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By Megan Cartwright
Associate News Editor
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HBO's new docuseries A Killer Story revisits the 2002 murders of Mike Sisco and Karen Harkness and the decades-long case against Sisco's ex-wife, Dana Chandler.
The three-part program premieres on September 10, just months after Chandler was sentenced to life in prison following a third trial that finally produced a lasting conviction.
The documentary follows former New York Times journalist Joe Sexton as he examines questions raised by Eileen Umbehr, a Kansas woman who believes Chandler was wrongly convicted.
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Newsweek reached out to Warner Bros. Discovery via email for comment.
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Who Is Dana Chandler?
Investigators focused on Chandler early in the case after family members identified her as a possible suspect in the fatal shooting of her ex-husband, Sisco, and his girlfriend, Harkness. Authorities arrested her in 2011, and she was convicted the following year.
That conviction, however, did not end the legal battle. In 2018, the convictions were overturned because of prosecutorial misconduct, although the charges remained in place. A retrial in 2022 ended with a hung jury, leaving prosecutors without a verdict.
Chandler faced a third trial in February 2025 and chose to represent herself. She was found guilty and later sentenced to life in prison in June 2025.
Prosecutors built their case around circumstantial evidence, including Chandler's repeated phone contact with Sisco and Harkness and a 27-hour gap in cellphone activity near the time of the killings, CBS News reported.
What Is 'A Killer Story' About?
A Killer Story examines both the murders and the lingering questions surrounding the investigation.
Sexton became involved after receiving emails from Umbehr, who had no personal connection to Chandler or the victims. In the trailer, Sexton recalls being struck by Umbehr's determination and later investigates many of the issues she raises about the prosecution's case.
One central theme is the lack of physical evidence. No DNA or fingerprints linked Chandler to the crime scene, and authorities never recovered a murder weapon. The documentary explores how prosecutors pursued the case despite those gaps while also examining the reasoning behind investigators' conclusions.
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Who Is Eileen Umbehr?
Umbehr is from the small town of Alma, Kansas. She became deeply invested in the Chandler case despite having no direct connection to it.
Her outreach to Sexton helped launch the documentary's investigation. In the trailer, she argues that authorities concentrated on Chandler even though, in her view, evidence directly connecting her to the murders was lacking.
Umbehr and her husband, Keen, spent years examining the case. Their commitment became so extensive that Keen said little else in their lives mattered as much as their pursuit of answers.
The documentary also scrutinizes their position. At one point, Sexton challenges the couple by asking whether they risk overlooking evidence that conflicts with their beliefs, much as they accuse investigators of doing.
What Happened to Mike Sisco and Karen Harkness?
Sisco and Harkness were shot and killed in their Topeka, Kansas, home in 2002.
Their deaths launched a lengthy investigation that eventually led authorities to Chandler. Now, A Killer Story revisits that journey, examining how a double homicide evolved into one of Kansas' most closely watched criminal cases and why disagreement over the verdict has continued long after the killings occurred.
A Killer Story premieres on HBO Max on September 10 and will air in three weekly episodes.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Kate Nalepinski and Sam Wilson.
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