The After Show: Road Map to Murder (Rebroadcast)

20/20

A true crime episode explores the chilling case of Chandler Halderson, who murdered his parents, Bart and Krista, in their Wisconsin home. The story reveals how his web of lies unraveled, leading to a shocking discovery. The podcast examines motive, forensic evidence, and the emotional toll on investigators and the community.

Key takeaways

Chandler killed his parents after living a life of deception.
The family home's idyllic setting contrasted with the gruesome crime scene.
Snapchat location data was crucial in solving the case.

Transcript preview

Three decades ago, a young woman named Angie Dodge is found brutally murdered in Idaho Falls. Police put a man behind bars. But as the years pass, doubts emerge about whether the real killer was ever caught, that's when Angie's own mother embarks on a decades-long mission to uncover the truth. Listen to the snare, a new series from ABC Audio. Listen on Apple Podcast, Spotify or your favorite podcast app and ad free on Amazon music. Hi there everybody it's Deborah Roberts with 2020 the After Show. This was a story that made national and international headlines. A Wisconsin couple goes missing over the 4th of July weekend and family and friends tell us that Bart and Krista Halderson were beloved parents they couldn't imagine who'd want to hurt them. Their 23 year old son Chandler told people his parents had gone up north to spend the weekend at their cab. with another couple and he had no idea about their disappearance. Here's a clip from our program. We didn't have a name, we didn't have a vehicle, we didn't have a location, truly looking for a needle in a 900 square mile haystep. And then the question is, okay, if they're not at the cabin, where are they? There were no bodies, there was no anything. So we didn't know what happened, but of course your mind goes to did the worst happen. Our Bart and Christ is still alive. alert here. You probably know by the way if you saw our 20 episode Bart and Krista Halderson are not alive sadly. There remains show up in the most grisly way possible and this is a story that unwinds in a way that is unimaginable. Joining me to talk about this case is my friend and colleague Ryan Smith and ABC News contributor and legal analyst who traveled to Wisconsin to bring us this story. Hey there Ryan. Hey Deborah, always great to talk to you. Unfortunately we always meet under some circumstances that are less than savory and this is one of them a story set in a bucolic part of the country the Halderson family lives near Madison Wisconsin friends telling us that the 4th of July was their favorite holiday and this is a program that was so beautifully shot when you think about that part of the country it's summertime parades for the 4th of July the lakes the outdoor recreation and then the deaths of the Halderson's at the hands of their youngest son is such an unbelievable contrast. I can imagine why this story struck such a chord nationally and internationally. I mean when you look at like the heartland and then this. Yeah absolutely. Deborah this is like a slice of Americana, Dane County. You talk about 4th of July weekend, parades, people celebrating and this case really struck a chord because not only is this sort of the place where this kind of thing doesn't happen, you know, a son killing his parents, but also these parents, this family was like the epitome of the great family. The worst crime possible, think about that, with a family that's loving, caring by all outward aspects and it was so out of the blue. You know, Barton Krista were well liked his neighbors, their younger son Chandler was living with them and Chandler's life was about to take off. I mean, this was about to take off. I mean this was a new job at SpaceX. He was in college. He had a promising future. He had a girlfriend. Everything was going great outwardly. But inwardly, Chandler's life was unraveling. The internship at the insurance company was a fake. He was leading his parents to believe that he was in college. He wasn't in school at all. He was living a lie. Yeah, he was setting up this elaborate web of lies with emails that he was pretending to send from the college to show that he was trying to get his transcripts. None of that turned out to that turned out to be true. None of that at SpaceX, complete mirage. Never had a job lined up. He didn't have that job. No, no. So nothing was going right in his life. So this is a guy who's feeling some desperation. Yeah, and I think as they went through this, they tried to look at this like, okay, Chandler's life is falling apart, but he doesn't want to tell his parents about it. And so he doesn't know what to do. So when investigators start to realize that this is a guy who's living a lie, clearly, look at him a little closer. Yeah, and this is the guy who called detectives initially to say my parents are missing. But all of these things set up red flags for detectives, what they see in the home, as they're investigating the case, what they see of Chandler, all of this starts to say, hey, this kid is not telling us everything, and as they start getting clue after clue, unraveling detail after detail of evidence, they start saying, I think the unthinkable happened. So it's still a mystery as to why he did what he did what he did. did, but this is one of these situations where you walk in this neighborhood, Deborah, I'm walking around and this is like a slice of suburban America. Calm neighborhood, grass is being mowed, beautiful gardens outside. It is the very last place you would see a double murder. Classic Middle America and we should say they had another son who was just a year older, Mitchell. And you had a chance to not only travel there, but you got a chance to see this home that the family lived in. What was that was that like? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. level, 1960s, home. But Deborah, I gotta tell you, walking in that house, it was eerie because of how idyllic that area is and because of what you know happened in that home. I mean, this is the kind of place, I just want to paint this picture. In their neighborhood, they had competitions for the best lawn. You know, that kind of place. You know what I'm talking about. It's like, it couldn't be a sweeter place to grow up. So when you're in the house, when I was in the house, and we had this unprecedented media access to the home, We went through it with investigators and what really struck me was the smallness the sort of family aspect of the home There's a little basement area That's kind of quiet where kids can play and there's a family room where there's a fireplace and I'm looking at that fireplace with detectives and all of us are just standing in this really small room maybe no bigger