A Chicago boarding house tenant who was recently served an eviction notice has been arrested, charged with killing her landlord and dismembering her.
Police said Sandra Kolalou, 36, allegedly put the dismembered body parts of Francis Walker, 69, in the house's freezer, then later deposited bloody rags into a garbage can, eventually leading to her arrest.
Kolalau Sent Concerned Tenants a Text Message from Walker's Phone
Meanwhile, other tenants — who heard screaming at about 2:30 a.m. Monday morning — called and texted their landlord. Walker didn't answer the phone, but the tenants did get a text response — a response later determined to have been sent by Kolalou, WFLD reported.
Early Monday evening, the tenants were still concerned about Walker's whereabouts and called police, who arrived as Kolalou was heading toward a tow truck she had called — and paid for using Walker's credit card, investigators later learned.
Kolalou refused to talk with officers and asked the tow truck driver to take her to Foster Beach to tow her car, which was parked there. The other tenants told the driver they believed Kolalou was dangerous and exchanged information with him, police said.
The driver told the tenants that when they arrived at Foster Beach, Kolalou put a large bag into a garbage can. Other tenants, who had followed the tow truck, checked the bag and found "bloody rags," investigators said. They called police about the discovery.
Police Found Blood in Kolalou's Room, Walker's Remains in Freezer
Meanwhile, officers had performed a cursory search of the boarding house but found no evidence of foul play. After the discovery of the bloody rags, they searched again, this time finding blood in Kolalou's room — and Walker's remains in the freezer.
Kolalou, still with the tow truck driver, allegedly threatened him with a knife for talking with the tenants. Officers then took Kolalou into custody. Once back at the police station, she invoked her right to remain silent.
Police obtained a search warrant for Walker's home and conducted a more detailed search, finding blood in Walker's room and on knives in the home, including "large butcher knives" that appeared to have been used for the dismemberment. Kolalou has been charged with first-degree murder and concealment of a homicide.
As for a motive, police said the potential eviction could have been the reason. "The deceased, the owner of the residence, had actually served the defendant with a notice to leave, or an eviction notice ... as recently as Saturday," Brendan Deenihan, Chicago police chief of detectives said.
