"Get Out Now" Notice Leads to Murder of American Tenant in 30s by Landlord... Body Abandoned in Freezer

Frequent Conflicts with Other Boarders Lead to Multiple Police Visits
Police Suspect "Landlord's Eviction Pressure as Motive"

Sandra Collaru, charged with the murder of a boarding house owner Photo by Chicago Police, Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Bang Je-il] A case occurred in Chicago, USA, where a woman in her 30s who was a boarder killed her landlady in her 60s, dismembered the body, and disposed of it in a freezer.

On the 13th (local time), the Chicago Police announced that they had indicted Sandra Collaru (36, female), who was renting a room in a boarding house in the Panos district of northern Chicago, on charges of first-degree murder and dismemberment of the body, identifying her as the suspect in the murder of landlady Francis Walker (69).

Collaru, identified as the perpetrator, rented a room in the house owned by Walker. The house, converted exclusively for boarding, has a basement, first floor, and second floor, each separated. According to local Chicago media reports, Walker and Collaru each had rooms on the first floor.

The police explained, "At around 2:30 a.m. on the 10th, screams were heard inside the house, and one boarder called Walker to check on her, but Walker did not answer. When a text message was sent, a reply saying 'Nothing is wrong' was received."

When Walker did not appear even by morning and did not answer calls all day, the boarders reported to the police around 7 p.m. to check on her well-being. The police investigation revealed that the text message reply was sent by Collaru using Walker's phone. The police stated, "When we arrived at Walker's house, Collaru was inside. When we spoke with other boarders and questioned Collaru, he said, 'I have the right not to answer,' and then left the house."

Collaru called a tow truck, saying he needed to tow a car, and headed to Foster Beach near Lake Michigan. The boarders warned the tow truck driver about Collaru's dangerousness, exchanged contact information, and asked him to be cautious. Later, the tow truck driver informed one of the boarders that Collaru had brought a heavy large plastic bag from the house and threw it into a trash bin by the lakeside.

The police arrived at the scene and collected blood-stained towels and blankets from the trash bin. The police said, "Collaru used Walker's credit card to call the tow truck, threatened the tow truck driver with a weapon, and disposed of evidence related to the crime," adding that aggravated assault charges were added. They continued, "When we first arrived at Walker's house, we did not find signs of murder, but after confirming evidence of the crime, we searched the house and found bloodstains in the rooms of Walker and Collaru. We discovered the gruesomely dismembered body in the freezer and arrested Collaru at the lakeside."

The coroner confirmed the identity of the body as Walker. The police added, "Residents of Walker's boarding house had been afraid of Collaru for some time, and there had been several instances where police were called due to conflicts between Collaru and other boarders before the incident. Although there are multiple reports, we cannot disclose details as the investigation is ongoing." Investigation Director Brendan Dinehan stated, "Collaru received an eviction notice from Walker on the 8th and committed the crime two days later on the 10th," suggesting that the eviction pressure was the motive for the crime.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.