NARRATOR: Next, we head to Madison,
Wisconsin, for a sentencing.
24-year-old Chandler Halderson has been convicted
on two counts of first-degree intentional homicide, two
counts of providing false information regarding a missing
person, two counts of mutilating a corpse,
and two counts of hiding a corpse.
The victims?
50- and 53-year-old Bart and Krista Halderson,
the defendant's parents.
Eight months earlier, Halderson was
living at his parents' home, spending most of his time
playing video games.
He'd been lying to them about attending college and working
for an insurance company.
He also told his girlfriend that he was offered a job at SpaceX.
When his father figured out that he was lying,
Halderson shot his dad in the back--
[gunshot]
--killing him instantly.
And when his mother returned home later that day--
[gunshot]
--he shot and killed her two.
A few days later, Halderson reported his parents
missing and told police they'd been
vacationing at a lake house and that he'd
been unable to contact them.
The defendant even spoke to the media
and asked for the public's help in finding his parents.
NARRATOR: The same day Halderson gave that interview, part
of his father's dismembered body was discovered in a rural area
a few miles from the family's home.
Remains of both victims were later
found in different locations throughout the Madison area,
including in the family's fireplace.
Police also discovered several pieces of physical evidence
that incriminated Halderson, including a broken saw
blade, newly purchased cleaning products,
and a gun hidden in the family's basement, which investigators
believed was the murder weapon.
Police soon charged Halderson with the murders.
He pled not guilty.
The case went to trial.
And after both sides rested, the jury took just two hours
to return with the verdict.
We, the jury, find the defendant,
Chandler M. Halderson, guilty of first-degree
intentional homicide.
NARRATOR: Six months later, Halderson
appears before Judge John Hyland to hear his sentence.
Because of the seriousness of the crime
and the fact that there's no death penalty in Wisconsin,
Halderson is guaranteed a life sentence.
The only remaining question is, will
he ever be eligible for parole?
Prosecutor William Brown argues against it.
Mr. Halderson, by all accounts,
chose to commit the crime of first-degree intentional
homicide twice on a single day because he was caught lying
about where he was working and going to school,
and then over the course of several days,
chose to cut up those people's bodies and spread
them around the state.
I don't know how you protect the public from someone like that.
It's my position that he should never be released from prison.
NARRATOR: The defense argues that because of the defendant's
young age, he should be given a chance to rehabilitate
and eventually earn parole.
Before the judge makes his ruling,
the defendant, who did not take the stand at trial,
speaks for the first time in court and shows no remorse.
Your Honor, I want to take this opportunity
to state my intent to repeal my convictions.
If there are any lawyers listening
and willing to take on my appeal,
take a moment to please reach out to me.
Thank you.
NARRATOR: Finally, it's Judge Hyland's turn
to make a statement and issue his ruling on Halderson's
chance for parole.
JOHN HYLAND: I have to ensure that the only time Mr.
Halderson comes back into the community
is to have the privilege of a burial
that he denied his parents.
And so I sentence him to life in prison.
I find that he is not to be eligible for extended
supervision during that course.
NARRATOR: Halderson was sentenced to life in prison
without the possibility of parole.
He was able to retain a new lawyer
and is appealing the verdict.