An Illinois woman accused of killing and dismembering her landlord in Chicago after being served an eviction notice has been charged with her murder.
36-year-old Sandra Kolalou is being held without bond at the Cook County Jail.
Citing the medical examiner’s office, WLS-TV has identified the victim as 69-year-old Frances Walker.
According to police, Walker rented out several rooms in her Chicago home.
On Monday, after reportedly hearing screams in the middle of the night and unsuccessful attempts to get a hold of their landlord, a few of Walker’s concerned tenants called 911 to report her missing, police said.
In the home, detectives discovered bloody rags, knives and linens throughout their investigation.
Dismembered remains — including a severed head, arms and legs — believed to belong to Walker, were also located in a freezer. Her torso hasn’t been found.
“Based upon the totality of the evidence, the detectives believe the crime actually occurred in the victim’s bedroom, and then they do believe that the dismemberment took place on the first floor of that residence,” Chicago Police Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan told reporters during a press conference Thursday.
Deenihan said police are investigating the delivery of an eviction notice to the defendant as a possible motive in the killing.
“The deceased had actually served the defendant with an eviction notice. And that was done very recently,” he said.
According to Deenihan, the same tenants who reported Walker missing had called 911 about Kolalou in the past to report they were “afraid of this individual.”
It was unclear if those calls resulted in any charges.
Deenihan noted Kolalou is not cooperating with the current investigation.
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