Woman Who Dismembered Chicago Landlord Still Owed Nearly $3 Million From CTA Lawsuit

CHICAGO — A woman convicted of murdering and dismembering her landlord is now tied to another disturbing twist: despite serving a 58-year prison sentence, Sandra Kolalou is still owed nearly $3 million from the Chicago Transit Authority.

Kolalou was convicted in 2024 for killing 69-year-old Frances Walker, a well-known organist and landlord who owned the home where Kolalou rented a room on North Washtenaw Avenue. Prosecutors said the murder happened in October 2022, just days after Walker served Kolalou with an eviction notice.

The case shocked Chicago because of what investigators found inside the home. Police discovered Walker’s severed head, arms, and legs inside a kitchen freezer. Prosecutors said Kolalou tried to dispose of other evidence after the killing, including taking bags to the lakefront. She was arrested after allegedly pulling a knife on a tow truck driver who had driven her there.

At trial, Kolalou denied responsibility and claimed she had been framed, but a jury found her guilty of first-degree murder, dismembering a human body, concealing a homicidal death, and aggravated identity theft. She was later sentenced to 50 years for murder, six years for dismemberment, and two years for aggravated identity theft, totaling 58 years behind bars.

Now, a separate civil case has put her name back in the headlines. Years before the murder, Kolalou was struck by a CTA bus while crossing a street in March 2018. She sued the CTA and the bus driver, claiming she suffered long-term physical and neurological injuries from the crash. The CTA and driver admitted negligence, leaving a jury to decide how much money she should receive.

That lawsuit continued even while Kolalou was facing criminal charges for Walker’s murder. During the civil trial, the judge blocked jurors from hearing about her murder case, her name, and the fact that she was in custody, saying that information could unfairly influence their decision. Kolalou was even allowed to testify by video from jail while wearing civilian clothing.

A jury eventually awarded her nearly $3 million. The CTA fought the payout, arguing the verdict should be thrown out or reduced because Kolalou’s incarceration made future medical costs and future loss-of-life damages questionable. But an Illinois appellate court rejected that argument and upheld the award.

That means Kolalou, who is expected to remain in prison until at least 2076, is still legally owed the money from the CTA lawsuit. The ruling does not change her murder conviction or her prison sentence, but it adds another unsettling layer to a case already remembered as one of Chicago’s most disturbing landlord-tenant murders.

Frances Walker’s family has described her as a kind, talented musician whose life was violently taken inside the home she owned. Kolalou’s conviction brought some closure in the criminal case, but the CTA payout has now reopened public outrage around her name.