Woman who dismembered her landlord wins $3 million as part of an ongoing lawsuit against transit system

Sandra Kolalou, also known as Sandra White following a change in marital status, was convicted in April 2024

A woman who murdered and dismembered her landlord is set to be awarded $2.8 million in compensation from the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) in relation to an injury caused by a bus.

An Illinois appeals court has upheld the previous jury verdict, despite Sandra Kolalou’s later conviction for the murder and dismemberment of her landlord in an unrelated case, CBS News reported.

The Illinois Appellate Court ruled that the CTA must pay damages to the woman, who was struck by a bus while walking in a Chicago crosswalk in 2018. The court rejected the transit agency's arguments that her subsequent conviction should bar or reduce the award.

Kolalou, also known as Sandra White following a change in marital status, was convicted in April 2024 of first-degree murder and other charges in the killing of 69-year-old Frances Walker. She was sentenced in July 2024 to 58 years in prison.

Kolalou, now known as Sandra White following a change in marital status, was convicted in April 2024 (Cook County Sheriff’s Office)

The civil case stemmed from a March 1, 2018, incident in which Kolalou was hit by a CTA bus driven by Tyrone Bynum. She sued the CTA and Bynum in February 2019, alleging orthopedic and neurological injuries, including chronic back and leg pain, according to court records.

Bynum and the CTA later admitted negligence, leaving a jury to decide damages. In February 2023, a Cook County jury awarded White $3 million, including compensation for future medical care and loss of a normal life.

The CTA argued that White’s incarceration made future treatment unlikely and rendered such damages speculative.

A judge granted a new trial later that year, and a second jury reduced the award slightly, granting $2.8 million, including $400,000 for future medical care and $500,000 for future loss of normal life.

The CTA requested another new trial and later appealed, arguing in part that the civil case should not have proceeded while White’s criminal prosecution for murder was pending.

The Illinois Appellate Court ruled that the CTA must pay damages to the woman, who was struck by a bus while walking in a Chicago crosswalk in 2018 (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

The appellate court rejected those claims, ruling that her incarceration and criminal charges were not relevant to the determination of damages for injuries suffered years earlier.

The controversy comes after a Cook County jury convicted White in April of multiple charges, including first-degree murder and concealing a homicidal death. Prosecutors said White killed Walker in October 2022 after Walker served her with an eviction notice.

White was arrested after she pulled a knife on a tow truck driver who drove her to a beach on Chicago's lakefront. According to prosecutors, White dumped a heavy bag into a garbage can there and pulled the knife on the driver when he refused to take her to another location.

She was charged after Walker’s severed head, arms, and legs were found inside a freezer at the home on the Northwest Side of Chicago.