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HBO’s latest documentary series “A Killer Story” examines a decades-old Kansas murder case that has captivated true-crime audiences for years. The three-part production investigates the conviction of Dana Chandler, who has maintained her innocence in the 2002 deaths of Karen Harkness and Mike Sisco in Topeka. Despite lacking physical evidence or witnesses, authorities focused suspicion on Chandler due to her contentious relationship with Sisco following their 1998 divorce.
Chandler was convicted in 2012 based primarily on circumstantial evidence, but her conviction was overturned six years later due to prosecutorial misconduct. The case gained renewed attention in 2009 when the television program “48 Hours” covered it, prompting authorities to make an arrest despite no new evidence emerging. Chandler has consistently maintained she was in Colorado at the time of the murders.
The documentary follows veteran journalist Joe Sexton, who spent over 25 years at the New York Times before joining ProPublica, as he reinvestigates the case. Sexton’s involvement began after Kansas resident Eileen Umbehr persistently contacted him with case materials and court records, eventually convincing him of potential judicial misconduct. Director Matthew Galkin collaborates with Sexton to explore how the case remains unresolved despite years of investigation and public scrutiny.
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Originally reported by Rollingstone →
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