Dana Chandler, 65, remains behind bars in Kansas after a third jury convicted her of a 2002 double murder that spawned a six-year HBO documentary and a stranger’s crusade for her freedom.
Chandler was sentenced in June 2025 to two consecutive life terms for the killings of her ex-husband Mike Sisco and his girlfriend Karen Harkness in Topeka. Judge Cheryl Rios ordered that she serve 50 years before parole eligibility, though she received credit for 13 years already served. The verdict came after a third trial, a hung jury, a conviction overturned for prosecutorial misconduct, and the relentless advocacy of a couple who became convinced of her innocence.
That couple, Eileen and Keen Umber, enter the story as complete strangers to both Chandler and former the outlet journalist Joe Sexton. Eileen Umber, described as a true crime obsessive, barraged Sexton with nearly 3,000 emails about what she called a “grave injustice.” The pair then dedicated their lives to fighting for Chandler’s freedom.
“We’re just so committed to this case, that there’s really nothing else in life that matters,” Eileen and Keen Umber can be heard saying in the trailer for the three-part documentary “A Killer Story.”
The documentary, filmed over six years, follows Sexton as he examines the case that first drew national attention through a 2009 “48 Hours” segment. Sisco and Harkness had returned from a casino outing when they were found shot dead in their home the next day by Harkness’s father. Multiple gunshot wounds killed them both. No murder weapon was recovered, no signs of forced entry were found, and no forensic evidence tied Chandler to the scene.
Prosecutors built their case on Chandler’s documented history of hostility toward the couple, framing it as jealousy and obsession. Her cell phone showed 27 hours of inactivity around the time of the murders. Based largely on this circumstantial case, she was arrested in 2011 and convicted the following year.
Chandler’s daughter Hailey Seel, whose father was Mike Sisco, rejected her mother’s claims of innocence after the third conviction. “I truly see her now as the evil killer. I hate it. I don’t want to call you evil killer, but I can’t live in a fairy tale,” Seel said, as reported.
Chandler has always maintained she did not commit the crimes.
Six years into her life sentence, Chandler’s conviction was overturned due to prosecutorial misconduct, and the Umbers helped her mount an appeal. Her retrial ran from August 5 to September 1, 2022, but ended with a hung jury split 7-5 in favor of conviction, short of the unanimity required.
While awaiting her third trial, Chandler walked free in 2022 on a $350,000 bond, 11 years after her initial incarceration. Judges permitted her to live with her nephew in Olathe, Kansas, under strict conditions barring her from contacting or discussing the case with potential witnesses.
That freedom proved temporary. The third trial resulted in her 2025 conviction and return to prison, where she remains despite the Umbers’ years-long campaign and the documentary that captured it.
The first episode of HBO’s “A Killer Story” airs on Thursday, September 10 at 9:00-9:40 p.m. ET/PT.