YIR: Colon’s Murderer Receives 30-Year Sentence

In February, Chelci Chisholm was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the 2021 murder of Marlene Colon, a popular local Jewish Zumba instructor.
The judge’s sentencing broke down as follows: 20 years for voluntary manslaughter; and 10 years for two counts (five years each) of obstruction of justice.

Chisholm, an Israeli native who is also known as Malka Padalon, had been renting a room in Colon’s home at the time of the murder.

According to the court, Chisholm will serve the first 18 years in prison with the balance suspended. Sandy Springs police had reported that when “officers arrived, they encountered the woman suspect in the garage holding an object and challenging officers,” which is why the dual obstruction of justice charges were included in the sentencing.

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A group of nearly 20 family members and friends of Colon were in attendance at the sentencing. Marieli Colon, Marlene’s daughter-in-law, and mother of Marlene’s only grandchild, shared in her victim impact statement, “Marlene was a powerhouse. She was dynamic and full of energy. She was a ball of fire. She was not like anyone else, she was unique, eccentric, she was full of life … She donated her time and skills at many assisted living communities and at the Jewish Community Center. Marlene wanted to help people improve their quality of life. Ironically, and most tragically, it was her kindness and overly generous nature that would lead to her death.”

Marlene’s son, Jonathan, in his victim impact statement, remembered his mother fondly.

“My mom … had a welcoming, warm heart as a pillar of our community, by opening her home to people in need, which ultimately cost her, her life,” Jonathan Colon said. In his statement, he condemned Chisholm for her actions and reminded the courtroom of the void now left in this family’s lives.