TOPEKA, Kan. – After more than two decades of legal battles, Dana Lynn Chandler has been found guilty in her third trial for the 2002 murders of her ex-husband, Mike Sisco, and his fiancée, Karen Harkness. A Pottawatomie County jury delivered the verdict on March 7, 2025, bringing a long and tumultuous legal saga closer to resolution.
Background: The 2002 Murders
On July 7, 2002, Mike Sisco and Karen Harkness were found shot to death in their home in Topeka, Kansas. Investigators determined that the couple had been killed execution-style in their bedroom, and evidence at the scene suggested a planned attack. Despite an extensive investigation, no physical evidence linked Chandler to the crime. However, prosecutors built a case based on circumstantial evidence, primarily focusing on Chandler’s alleged obsession with Sisco following their divorce and her lack of a confirmed alibi at the time of the murders.
First Trial and Conviction (2012)
Chandler was arrested in 2009 and charged with two counts of first-degree murder. During her 2012 trial, prosecutors presented a case that largely relied on her behavior, phone records, and circumstantial evidence. The state argued that Chandler, angry and resentful over her divorce, drove from her home in Colorado to Topeka to kill Sisco and Harkness. The jury found Chandler guilty, and she was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 50 years.
Conviction Overturned (2018)
In 2018, the Kansas Supreme Court overturned Chandler’s conviction due to prosecutorial misconduct. The court ruled that the lead prosecutor, Jacqie Spradling, had made improper arguments and misled the jury by presenting speculative evidence that was not supported by the facts. This led to the conviction being vacated, and Chandler was granted a new trial.
Second Trial and Hung Jury (2022)
Chandler’s second trial took place in 2022, and unlike the first, it was a significant challenge for the prosecution. The defense highlighted the lack of direct evidence tying Chandler to the crime and questioned the reliability of the original investigation. After days of deliberation, the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict, resulting in a mistrial.
Third Trial and 2025 Conviction
Determined to retry Chandler, prosecutors took her case to trial for a third time in early 2025. This time, the state refined its arguments, focusing on Chandler’s actions before and after the murders, including her inconsistent statements and obsessive behavior regarding her ex-husband. The jury deliberated for several days before delivering a guilty verdict on March 7, 2025. Chandler was immediately booked into the Shawnee County Jail without bond and is awaiting sentencing.
What Comes Next?
Chandler is set to be sentenced in the coming weeks, where she could face life in prison once again. Meanwhile, her legal team is expected to file appeals, arguing that the case remains purely circumstantial and that errors in the retrial process may warrant another appeal.
Chandler’s conviction marks the latest chapter in one of Kansas’ most controversial murder cases. With no DNA evidence, no eyewitnesses, and a prosecution built primarily on circumstantial elements, her case has remained a topic of public debate for over two decades. As sentencing approaches, legal analysts and the community will be watching closely to see if this marks the final chapter in the saga of Dana Chandler.
