Latara and Tramar Chandler Murder: Where Is their Mother Judy Chandler Now?

Latara and Tramar Chandler Murder
Image Source: Investigation Discovery

Latara and Tramar Chandler Murder: Where Is their Mother Judy Chandler Now? Also where is their killer Lee Gales now? Is Lee Gales Dead or Alive? Let’s find out answer of all these questions.

Investigation Discovery’s, ‘Evil Lives Here: Shadows Of Death looks deep into those real-life incidents that can only be defined as equal parts horrifying and devastating, with particular attention on the human components. Season 2 Episode 6, fittingly titled ‘The Only Witness,’ chronicles the double homicide of kids Latara and Tramar Chandler, as well as a related violent attack, is no exception.

So, if you’re interested in learning more about the incident, including the victims’ backgrounds, the assailant’s punishment, and the aftermath, don’t worry; we’ve got you covered.

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How Did Latara and Tramar Chandler Die
Image Source: Investigation Discovery

What Happened to Latara and Tramar Chandler?

The story of Latara and Tramar begins with their mother, Judith “Judy” Chandler, who moved with them from Minneapolis to Omaha in early 2000 in search of a better life. She’d assumed that as a single mother of three, her ambitious model/ministry worker daughter and her curious, ever-smiling son would be fine no matter what, but that wasn’t the case.

Even though her eldest daughter Starsha miraculously escaped because she wasn’t even with the family in Nebraska late that year, the loss was nonetheless devastating. Police responded to a 911 call about a woman lying on the railroad tracks near 16th and Grace Streets on November 12, 2000, to find Judy, 36, fighting for her life.

She’d been left to die after being severely beaten and having her skull bashed on metal railings, but she was still conscious and was brought to the local hospital right away. Because of her terrible injuries, she was put into a coma there, and officials discovered she had two children at home, which was just around the corner from the original crime scene.

Unfortunately, by the time cops got to her apartment, it was too late; all they found were the children’s lifeless corpses, along with a slew of other evidence. Latara, 13, was discovered naked from the waist down in a bedroom, while her 7-year-old brother Tramar was discovered naked from the waist down in the bathtub.

They were strangled for at least four minutes each, according to their formal autopsy reports, but the difference was that whereas Tramar was drowned, Latara had been raped.

Who Killed Latara and Tramar Chandler
Lee Gales. Image Source: Investigation Discovery

Who was Latara and Tramar Chandler’s killer?

Because Judy Chandler stated that she knew her assailant before the medical treatment began, the investigators began contacting her whole social network right once. They later discovered she had been dating a man named Lee, but no one knew what he looked like, much less his last name, career, or location.

There was DNA from a used condom and a filthy towel from Judy’s home, as well as a cigarette butt and a shoe print from the train lines, but no lead the investigators unearthed proved to be a concrete match. As a result, it wasn’t until Judy recovered consciousness two months later, and then started remembering things in flashes a month later, that the case truly progressed.

She didn’t know Lee’s last name, but she told officials she’d helped him (and another guy) loot a car dealership a month before the incident because she really wanted to help for the sake of her babies, sadness, and healing. Of course, she was terrified to do so, but her admission shortly after her recollection led to the identification of Lee Gales, whose DNA matched every piece of evidence as well.

Is Lee Gales Alive or Dead?

In the early 2000s, Arthur Lee Gales Jr. was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the murders of Latara and Tramar Chandler, as well as one count of attempted second-degree murder in connection with Judy Chandler’s case.

He was thus sentenced to death, plus an additional 50 years for the lesser offence, with the premise that he intended to murder Judy and both of her children in order to escape ever being identified in the robbery case. On April 3, 2021, the 55-year-old died of natural causes while serving his sentence on death row at the medium/maximum-security Tecumseh State Prison.

Where is Judy Chandler Now
Image Source: Investigation Discovery

What Happened to Judy Chandler?

Judith “Judy” Chandler suffered not only unbearable sadness but also major brain damage as a result of the beating she received, necessitating years of psychotherapy and physiotherapy before she could even begin to feel better. According to the ID episode, she is now labelled incapacitated, but she appears determined not to allow her headaches, partial amnesia, or walking challenges to hinder any more of her life.

Judy’s only regret is that she ever let Lee into her life, as this is what led to him abducting her children, and it’s an issue she still struggles with (even though she is not to blame). In terms of her current location, it appears that the Midwestern resident likes to keep her personal life out of the spotlight these days. We should also emphasise that, despite everything that had happened to her, she was never charged with robbery.

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