A double homicide in Topeka, Kansas in 2002 resulted in the conviction of Dana Chandler, the victim’s ex-wife, in 2012 on charges of first-degree murder. However, her case attracted scrutiny from true crime enthusiasts who questioned the evidence and prosecution’s approach. HBO’s documentary series ‘A Killer Story’ chronicles a six-year investigation led by filmmaker Matthew Galkin, producer Josh Levine, and veteran journalist Joe Sexton into whether Chandler was truly responsible for the deaths of Mike Sisco and Karen Harkness.
The initial investigation had failed to charge Chandler, as no physical evidence connected her to the crime scene. She resided over 500 miles away in Denver at the time. The prosecution’s case relied heavily on circumstantial evidence, including angry messages Chandler had sent about Sisco and the purchase of fuel canisters using her credit card. Sexton, a Pulitzer Prize-winning former New York Times and ProPublica journalist, initially resisted involvement until learning the Kansas Supreme Court would review Chandler’s conviction in 2016.
Chandler’s case gained renewed attention through Eileen Umbehr, a self-described homemaker who sent thousands of emails to Sexton expressing concerns about the conviction. Eileen and her husband Keen, a former garbageman turned lawyer who had won a US Supreme Court case defending press freedom, became instrumental in assembling materials for Chandler’s appeal. They liquidated 200 acres of inherited family property to fund her legal defense.
The investigation raised questions about the crime itself, which bore characteristics of a professional hit—an undetected break-in, precise shooting at close range, and no trace evidence. The documentary presents an alternate theory involving Harkness’s son-in-law Jeff Sutton, though this line of inquiry ultimately encounters complications. Chandler faced three trials total; the second resulted in a hung jury in 2022, and in the third, she represented herself but was convicted again despite prosecutors relying on a manufactured witness.
The Kansas Supreme Court ultimately overturned Chandler’s conviction, validating the Umbehrs’ years of advocacy and legal work. The case illustrates how true crime enthusiasts and investigative journalists became central figures in challenging a conviction that questioned the foundation of the original prosecution.
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