A Fulton County Superior Court clerk has confirmed that the trial of the accused killer of popular fitness instructor Marlene D. Colon may start as early as Feb. 20, nearly three years after the murder occurred in the woman’s Sandy Springs home.
At the latest, jury selection would begin the second week in March.
The Fulton County Superior Court is trying to finally clear a backlog of cases that was created during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The case will be heard before Judge Scott McAfee. It had been set for August 2022, and then rescheduled for February 2023. A final plea hearing was held on Sept. 22, 2023.
The alleged killer in Colon’s case is Israeli-born Chelci Chisholm, also known as Malka Padalon, who had been living in Colon’s home for a few weeks at the time of the murder according to Sandy Springs Police.
Chisholm has been in custody since being arrested at Colon’s home on April 5, 2021. She was charged with murder, felony murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and obstruction of a law enforcement officer. Chisholm’s Israeli driver’s license states she was born in 1962.
Speaking about the upcoming trial, Colon’s son, Loren Colon, said, “It looks like it’s finally going to happen.”
The family has been eager for the trial to occur in the hope that it would give them some closure, he said. Loren added that a plea deal had been offered to the accused, but was declined, with Chisholm choosing to go to trial instead. He was told that “up until the trial starts, she can still take the plea” offer.
Sandy Springs police found Chisholm with the body of Colon at the house after receiving a 911 call. Sandy Springs police reported that Colon was hit with a blunt object.
At Chisholm’s first court appearance on April 7, 2021, she was denied bond. She pled not guilty in front of Judge Ural Glanville in a brief arraignment on Jan. 31, 2022.
When arrested, Chisholm provided a Duluth…
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