Sandra Kolalou, Chicago woman convicted of killing, dismembering landlord Frances Walker one day after receiving eviction notice.
A Chicago, Illinois woman was found guilty Monday of killing her landlord and dismembering her body days after having received a notice of eviction.
Sandra Kolalou, 38, was convicted of the first-degree murder of her landlord, Frances Walker, 69, along with concealment of a homicide by a Cooks County jury, mere hours after the case going to trial, FOX32 reported.
Notice of the landlord’s murder and dismembering occurred after police on October, 2022, responding to a call of a possible missing person at a boardinghouse where Kolalou had rented a room from Walker in the 5900 block of North Washtenaw Avenue.
Numerous 911 calls about ‘violent’ tenant
Tenants in the building reported hearing Walker screaming at 2:30 a.m. and made several attempts to contact her. Walker did not respond, but several text messages were sent from her phone — texts officials said were sent by Kolalou.
When the tenants could not make contact all day, they called 911 to report her missing. As police arrived, Kolalou was seen exiting the residence and getting into a tow truck that she had allegedly ordered and paid for using Walker’s credit card. She refused to talk to the police, saying she knew her rights, and told the tow truck driver to take her to Foster Beach to get her car.
Prosecutors said ‘many of the tenants’ in the boardinghouse were afraid of Kolalou, adding that police had responded to several previous 911 calls regarding the defendant. Fearful for the tow truck driver’s safety, several of the tenants exchanged information with him and made clear that they believed Kolalou to be dangerous, police said.
The tow truck driver soon contacted one of the tenants and relayed that when Kolalou got to Foster Beach, she ‘placed a large bag in a garbage can,’ prosecutors said. Several tenants had followed the tow truck and opened the bag to discover bloody rags and linens inside. They notified the officers who were already back at the house, and additional officers responded to Foster Beach and the boardinghouse.
Chicago landlord torso never recovered
After an initial search revealed no signs of foul play, police searched Kolalou’s room again, this time finding blood and ‘the gruesome remains’ in Kolalou’s freezer, police said. Investigators then obtained a search warrant and allegedly discovered additional blood spatter and several bloody kitchen knives.
Kolalou is believed to have killed and dismembered Walker in Walker’s bedroom ‘with large butcher knives.’ Of note, the victim’s torso was never recovered.
Walker’s relatives told Chicago’s ABC7 that the longtime landlord had called cops on Kolalou ‘many times,’ – but to no avail.
Police said Walker had served the defendant with a notice to leave or an eviction notice a day before the slaying.
Kolalou is set to be sentenced on June 20.
