True Crime News Roundup: Chicago Woman Accused Of Killing And Dismembering Her Landlord

On Oct. 10, Chicago tenants grew concerned after reportedly hearing screams in the middle of the night and unsuccessfully attempting to get a hold of their landlord, 69-year-old Frances Walker. Walker’s dismembered remains were found in her freezer, including a severed head, arms, and leg. Police also found bloody rags, knives, and linens. The suspect, Sandra Kolalou, 36, had recently received an eviction notice from Walker. Kolalou was charged with first-degree murder and is being held without bond at the Cook County Jail.

Read more on People.

Jury recommends life without parole for Parkland school shooter

On Oct. 13, a Florida jury recommended that Nikolas Cruz, who killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018, be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Last year, Cruz pleaded guilty to 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in conection to the Feb. 14, 2018 mass shooting. This decision spares Cruz from the death penalty.

Read more on CNN.

15-year-old allegedly kills five people, including older brother, in Raleigh mass shooting

Around 5 p.m. on Oct. 13, gunfire erupted in a neighborhood of Raleigh, North Carolina, killing five people, including a police officer. The suspect, 15-year-old Austin Thompson, is reportedly in critical condition. After a lengthy police standoff, Thompson was taken into custody. The victims include three women — Mary Marshall, 35; Susan Karnatz, 49; and Nicole Conners, 52 — along with the suspect’s brother 16-year-old James Roger Thompson and Gabriel Torres, 29, an off-duty police officer.

Read more on NPR.

Connecticut jury decides Alex Jones should pay nearly $1 billion in damages to Sandy Hook families

On Oct. 12, a Connecticut jury decided that far-right talk show host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones should pay eight families of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims and one first responder $965 million in compensatory damages. Jones, 48, once claimed on his radio and internet platform InfoWars that the massacre that took the lives of 26 children and school employees, was “synthetic, completely fake with actors” and “manufactured” as a way to diminish gun rights.

Read more on CNN.