039
to life without parole, they're still going to be mad.

782
00:48:09.320 --> 00:48:11.239
They're going to ask for Wisconsin to bring the death

783
00:48:11.239 --> 00:48:15.679
penalty back and to apply it retroactively to him. And

784
00:48:15.719 --> 00:48:18.800
if you sentence him without or with parole, there are

785
00:48:18.840 --> 00:48:21.599
people that are going to be mad because it's too lenient.

786
00:48:23.400 --> 00:48:26.599
I bring this up because again, it's what happens here

787
00:48:26.639 --> 00:48:30.639
today is not a win win or lose lose situation.

788
00:48:30.760 --> 00:48:37.079
It is what it is, and it's it's difficult. What

789
00:48:37.199 --> 00:48:40.199
I do want to focus on today is just what

790
00:48:40.239 --> 00:48:43.840
we're asking for, which we are asking for the possibility

791
00:48:43.880 --> 00:48:46.679
of parole, and I want to stress that it is

792
00:48:46.719 --> 00:48:50.840
a possibility. It is not a guarantee. It is not

793
00:48:51.039 --> 00:48:54.199
something that is going to happen. Even if Your Honor

794
00:48:54.239 --> 00:48:57.159
says today that there's a possibility that it could happen.

795
00:48:58.000 --> 00:48:58.920
It's a process.

796
00:48:59.239 --> 00:49:03.400
If your Honor fin him eligible for parole today, he

797
00:49:03.440 --> 00:49:06.119
would have to go through this process that can start

798
00:49:06.360 --> 00:49:11.440
no earlier than ninety days before the eligibility date. It's

799
00:49:11.480 --> 00:49:14.519
a process that would require a petition to the court.

800
00:49:15.039 --> 00:49:18.320
It would perhaps be your Honor or someone else, but

801
00:49:18.400 --> 00:49:22.360
it would be a court petition. And I cannot stress

802
00:49:22.400 --> 00:49:25.000
that enough. I cannot stress enough how all we are

803
00:49:25.039 --> 00:49:27.559
asking for today is for the possibility of this man

804
00:49:27.639 --> 00:49:33.039
to show you that he is redeemable. Chandler is young.

805
00:49:33.280 --> 00:49:36.239
He just turned twenty four. There are a lot of

806
00:49:36.599 --> 00:49:40.760
growing up. There's a lot of adulting that he's going

807
00:49:40.800 --> 00:49:42.440
to miss out on that he's going to have to

808
00:49:42.440 --> 00:49:47.159
do in the institution that ultimately is going to affect

809
00:49:47.239 --> 00:49:50.000
who he becomes in the future. Most of us get

810
00:49:50.000 --> 00:49:54.239
the opportunity to do that around our family, with our community,

811
00:49:54.679 --> 00:49:56.760
whatever it is, and he's going to have to do

812
00:49:56.800 --> 00:50:01.719
that in custody. But there's bring that up because there's

813
00:50:01.760 --> 00:50:04.079
certain things about my own childhood, about my own life

814
00:50:04.119 --> 00:50:06.920
that I didn't really understand until I was later in

815
00:50:06.960 --> 00:50:10.239
my late twenties that affected how I was as a

816
00:50:10.239 --> 00:50:15.320
person in my early twenties. So it's easy to come

817
00:50:15.400 --> 00:50:18.719
up now and say that there's no rehabilitation that's needed here.

818
00:50:19.280 --> 00:50:20.320
Well, we just don't know that.

819
00:50:21.960 --> 00:50:25.440
So ultimately it boils down to what your Honor believes

820
00:50:25.480 --> 00:50:31.360
is an appropriate, fair and just option given everything, given

821
00:50:31.360 --> 00:50:33.639
all the galleon factors that the state has mentioned and

822
00:50:33.719 --> 00:50:37.320
that we have mentioned in our sentencing memorandum, and it's

823
00:50:37.360 --> 00:50:41.559
a delicate balance. If your Honor believes that sentencing is

824
00:50:41.639 --> 00:50:47.280
purely punitive, purely an issue of punishment, then the only

825
00:50:47.360 --> 00:50:51.800
option is life without parole. But if your Honor believes

826
00:50:51.800 --> 00:51:00.519
that it is a delicate combination of punishment and rehabilitation redemption,

827
00:51:00.639 --> 00:51:03.559
if you will, then there's only one option, and that

828
00:51:03.679 --> 00:51:07.119
is the option of life with parole. And that's all

829
00:51:07.119 --> 00:51:09.800
we're asking for today, Life with parole.

830
00:51:10.840 --> 00:51:12.039
Thank you, thank you.

831
00:51:13.000 --> 00:51:18.079
Before the judge decides parole or no parole. Chandler Holderson

832
00:51:18.159 --> 00:51:21.840
makes a last second decision to make a statement. We'll

833
00:51:21.840 --> 00:51:25.840
hear all about it coming up after a quick break.

834
00:51:27.320 --> 00:51:29.480
Don't go anywhere.

835
00:51:37.280 --> 00:51:41.599
I know that in your memorandum there was an indication

836
00:51:41.639 --> 00:51:46.440
once again that mister Alderson would not exercise his right

837
00:51:46.519 --> 00:51:50.719
to elocute at this hearing. Obviously, just as with trial,

838
00:51:50.800 --> 00:51:52.920
it comes up to a decision at the very last minute.

839
00:51:52.960 --> 00:51:55.760
I just want to ensure at this moment whether or

840
00:51:55.800 --> 00:51:58.280
not mister Holderson wishes to make a statement, and.

841
00:51:58.199 --> 00:51:59.719
Thank you for doing that. That has changed.

842
00:52:00.039 --> 00:52:03.039
Holderson would like to give a statement to your honor.

843
00:52:03.960 --> 00:52:06.280
You may remove your mask if you wish. I believe

844
00:52:06.320 --> 00:52:09.000
the conditions in the jail are very good as far

845
00:52:09.000 --> 00:52:12.360
as the pandemic, So if you want to speak without

846
00:52:12.360 --> 00:52:15.519
your mask, and Attorney Doorl's comfortable with that, you could.

847
00:52:17.400 --> 00:52:19.719
And I would only ask that you read slowly, simply

848
00:52:19.800 --> 00:52:22.519
because my court reporter has to take down what you're saying,

849
00:52:22.519 --> 00:52:24.960
and sometimes we read faster than we mean to.

850
00:52:26.599 --> 00:52:29.400
Here, Hunter, I want to take this opportunity to state

851
00:52:29.480 --> 00:52:33.079
my intent to appeal my convictions. If there are any

852
00:52:33.159 --> 00:52:36.440
lawyers listening and willing to take on my appeal. Take

853
00:52:36.480 --> 00:52:40.039
a moment to please reach out to me. It's not

854
00:52:40.119 --> 00:52:43.480
that I do not have feelings, it's that I was

855
00:52:43.519 --> 00:52:46.679
warned to not show them due to the scrutiny of

856
00:52:46.719 --> 00:52:47.159
this case.

857
00:52:48.320 --> 00:52:50.400
Thank you, thank you.

858
00:52:54.960 --> 00:52:58.960
And just like that, Chandler burned his last card. If

859
00:52:58.960 --> 00:53:01.960
he had got down on his knees, cried and delivered

860
00:53:02.000 --> 00:53:05.440
an eloquent speech, he likely would have still been denied parole.

861
00:53:05.960 --> 00:53:09.000
Yet it's hard to imagine a worse final statement than

862
00:53:09.039 --> 00:53:14.559
the one Chandler delivered. No acceptance of responsibility, no show

863
00:53:14.639 --> 00:53:19.559
of remorse, just another attempt to dodge accountability. Though once

864
00:53:19.599 --> 00:53:23.559
again I have to ask, did we really expect anything less?

865
00:53:26.320 --> 00:53:32.800
The court always tends to make a number of observations

866
00:53:33.119 --> 00:53:37.199
at sentencing hearings that are contested and which carry a

867
00:53:37.239 --> 00:53:39.440
good deal of weight, and I'm not going to depart

868
00:53:39.440 --> 00:53:45.519
from that process today. I first think it's important to

869
00:53:45.639 --> 00:53:50.159
acknowledge that the trial and the process within this case

870
00:53:50.239 --> 00:53:55.000
that brings us here today was the united effort of

871
00:53:55.039 --> 00:53:58.880
a number of people. And first and foremost, I want

872
00:53:58.880 --> 00:54:02.320
to recognize again the jurors, but not just those twelve

873
00:54:02.360 --> 00:54:05.920
people that rendered the verdicts here, but those alternates those

874
00:54:05.920 --> 00:54:09.599
people that responded to the summons, especially given the time

875
00:54:09.639 --> 00:54:16.360
of year that this occurred. Council mentioned that this crime

876
00:54:17.079 --> 00:54:20.559
caused a rip in our community. If there's one thing

877
00:54:20.599 --> 00:54:23.440
that's a positive coming out of this, I think that

878
00:54:23.559 --> 00:54:27.239
it is a demonstration to our community of the pride

879
00:54:27.280 --> 00:54:30.599
we should feel in our law enforcement, the pride we

880
00:54:30.639 --> 00:54:34.039
should feel in how they investigated this case and how

881
00:54:34.079 --> 00:54:38.639
they presented the evidence in this case, it was well.

882
00:54:38.920 --> 00:54:41.119
I honestly think it put Dane County on the map

883
00:54:41.400 --> 00:54:46.000
through both the Justice departments efforts and the efforts of

884
00:54:46.039 --> 00:54:49.960
our local sheriff's department and other law enforcement agencies involved.

885
00:54:50.000 --> 00:55:02.960
It was quite incredible. I'm very passionate about our system,

886
00:55:03.159 --> 00:55:05.119
and so let me move on to the points in

887
00:55:05.159 --> 00:55:09.159
this proceeding which I need to be dispassionate. And I

888
00:55:09.199 --> 00:55:12.199
need to be dispassionate because as the person sitting in judgment,

889
00:55:13.280 --> 00:55:18.440
I have to try and achieve a proper analysis of

890
00:55:18.480 --> 00:55:22.320
the sentencing goals based upon the information and evidence put

891
00:55:22.360 --> 00:55:25.880
forward and what the legislature has determined to be the

892
00:55:25.920 --> 00:55:32.400
appropriate sentences, at least as far as maximums mandatory minimums

893
00:55:32.400 --> 00:55:36.320
if any and here obviously is addressed by everyone the

894
00:55:36.400 --> 00:55:40.559
determination of whether there should be any eligibility for parole

895
00:55:40.960 --> 00:55:44.199
in the future technically extended supervision. But it's easier just

896
00:55:44.239 --> 00:55:49.760
to say parole. I don't know the victims. I did

897
00:55:49.800 --> 00:55:54.719
not know the victims. I know people like them. I'm

898
00:55:54.760 --> 00:55:59.880
privileged to say, and I know and can understand the

899
00:56:00.400 --> 00:56:07.119
empty space that this crime has left. I can empathize.

900
00:56:07.320 --> 00:56:12.360
I can only partially understand the feelings because I haven't

901
00:56:14.119 --> 00:56:19.079
lost people in my family through such a manner, or

902
00:56:19.119 --> 00:56:22.000
had a violation by a member of the family causing

903
00:56:22.039 --> 00:56:27.280
such loss. But everyone in this room has a mother

904
00:56:27.320 --> 00:56:31.519
and a father, everyone has siblings if they're fortunate, and

905
00:56:31.559 --> 00:56:36.639
everyone can understand the loss that the Alderson family extended

906
00:56:36.679 --> 00:56:40.639
as it is, and their friends and this community feel

907
00:56:41.400 --> 00:56:46.199
for their loss. It is tragic. It is tragic. It

908
00:56:46.280 --> 00:56:51.559
is something which will take decades for some to heal.

909
00:56:51.880 --> 00:56:56.159
I hope not that long, but healing may never come

910
00:56:56.239 --> 00:57:00.199
for some one does not know, and I hope that

911
00:57:00.239 --> 00:57:03.679
no one is coming here for that healing. This procedure

912
00:57:03.719 --> 00:57:07.920
provides closure only of this legal part of the matter.

913
00:57:09.079 --> 00:57:11.679
What people can do in their own lives to address

914
00:57:11.719 --> 00:57:15.719
their loss is what they must do themselves. And amongst others.

915
00:57:17.199 --> 00:57:18.960
But I do want you to know that this court

916
00:57:19.000 --> 00:57:25.559
honors your loss, honors the people who died, and approaches

917
00:57:25.639 --> 00:57:31.079
this sentencing here weighing that gravity of that offense as

918
00:57:31.119 --> 00:57:33.559
one of those things which must be weighed in determining

919
00:57:33.599 --> 00:57:37.639
whether or not mister Halderson should ever be eligible for parole,

920
00:57:38.880 --> 00:57:42.320
as the life sentences I must impose are predetermined by

921
00:57:42.320 --> 00:57:49.679
the legislature. It is true that rehabilitation is a factor

922
00:57:49.719 --> 00:57:52.880
that must be considered. An attorneys Brown's point is well

923
00:57:52.960 --> 00:58:00.599
noted that I'm not certain that anyone has identified rehabilitative needs,

924
00:58:01.199 --> 00:58:07.719
but those may arise over time, depending upon an individual's

925
00:58:07.760 --> 00:58:16.000
receptiveness and willingness to participate in self examination or diagnosis,

926
00:58:16.159 --> 00:58:21.679
or other steps which our criminal justice system utilizes to

927
00:58:21.760 --> 00:58:26.920
try and determine how to fix something, whether it's a

928
00:58:26.960 --> 00:58:32.280
substance abuse issue, or an anger issue, or something that

929
00:58:32.400 --> 00:58:36.840
is only amenable to treatment by medication or intensive therapy.

930
00:58:38.440 --> 00:58:43.079
Some people I believe can't be fixed. I have no

931
00:58:43.159 --> 00:58:46.719
basis to know whether mister Halderson fits into any of

932
00:58:46.760 --> 00:58:49.719
those categories, other than I think it's fairly clear here

933
00:58:49.719 --> 00:58:53.440
that nothing was identified in his twenty three twenty four

934
00:58:54.039 --> 00:58:56.960
years of life up to this point, except for his

935
00:58:57.079 --> 00:59:02.719
actions in July. The gravity of the offense is as

936
00:59:02.800 --> 00:59:06.000
serious as it could be, and I must not overlook,

937
00:59:06.039 --> 00:59:10.719
of course, the steps taken to hide the crime, the

938
00:59:10.760 --> 00:59:17.920
steps taken which, if one ponders it, certainly makes the

939
00:59:17.960 --> 00:59:24.960
crime even worse. If you could say that the murder

940
00:59:24.960 --> 00:59:28.360
of your parents is something that could be made worse.

941
00:59:30.400 --> 00:59:34.079
I've tried, even though I've had to examine carefully the evidence,

942
00:59:34.360 --> 00:59:36.679
not to think about it. I've tried not to think

943
00:59:36.719 --> 00:59:41.920
about how or what steps were taken, or how these

944
00:59:41.920 --> 00:59:49.280
things even took place. I don't wish to engage in

945
00:59:49.440 --> 00:59:55.039
that speculation at sentencing, but I recognize that the jury

946
00:59:55.079 --> 00:59:59.480
found mister Halderson guilty of mutilating both bodies, hiding both bodies,

947
01:00:00.000 --> 01:00:04.400
and presenting a story to law enforcement to try and

948
01:00:04.480 --> 01:00:07.920
lead them on a completely different path than what had

949
01:00:07.960 --> 01:00:11.599
actually occurred, and that he took steps in those actions

950
01:00:12.159 --> 01:00:21.920
which really robbed those people of dignity. But fortunately their

951
01:00:21.960 --> 01:00:26.320
dignity is all here in these people that remember them,

952
01:00:26.559 --> 01:00:31.079
these people that are here today because of them. I

953
01:00:31.119 --> 01:00:35.800
appreciated learning more about them, and my condolences go to

954
01:00:35.840 --> 01:00:43.840
every member of their family. I cannot conceive of a

955
01:00:43.840 --> 01:00:46.480
way to fulfill my duty to protect the public that

956
01:00:46.559 --> 01:00:51.039
I serve were I to perceive that at some point

957
01:00:51.119 --> 01:00:55.199
in time an individual who committed these crimes should be

958
01:00:55.280 --> 01:00:59.679
released back into that public. I cannot grant to mister

959
01:00:59.719 --> 01:01:03.639
Hall the generosity of spirit and empathy that his grandmother

960
01:01:03.719 --> 01:01:09.360
has for him, empathy which his own parents would surely

961
01:01:09.440 --> 01:01:13.079
have had where he just owned up to what he

962
01:01:13.119 --> 01:01:18.519
had deceived them about. I cannot say to the community

963
01:01:19.000 --> 01:01:23.000
here in this room, or at large in this county,

964
01:01:23.280 --> 01:01:26.920
that mister Halderson should have the ability to be reviewed

965
01:01:27.000 --> 01:01:30.760
and considered for release back into our community at any point,

966
01:01:30.800 --> 01:01:35.599
despite his young age. At this point in his life,

967
01:01:35.800 --> 01:01:38.840
the gravity of these offenses and the need to protect

968
01:01:38.880 --> 01:01:44.440
the public outweigh the potential that there could be that

969
01:01:44.480 --> 01:01:50.639
at some future point he should have presence among us. Now,

970
01:01:50.679 --> 01:01:52.480
that is not to say that he may not have

971
01:01:53.039 --> 01:01:57.480
the possibility of presence as a member of his family

972
01:01:58.519 --> 01:02:01.840
in the future. That is up to those folks and

973
01:02:01.960 --> 01:02:06.559
he a reconstruction of a relationship, that's all well and good.

974
01:02:06.599 --> 01:02:09.320
I would wish that for anyone, because I don't like

975
01:02:10.480 --> 01:02:13.639
telling his grandmother that I am not able to give

976
01:02:13.679 --> 01:02:17.440
her the relief that she's asking for here out of

977
01:02:17.480 --> 01:02:22.440
her love for her grandson, I cannot do that. I

978
01:02:22.480 --> 01:02:25.880
have to, for this sentence ensure that the only time

979
01:02:26.119 --> 01:02:30.880
mister Halderson comes back into the community is to have

980
01:02:30.960 --> 01:02:33.960
the privilege of a burial that he denied his parents,

981
01:02:36.079 --> 01:02:40.760
and so on counts one in five. Per statute, I

982
01:02:40.800 --> 01:02:43.880
sentence him to life in prison, and pursue it to

983
01:02:43.960 --> 01:02:47.039
section nine seventy three point zero one four some one

984
01:02:47.159 --> 01:02:49.719
g three. I find that he is not to be

985
01:02:49.760 --> 01:02:55.760
eligible for extended supervision during that course. The sentences on

986
01:02:55.800 --> 01:03:02.119
the other counts, given two life sentences, become rather superfluous,

987
01:03:02.159 --> 01:03:04.440
to say the least. But at the same time, I

988
01:03:04.480 --> 01:03:09.559
absolutely acknowledge that we may be in a completely different

989
01:03:09.599 --> 01:03:13.800
position here had he committed the acts of homicide but

990
01:03:13.880 --> 01:03:19.400
then stopped and took other steps to accept responsibility and

991
01:03:19.480 --> 01:03:25.000
sought forgiveness. So to make this quite simple, I will

992
01:03:25.039 --> 01:03:29.519
impose maximum terms concurrent to each other and concurrent to

993
01:03:29.599 --> 01:03:32.760
counts one in five on each of the other counts

994
01:03:32.800 --> 01:03:36.119
within the information of which the verdict convicted mister Alderson.

995
01:03:36.679 --> 01:03:41.079
I do believe that by imposing the maximum I'm recognizing

996
01:03:41.119 --> 01:03:45.480
the severity of those individual acts. Mister Alderson, you have

997
01:03:45.519 --> 01:03:48.440
the absolute right to seek an appeal of twenty days

998
01:03:48.440 --> 01:03:51.320
within which to start that process. That's through filing a

999
01:03:51.400 --> 01:03:55.840
notice of intent. I believe that we have on file

1000
01:03:56.440 --> 01:03:59.920
the notice that you understand and have been given notice.

1001
01:04:00.920 --> 01:04:04.119
I thank everyone for being here today. We are joined.

1002
01:04:04.239 --> 01:04:04.519
Thank you.

1003
01:04:15.880 --> 01:04:20.119
Chandler Alderson did apply for an appeal. His appeals lawyer

1004
01:04:20.239 --> 01:04:24.559
is based in Madison, Wisconsin, A one Michael Covey. In

1005
01:04:24.599 --> 01:04:27.920
April of the same year, Covee went to work reviewing

1006
01:04:27.960 --> 01:04:31.280
the hundreds of hours of transcripts from the trial, and

1007
01:04:31.519 --> 01:04:36.679
according to an article from fifteen WMTV, Covee said it's

1008
01:04:36.760 --> 01:04:40.119
not uncommon for it to take nine to eleven months

1009
01:04:40.119 --> 01:04:43.480
to gather all information needed to make a decision on

1010
01:04:43.559 --> 01:04:46.639
whether or not to go forward with emotion for an appeal.

1011
01:04:47.039 --> 01:04:49.719
That same month, Covee was able to get two of

1012
01:04:49.840 --> 01:04:56.119
Chandler's charges vacated. An article by WKOW explains quote Alderson

1013
01:04:56.199 --> 01:04:59.679
could not be convicted of mutilating and hiding a corpse

1014
01:05:00.159 --> 01:05:04.000
because hiding a corpse is a lesser charge. These are

1015
01:05:04.159 --> 01:05:08.679
all minor technicalities. Chandler's life sentence still stands, and he

1016
01:05:08.719 --> 01:05:13.400
would have no chance at supervised release aka parole. Now,

1017
01:05:13.519 --> 01:05:18.159
let's fast forward through May, June, July, and August to

1018
01:05:18.480 --> 01:05:22.880
September of twenty and twenty three. Despite the hopes that

1019
01:05:22.920 --> 01:05:26.079
Michael Covey might be able to deliver a hail Mary,

1020
01:05:26.480 --> 01:05:30.639
he instead filed a no merit report. Over the course

1021
01:05:30.679 --> 01:05:34.360
of twenty three pages, Cobe states the intricacies of why

1022
01:05:34.400 --> 01:05:37.519
he believes there are simply no grounds for an appeal

1023
01:05:37.800 --> 01:05:41.719
from the report. Quote, there was sufficient evidence for a

1024
01:05:41.800 --> 01:05:45.559
jury to convict Halderson on all accounts. It will come

1025
01:05:45.599 --> 01:05:49.159
as no surprise that Chandler filed a response to his lawyer,

1026
01:05:49.239 --> 01:05:53.039
Michael Covee's no merit report. In it, Chandler says quote

1027
01:05:53.360 --> 01:05:58.440
key evidence was unjustly regarded. In true Chandler Halderson fashion,

1028
01:05:58.519 --> 01:06:01.679
he made no attempts to expels what evidence that might be.

1029
01:06:02.440 --> 01:06:05.480
The current state of affairs is that the case is

1030
01:06:05.519 --> 01:06:08.639
headed to the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, who will do

1031
01:06:08.840 --> 01:06:12.159
their full due diligence in a complete review of the trial.

1032
01:06:12.679 --> 01:06:16.599
This might just be Chandler's last stop before he's completely

1033
01:06:16.639 --> 01:06:20.719
out of hope. I believe it's that strange, delusional hope

1034
01:06:20.719 --> 01:06:23.920
that caused Chandler Holderson to start this pattern of lying

1035
01:06:24.000 --> 01:06:27.679
about extraordinary happenings that started him down the path he's

1036
01:06:27.719 --> 01:06:31.880
currently on. I think once this hope or perhaps cope

1037
01:06:32.119 --> 01:06:35.480
is finally snuffed out, then and only then might he

1038
01:06:35.559 --> 01:06:37.800
begin to come to terms with what he did to

1039
01:06:37.840 --> 01:06:41.840
his parents, his family. Until then, I simply don't think

1040
01:06:41.920 --> 01:06:46.079
Chandler will take responsibility for his actions. And even then,

1041
01:06:46.320 --> 01:06:49.199
I think his mind has become so twisted and broken

1042
01:06:49.440 --> 01:06:52.559
that it's likely he'll take his last dying breath never

1043
01:06:52.599 --> 01:06:56.880
seeking atonement or redemption. Yet I still can't give up

1044
01:06:56.920 --> 01:07:00.679
on that idea, the idea that one day Handler might

1045
01:07:00.760 --> 01:07:05.320
have a true come to Jesus moment or come to Buddha, Brahman,

1046
01:07:05.639 --> 01:07:08.239
Muhammad or whatever it might be out there running things.

1047
01:07:08.880 --> 01:07:12.639
And I do believe redemption is available for anyone, no

1048
01:07:12.679 --> 01:07:16.679
matter how depraved their actions might be, and they had

1049
01:07:16.719 --> 01:07:21.719
no appeals, Confessing or clearing their conscience would probably be

1050
01:07:21.800 --> 01:07:25.559
the best thing for that person, a hypothetical person, you

1051
01:07:25.599 --> 01:07:27.079
know what I mean, just.

1052
01:07:27.119 --> 01:07:32.199
Kind of like, I mean, you know, if if if.

1053
01:07:32.079 --> 01:07:36.880
The last two drops, you know, and uh, it's it's

1054
01:07:36.920 --> 01:07:40.000
all over with. I mean, he might, but he might

1055
01:07:40.079 --> 01:07:42.679
just take take it with them, take with them to

1056
01:07:42.760 --> 01:07:47.519
the to the soap factory. You know. So I go though,

1057
01:07:47.920 --> 01:07:52.079
I guess it's anybody's it's anybody's cats. What's going to happen?

1058
01:07:55.239 --> 01:07:58.400
I guess it's kind of strange my desire to peer

1059
01:07:58.519 --> 01:08:02.679
further and further in the mind of Chandler Holderson. But

1060
01:08:02.800 --> 01:08:05.880
it's what's kept me research in this case long after

1061
01:08:05.960 --> 01:08:09.039
my coverage on it probably should have been over. This

1062
01:08:09.079 --> 01:08:11.880
is by far the longest season I've ever done. It'll

1063
01:08:11.880 --> 01:08:15.000
be twenty episodes long when it's finally finished. I've been

1064
01:08:15.039 --> 01:08:18.680
collecting interviews, watching court footage, and drawing this thing out

1065
01:08:18.760 --> 01:08:21.359
for over a year now. But I didn't set out

1066
01:08:21.359 --> 01:08:24.159
to do that. I just got sucked down this rabbit hole,

1067
01:08:24.399 --> 01:08:27.239
and as a long time listeners know, I'm apt to

1068
01:08:27.279 --> 01:08:32.319
do that. So where do we go from here? Well,

1069
01:08:32.560 --> 01:08:35.560
coming up on tapes from the Dark Side, I'll talk

1070
01:08:35.600 --> 01:08:38.640
to someone who I hope could provide one last chance

1071
01:08:38.680 --> 01:08:41.840
at insight into this case. A man who was Chandler

1072
01:08:41.880 --> 01:08:45.800
Holderson's bunk mate, someone who befriended Chandler and even to

1073
01:08:45.840 --> 01:08:49.279
this day sticks by his side as a friend. He

1074
01:08:49.359 --> 01:08:52.560
became pen pals with him even after finishing his time

1075
01:08:52.720 --> 01:08:55.840
in the pen. Remember that in Chandler's response to the

1076
01:08:55.880 --> 01:09:00.640
no merit report, he wrote that key evidence was unjustly regarded.

1077
01:09:01.720 --> 01:09:04.760
My hope was that Chandler's newfound friend might be able

1078
01:09:04.800 --> 01:09:07.800
to provide some insight into just what he meant by that,

1079
01:09:08.239 --> 01:09:10.960
and what his friend told me might just shock you.

1080
01:09:11.680 --> 01:09:16.640
Tune in next week for my interview with Chandler Alderson's bunkmate,

1081
01:09:17.760 --> 01:09:22.439
and until next time, try to enjoy the daylight

1082
01:09:51.520 --> 01:09:55.439
A dark side, Yes, Scot