No appeal for Madison man convicted of 2022 murder of parents (MADISON)
The Wisconsin Supreme Court is taking a pass on the case of a Dane County man, convicted in the grisly murders of his parents. The justices denied a petition for a review of the Chandler Halderson case. The decision effectively brings the appeals process to an end. It will be 5 years next month when authorities say Halderson killed his parents, Bart and Krista, at their home in Windsor, dismembered them and scattered their remains in various locations. The motive…. prosecutors say he killed his parents to cover up a web of lies he talked about going to college and getting a job with Space X. A jury convicted him in early 2022. Halderson has been sentenced to life, without parole.
Central Wisconsin man gets prison time for child sexual assault (WAUSAU)
A central Wisconsin man accused of sexually assaulting a child will serve prison time. Erick Antonio Ruiz Cortez will serve six years in prison and five years on extended supervision after pleading no contest to one count of child abuse- with a judge also considering charges for child sex crimes including repeated sexual assault of the same child- which had been dismissed but read into the record. The 38-year-old was arrested after the victim told a friend about the incidents, leading to a police investigation that ended when Ruiz Cortez was interviewed and arrested in February 20-25. His sentence includes a full no contact order against the victim and his ex, along with a psychiatric evaluation. He was given credit for about 16 months already served in jail awaiting trial.
At least two tornados hit Wisconsin on Wednesday (UNDATED)
The National Weather Service is tracking severe storm damage from multiple tornado touchdowns on Wednesday night. Meteorologists say at least two tornadoes touched down and more were possible after conditions shifted during Wednesday to make twisters more likely. Two homes in the Dane County village of Belleville were significantly damaged by a tornado. N W S La Crosse tracked a tornado that moved from Iowa into Crawford County. Assessment teams will be out across the region this week looking for other possible tornado touchdowns near Boscobel.
Tribal survey team finds possible burial mound at Madison-area park (MADISON)
A proposed park development on Madison’s east side could be called off because of a rediscovery of a Ho-Chunk burial mound. The Wisconsin State Journal reports tribal survey teams have mapped out a possible burial site at Hartmeyer-Roth Park near the site of a pair of low-income residential developments. Current city plans call for a fully developed park with amenities, but the survey could push the park to become a natural preservation site instead. City policy forbids development on mound sites, but the park would need a formal designation by the state Historical Society and tribal leaders.