Woman accused of killing, dismembering landlady in Arcadia Terrace assigned new judge
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The woman accused of killing her Arcadia Terrace neighborhood landlady and dismembering her body will be assigned a new judge.
In a new court filing, attorneys for Sandra Kolalou, 36, argued the current judge was "prejudiced" against her and that she will not receive a fair trial.
The judge agreed to the request and the case will be reassigned.
When we reached out for comment, the defense declined to elaborate.
Kolalou is charged with one felony count each of first-degree murder and concealing a homicidal death in the murder of 69-year-old Frances Walker.
She was also charged with one misdemeanor count of aggravated assault with the use of a deadly weapon, on allegations that she pulled a knife on a tow truck driver who unwittingly took her to dispose of the remains.
The murder happened in a rooming house with five tenants at 5919 N. Washtenaw Ave., just north of Thorndale Avenue, in a quiet community of bungalows and two-flats. Stephen Tyng Mather High School is located just a couple of blocks to the west, while Green Briar Park, Wolfy's hot dogs, and other popular spots are located on Peterson Avenue about a block to the north.
Prosecutors believe Kolalou brutally murdered and dismembered Walker out of anger about being evicted from the rooming house.
Other tenants from the rooming house followed Kolalou as she got in a tow truck and went to Foster Beach – where she dumped some suspicious bags, prosecutors said at her bond hearing.
Police came to investigate the situation three times and left, but Kolalou was only arrested after a quarrel with the tow truck driver in which she pulled a knife, prosecutors said.
A search warrant was then executed on the Washtenaw Avenue house. In the first-floor kitchen freezer, police found Walker's severed head, dismembered arms, and dismembered legs, prosecutors said.
Bond for Kolalou was denied last month.
