A Chicago woman has been charged with murder for allegedly killing a landlord that was trying to evict her, then hiding the dismembered remains in a freezer, police say.
Sandra Kolalou, 36, was charged with first-degree murder and concealment of a homicide, the Chicago Police Department announced Wednesday.
Killed in the slaying was 69-year-old landlord Frances Walker, who owned a boarding home and was renting rooms to several tenants, authorities said.
“The person who owns the residence has actually served the defendant with a notice to leave, or an eviction notice,” Brendan Deenihan, chief of detectives with Chicago police, told reporters.
“That very well could possibly be what … escalated this into the defendant becoming extremely angry” and committing this “horrific act,” he said.
Kolalou also faces a misdemeanor count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for threatening a tow truck driver, police said. Kolalou is scheduled to appear at a bond hearing Thursday, according to NBC Chicago. It was unclear Thursday afternoon if Kolalou had retained an attorney. Her relatives could not be immediately reached for comment.
Kolalou was held on no bail Thursday. Her next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 31, according to the Cook County State Attorney's Office.
Police were called to the victim’s home by concerned tenants in the early evening Monday because she had not been seen in about a day, Deenihan said. Tenants told investigators they heard screaming about 2:30 in the morning.
Many of the tenants also mentioned to police they were afraid of Kolalou, according to Deenihan.
When officers arrived on scene, the defendant was there and declined to speak to police. Instead, she left the residence and ordered a tow truck to Foster Beach where her car was.
Tenants spoke to the driver and exchanged information with him, Deenihan said. The tow truck driver told the tenants that Kolalou placed a large bag in a garbage can at Foster Beach.
The other tenants made clear to police that they were afraid of Kolalou, according to CPD. Previous 911 calls had been made by some in the home regarding the suspect.
"Many of the tenants who lived in this house were afraid of this individual," said Chicago Police Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan.
Kolalou then asked the tow truck driver to take her to Foster Beach where her car was parked, so that it could be towed, police said.
The tenants were concerned for the tow truck driver's safety, so they exchanged information with the driver and told the driver they felt Kolalou was dangerous, police said.
The tow truck driver then communicated with the tenants that once he got to Foster Beach, Kolalou had placed a large bag in a garbage can, police said.
Some of the tenants had actually followed the tow truck driver to the beach and discovered inside the bag were "bloody rags," police said.
The tenants then contacted police and officers came to the beach and collected the bloody rags.
According to police, officers at the home on the city's North Side searched the residence and at first did not find evidence of foul play. However, after discovering the bloody rags, officers searched again and were able to find some additional blood inside Kolalou's room.
Officers then discovered some of Walker's remains inside a freezer in the home.
At that time, police say Kolalou was still with the tow truck driver and had threatened the driver with a knife for communicating with the other tenants.
Officers responded to where the tow truck driver and Kolalou were and took the suspect into custody for allegedly pulling a knife on the driver.
Kolalou currently refuses to speak to detectives. Yet despite invoking her Fifth Amendment rights, Chicago Police are piecing together what they can about the disturbing crime – and how they believe the gruesome murder played out.
Walker was known by most of the people on her block between Thorndale and Peterson avenues. Some were friendly with her dogs, while she welcomed others into the neighborhood.
After she was brutally murdered, investigators in hazmat suits were at her house uncovering forensic evidence. Late Wednesday, the crime scene tape was gone, but flowers and a candle memorializing Walker had been placed on the stairs – flanked by Halloween decorations that were there when the house became a crime scene.
In court on Thursday, prosecutors said Walker had posted an eviction notice on Kolalou's door last Sunday. This was two days after Walker received complaints from other tenants about Kalalou.
The tenants had suspected something serious had happened right below them at that point.
"They immediately started texting the victim, saying, 'Are you okay?'" Deenihan said.
Police said Kolalou replied to the text messages, conveying the impression that Walker was still alive.
But the tenants still called police.
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