A Chicago woman serving 58 years in prison for murdering and dismembering her landlord will receive nearly $3 million from the city’s transit authority, a court ruled.
The Illinois First District Appellate Court on Dec. 31 upheld a $2.8 million jury verdict ordering the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) to pay Sandra Kolalou for reportedly being hit amid a bus crash, according to CWB Chicago. The ruling rejected the CTA‘s attempt to overturn the award. Kolalou will remain incarcerated until at least July 2076, when she turns 90 years old, the outlet reported.
A Cook County jury convicted Kolalou in April 2024 of murder for killing 69-year-old Frances Walker in October 2022, a decision that came after the civil case over her injury was decided. Judge Ursula Walowski sentenced her to 50 years for the murder. She also received six years for dismembering the corpse and another two for aggravated identity theft. (RELATED: Train Rider Sets Woman On Fire Over Argument, Police Say)
Kolalou rented a room from Walker in Chicago‘s Arcadia Terrace neighborhood, according to CBS Chicago. Prosecutors said Kolalou killed Walker days after an eviction notice.
Sandra Kolalou was convicted of murdering and dismembering her North Side landlord, Frances Walker, days after getting an eviction notice in 2022. https://t.co/zVzDv9IRfJ
— ABC 7 Chicago (@ABC7Chicago) January 4, 2026
The civil lawsuit originated from a March 2018 incident when a CTA bus reportedly struck Kolalou while she crossed the street. She filed suit the following year against both the CTA and the driver of the bus, the Cook County Record reported. She claimed the accident caused serious back and leg pain she described as “10 out of 10” that “prevented her from leading a normal life,” the lawsuit read.
Kolalou’s attorney convinced a judge to let her proceed under the name Sandra White during the civil trial. White was Kolalou’s maiden name, CWB Chicago reported. The judge blocked any mention of the murder charges or her being behind bars amid the civil case.
“Our decision should not be read as an endorsement of White’s conduct,” the appellate court wrote in its ruling.