Dana Chandler: The ex-wife convicted of a double murder after three trials
On 7th July 2002, a double murder took place in a quiet suburban home in Topeka, Kansas. Mike Sisco, 47, and his fiancée, Karen Harkness, 53, were found shot dead by her father, who had arrived at the property for a family gathering.
The killings sparked a decades-long pursuit of justice, with the prime suspect being Mike’s ex-wife, Dana Chandler. She would eventually be convicted of both murders.
Crime+Investigation examines how a case with no physical evidence took three trials and more than two decades to reach a verdict.
A bitter divorce
A bitter divorce marked the beginning of the end. Mike and Dana Chandler were married for 15 years and had two children, Hailey and Dustin, before their marriage ended in 1998. Those who knew Mike blamed Chandler's drinking for the breakdown of their relationship.
According to Mike's family, Chandler struggled to accept the divorce. Her feelings intensified when Mike began a new relationship with Karen Harkness that same year. Karen’s father, Harold, said the chemistry was undeniable: ‘Everything they did was for each other.’
A campaign of alleged harassment
Shortly after Mike and Karen got together, Chandler's behaviour allegedly became erratic. Mike's family claimed that she repeatedly harassed him, making abusive telephone calls and turning up unexpectedly at his home.
Prosecutors later revealed that Chandler had made more than 600 calls to Mike and Karen in the six months before their murders. Chandler maintained that she was simply trying to contact her children.
However, the harassment didn't stop there. Mike's sister, Cathy, remembered how Chandler appeared in his garden in the middle of the night, jumping up and down on the children's trampoline while the family slept upstairs.
The stalking incidents became so concerning that Mike documented them in a planner. In July 1998, he recorded Chandler aimlessly walking around his neighbourhood. Another entry from November described her breaking into his home and going through his belongings.
Mike was scared. Nine days before his death, he confided in his brother-in-law, Mark, during a fishing trip. He said he feared that Chandler might kill him.
The murders of Mike Sisco and Karen Harkness
On 6th July 2002, Mike and Karen spent the evening at a casino near Topeka. CCTV footage showed them leaving at around 1:30am, before stopping for coffee on their way home. This would be the last time anyone saw the couple alive.
The following afternoon, family members arrived at the pair’s home for lunch. When nobody answered, Harold broke in through a sliding door and tragically found his daughter and Mike dead in the bedroom. Both had been shot multiple times.
Investigators found no obvious signs of a struggle. More than $1,000 in cash, a Rolex and other jewellery were left untouched. This didn't appear to be a robbery gone wrong.
After interviewing friends and family, investigators turned their attention to Chandler.
Dana Chandler’s three trials
Although Chandler had an obvious motive for murder, investigators struggled to build a case against her. There wasn't any concrete evidence placing her at the scene: no murder weapon, DNA or fingerprints. Instead, they relied heavily on circumstantial evidence and testimonies from family and friends.
Nine years later, Chandler was finally arrested. The following year, she was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. However, in 2018, the Kansas Supreme Court overturned her convictions after finding that prosecutors had made false statements during the trial, including claims that Mike had obtained a protection order against her.
Nevertheless, the court ruled there was still enough evidence for a retrial, which took place in 2022. This time, the jury couldn’t reach a unanimous decision, and Chandler walked free again, much to the anguish of Mike and Karen’s loved ones.
In 2025, Chandler faced a third and possibly final trial, where she represented herself and questioned her own children, who testified against her. The jury once again found her guilty of both murders. More than 23 years after the murders, Chandler was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences. She continues to maintain her innocence.
The verdict finally gave some closure to the victims’ families. Karen’s daughter, Erin, told reporters, ‘My mom’s absence leaves an unfillable hole in my heart.’
Chandler’s daughter, Hailey, also addressed her mother in court: ‘I don’t want to call you an evil killer, but I can’t live in a fairy tale…I really wish it was someone else.’
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