Dana Chandler has spent decades maintaining her innocence against allegations she was responsible for the 2002 murders of her ex-husband, Mike Sisco, and his girlfriend, Karen Harkness. 

In 2025, Chandler took on her own defense, representing herself in the third trial the state brought against her for the murders. 

DANA CHANDLER (in court, closing): My liberty, my freedom is hanging in the balance. 

Hailey Seel is Dana Chandler and Mike Sisco’s daughter. She and other Sisco and Harkness family members have spent decades grieving, searching for answers and for justice. “I want to understand what happened and why. And — and — and actually know the truth of what happened,” she tells “48 Hours” contributor Jim Axelrod.

“48 Hours” first started covering the murders in 2008 and spoke with individuals involved several times over the years. 

THE MURDERS OF MIKE SISCO AND KAREN HARKNESS

Hailey Seel: It’s hard to swallow and it’s hard to believe. It’s insane. (crying)

For Hailey, it all started on July 7, 2002. She learned her father and Harkness had been killed in Harkness’ Topeka, Kansas, home. 

Hailey Seel: I immediately just saw a bunch of tape around the house and police. … And my grandma’s sitting in there and she just told me that they had been shot.

The night before the murders, Sisco and Harkness enjoyed an evening at a casino about an hour outside of Topeka. Surveillance footage shows them leaving about 1:30 a.m. They then stopped to get coffee – the last time video captured Harkness alive. 

Harold Worswick (2008): They were extremely happy, you could just see that.

Harkness’ father, Harold Worswick.

Harold Worswick: Everything they did was for each other.

The day after Sisco and Harkness’ night out, a family get-together had been planned at Harkness’ house. Relatives thought the couple might be announcing they were engaged. 

Harold Worswick: And I rang the doorbell and knocked on the glass and couldn’t raise anybody. I thought, “This is strange.”  

Worswick, who has since died, recalled that he entered Harkness’ home that afternoon through an open sliding door, didn’t see any sign of Karen or Mike Sisco, so he headed downstairs to the bedroom. 

Harold Worswick: Just as I got to the foot of the stairs, I could see Karen. … And I said, “Oh, Christ.” I knew she was dead. And then I found Mike on the outside of the bed. 

Worswick would then call 911.

HAROLD WORSWICK (to 911): I just located my daughter and she’s downstairs and she’s dead … 

Det. Richard Volle: I got a radio call just after two o’clock on July 7th, 2002.

Richard Volle, now retired, was the Topeka Police Department’s lead detective on the case.

Det. Richard Volle: It was a report of two dead bodies in a basement.

Five bullets had struck Harkness, 53, including in her back and buttocks. Sisco, 47, suffered between five and seven gunshot wounds. The couple had been in bed. The rest of the house appeared undisturbed. Investigators found more than $1,000 in cash, a Rolex watch and other jewelry left behind. Robbery was quickly ruled out. To understand who might want Harkness and Sisco dead, police turned to their families for information.

Det. Richard Volle: What we’re left with is an emotional killing. It’s an emotional execution.

Sisco, a salesperson for a welding company, and Harkness, who worked in the hospitality industry, were both previously married and now divorced. The well-liked couple had been dating about four years.

Harkness’ children, Chad and Erin, were in their 20s at the time of the murders. 

Chad Harkness: It was a surprise to everybody that this would happen to somebody like her. 

Erin Sutton: My mom was an amazing woman. … She, she didn’t have enemies. … And I remember telling her on several occasions that if I could be half the mom that she was to me, then I would be the best mom in the world.

Sisco had custody of his two children, Hailey, then, 17, and Dustin, 15. 

Dustin Sisco: My dad was really my life growing up … He was really my hero.

Hailey’s relationship with her dad was more complicated. 

Hailey Seel: I wasn’t happy with my dad. I wasn’t happy with my mom. I wasn’t happy at my school.

By Hailey’s own admission, she was a difficult teen.

Hailey Seel: My dad gave me an ultimatum: “Either you follow my rules or you move out.”

She chose to live with her then-boyfriend, Chris.

Hailey Seel: And I moved in with Chris and then my dad was killed.

That defiance made Hailey and Chris of interest to police. They were polygraphed and questioned.

DET. VOLLE: I’m just curious, is everything all right with your dad and everything? 

HAILEY SEEL: Uh, yeah. … We weren’t really getting along for a little while.

Authorities said their alibis checked out. As did the alibis of Harkness’ daughter, Erin, and her husband, Jeff Sutton. Harkness’ son Chad was also questioned. 

Chad Harkness: I was hooked up to a polygraph machine and asked if I had murdered my mother or in any way participated in the murder of my mother.  

Police concluded none of them were involved. But family members thought they knew who was responsible: Mike Sisco’s ex-wife, Dana Chandler.

Cathy Boots: She just — she never fit in.

Cathy Boots, Mike Sisco’s sister, watched Chandler and Sisco’s relationship deteriorate. After 15 years of marriage, the couple went through a bitter divorce, finalized in 1998. Sisco’s relatives say Chandler had a drinking problem and she sporadically stalked Sisco during and after the divorce, with frequent calls and bizarre visits. 

Cathy Boots: The kids were upstairs in their room. … And we heard a noise and there she was … in the middle of the night … jumping on a trampoline in the backyard of Mike’s home.

Mark Boots is Mike Sisco’s brother-in-law. 

Mark Boots:  I think she became obsessed with the fact that Mike was moving on with his life. …  And then when Karen entered the picture, that’s when things really started, I think, escalating.

Mike Sisco kept track of some of the incidents from 1998 in a day planner, writing:

JULY 28: … Dana stalking neighborhood at 8:30, caught her she left. … 

NOVEMBER 12: Dana came in house while I was at Karens from 7:00 to 11:00 went thrus stuff …

Mark Boots: She was willing to travel great distances to show up back in his life. 

According to the Boots, the last time Chandler showed up at Mike Sisco’s home was in the spring of 2002, several months before the murders. Cathy Boots said Mike told her Chandler went there to talk about moving back in. 

Cathy Boots: She said, “The kids are getting older. … They’re having different issues with themselves now. They need both parents. I think I should move back in and we should parent together.”

Mark Boots: All this harassment and stalking had come to the point that Mike told me that he and Karen now feared for their lives. 

Mark Boots says Mike Sisco made that clear to him on a fishing trip, nine days before the murders. 

Mark Boots: He turned to me and said, “Mark, you’re gonna wake up and find me dead.  And I want you to know who did it, Dana Chandler.”  

But Chandler lived eight hours away in Denver and there was no sign that she had been in Harkness’ house in Topeka the night of the murders. 

WHO WANTED THE COUPLE DEAD?

Det. Richard Volle: The victims were doing absolutely nothing and may not have seen it coming at all.

Investigators were trying to determine who would gun down Mike Sisco and Karen Harkness as they lay in bed. Detective Richard Volle called Sisco’s ex-wife, Dana Chandler, to inform her of Mike’s murder.

DET. RICHARD VOLLE (phone call to Chandler): Your husband was found shot to death today, this afternoon. Your ex-husband, I’m sorry … Can you tell me when the last time was that you talked to him?

Chandler, Volle says, did not ask many questions and did not seem concerned. Chandler would later say she was very upset on that call. But only Volle’s side of their conversation was recorded, due to a technical error, he said, on his part. The next evening, Chandler called the Topeka Police Department, leaving a message on a different officer’s voicemail:

DANA CHANDLER (phone call to police): Hi, my name is Dana Chandler and I got a very disturbing phone call last night. Someone had said that my ex-husband had been killed, and I’m just calling to — to see if that’s true or not …

Chandler would later explain her call was simply seeking confirmation. Given the personal nature of the murders, no signs of a burglary, and those stories about a messy divorce and stalking, Chandler became the main suspect. Volle decided to talk with Chandler in person, recording this audio, four days after the murders:

DET. RICHARD VOLLE ( interview audio 2002): Tell me about what happened on the 6th.

DANA CHANDLER: I got up, I had my morning coffee.

But again, there was an issue with the recording. In most of the rest of the conversation, Chandler is difficult to hear. Volle recounted what he said she told him.

Det. Richard Volle: She said she’d been at home, Saturday morning, that’s July 6th … and then made a couple of errand stops.

Chandler said she bought cigarettes, snacks, and a car cigarette lighter at several stores around Denver and then got gas. But Volle says she failed to mention one purchase he saw on a credit card receipt.

Det. Richard Volle: She’d bought two five-gallon gas cans, as well.

Volle wondered why she didn’t tell him and why she would even need gas cans, unless she had been planning a trip, perhaps to Kansas, and didn’t want to stop for gas along the way. According to Volle, Chandler had also said, after running those errands, she went home to her Denver apartment.

Det. Richard Volle: Didn’t have any visitors. No contact with anybody. And the next day got up and went for a drive in the mountains at ten o’clock in the morning.

But Volle couldn’t verify that Chandler was in her apartment the night of the murders, nor that she took a drive in the mountains the next day. Volle said the area Chandler described driving through would have meant she’d have to pass Rocky Mountain National Park surveillance cameras. Those cameras were checked. Volle said there was no sign of her car.

Det. Richard Volle: The particular person that I had view that tape looked at every frame slowly. … She was never there.

Investigators also reviewed Chandler’s cellphone records. They said that while she tended to use her cellphone frequently, she, oddly, had no activity around the time of the murders.

Det. Richard Volle: What we found was there was a 27-hour window where her phone wasn’t used.

Still, there was no DNA, no fingerprints, or other forensic evidence to tie Chandler to the killings. The gun used in the murders hadn’t been found, though investigators learned the bullets were from an Israeli weapons manufacturer. And Chandler would go on to say she didn’t even own a gun.

But family members remained convinced that Chandler was responsible for the murders. They say they pushed to have a meeting with then-DA Robert Hecht.

Tim Sisco is Mike Sisco’s brother.

Tim Sisco: I specifically went into this meeting wanting to know if he would pursue a circumstantial case. … And the answer was, “Without that murder weapon, we don’t have enough hard evidence to move this forward.”

The Sisco and Harkness families grew increasingly frustrated and decided to take action — looking for more information about Chandler’s possible involvement in the murders.

Cathy Boots: I put her picture up everywhere. “Have you seen this person?”

Several months after the murders, having more questions than answers, Mike Sisco’s sister Cathy Boots said she and their mom Carol Sisco went searching for clues, even lifting up manhole covers and looking in rest stop bathrooms for the gun used in the murders.

Cathy Boots: We thought, you know, maybe she threw the gun somewhere. … So I would stand on a toilet and try and push a tile up.

They found nothing, but Hailey Seel, Chandler, and Mike Sisco’s daughter, was also working the case.

Hailey Seel: I felt the need to do something. I didn’t wanna just sit back with my hands tied and helpless.

In 2005, three years after the murders, Hailey began secretly recording conversations with her mother, trying to learn what happened to her dad and Harkness.

HAILEY SEEL (recorded phone call): … I think that the only way I can really move on with a relationship with you is if we can get it, you know, if you can just tell me yourself that you did it. …

DANA CHANDLER: Well, number one, I didn’t do it and number one I, number two, I don’t know what happened Hailey. …

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One thing Hailey asked about was why her mother had no cellphone activity for 27 hours around the time of the murders.

HAILEY SEEL (recorded phone call): Why did it have no calls and was at home the whole time? You knew it could be traced.

DANA CHANDLER: I was in the mountains; I didn’t have a signal.

Chandler insisted she had nothing to do with the murders, but did say she had violent thoughts about Mike Sisco.

DANA CHANDLER (recorded conversation): I said I could kill him. You ever think about killing him?

HAILEY SEEL No, but —

DANA CHANDLER: I did.

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HAILEY SEEL: But —

DANA CHANDLER: Honestly, I can say I did.

The official investigation, though, seemed stalled, so authorities asked Vernon Geberth, a homicide and forensic consultant and former New York City Police Department detective, to review case files. In 2007, nearly five years after the murders, he issued a report concluding “… Dana Chandler is the one and only person who had the motive, means and opportunity to commit these murders.”  

It was Geberth who brought the case to the attention of “48 Hours.” In 2009, “48 Hours” aired its first report on the murders —and tried to talk with Chandler.

HAROLD DOW | “48 Hours” correspondent: Did you know anything about the death of Michael and Karen?

DANA CHANDLER: I have no idea what happened to Mike and Karen.

“48 Hours” ended the episode asking viewers to contact police if they had any information. Again, the case seemed to be going nowhere. But two years later, a new DA, Chad Taylor, decided he was willing to take a chance with the evidence they had. He chose to move the case forward and arrest Chandler.

With “48 Hours” cameras rolling, law enforcement, zeroed in on Chandler in Oklahoma, where she was staying at the time. Taylor didn’t just help plan the arrest, but went on it, with a gun at the ready.

And on July 24, 2011, Chandler was in custody, charged with the murders of Mike Sisco and Karen Harkness.

WHERE WAS DANA CHANDLER THE NIGHT OF THE MURDERS?

Hailey Seel I’d hit a point where I didn’t know … if justice would ever … be served.

For Hailey Seel who was convinced her mother killed her father, Dana Chandler’s arrest was nearly a decade in the making.

Hailey Seel It was such a feeling that I – I — it was unbelievable.

She was determined to get justice as she prepared to face Dana Chandler in court.

Hailey Seel: I’ve made it this far. … I can do anything.

In March 2012, Chandler went on trial. Jacqie Spradling, then-chief deputy DA, began by referring to those conversations Hailey Seel had taped years earlier with her mother.

JACQIE SPRADLING (in court): “I could kill him. I thought about killing him.” These are the words of this defendant about her ex-husband Mike Sisco.

In her opening statement, Spradling suggested a possible motive for murder.

JACQIE SPRADLING (in court) Two days before the homicides, the defendant called Mike. Mike at this time told the defendant, in that five-minute phone call, that he and Karen were going to be married.

But there is no recording of that call.

MARK BENNETT (in court) It’s easy to make allegations. It’s difficult to prove those allegations.

And in his opening, defense attorney Mark Bennett argued the case against Chandler was all speculation.

MARK BENNETT (in court): There is no evidence that places Dana Chandler in or near the Harkness residence on July 6th or 7th, 2002.

But to authorities, there was the question about exactly where Chandler was during that time. Volle says she told him she was home Saturday, the night of the murders and then drove through the mountains the next day. But Chandler’s business acquaintance Jeff Bailey, testified Chandler told him something different — that she slept in her car in the mountains the Saturday night of the murders.

JEFF BAILEY (in court): She told me that the story she was giving me was the truth. And the story that she’d given to the law enforcements was not the truth.

And prosecutors told the jury Chandler did not use her cellphone for 27 hours the weekend of the murders. Remember, Hailey Seel accused her mother of trying to avoid being tracked. Volle found another instance when Chandler didn’t use her phone a month before the murders.

DET. RICHARD VOLLE (in court): There were no calls registered. There were some calls came to the phone, but none were picked up.

And prosecutors say that’s important, because during that time — a month before the murders — was Chandler’s dry run for the killings. They called her friend Ann Carrender to the stand. Carrender says Dana told her she had driven to Topeka.

ANN CARRENDER (in court): She had— gone to Mike’s house— through the window. Um, nobody was home. …

JACQIE SPRADLING: What else did she tell you?

ANN CARRENDER: That she had gone — and sat outside Karen’s house. 

Spradling says Chandler was obsessed with Mike Sisco and presented evidence that in the six months leading up to the murders, she called Mike Sisco and Karen Harkness more than 600 times. The defense argued Chandler was calling to talk to her kids, but Hailey Seel remembered her mother’s calls differently.

JACQIE SPRADLING (in court): What was the thing that she talked to you the most about?

HAILEY SEEL:  She talked about my dad a lot. And – I — I re — I really feel like she was — was really just obsessed — with him.

An FBI analyst testified Chandler often called late at night, and frequently made repeated calls in a short time period, including a month before the murders.

ALICE CASEY (in court): On June 3rd, she made 17 calls in 18 minutes.

Both of Chandler’s children testified for the prosecution, saying that their mother also had a history of stalking their father.

DUSTIN SISCO (in court): She took me and my sister with her to go spy on my dad. … And so we were in the car and she told us, you know, we’re just going to be her little helpers.

HAILEY SEEL (in court): She asked if I would go — go up to the house with her. And we did. And she was looking in all the windows. And she told me to look in the windows. And –

JACQIE SPRADLING: Did you?

HAILEY SISCO: I did. …

JACQIE SPRADLING: What was it that she was looking at in there?

HAILEY SEEL: I think that she — was — was thinking there was — a lady in there with my dad.

Hailey also testified about those recordings she made talking with her mother. During one of them, Chandler, who attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, gave an explanation as to why she bought those gas cans.

DANA CHANDLER (audio recording): I ran into a girl that had run out of gas at an AA meeting and so I went and got gas for her. She asked me for money and we don’t give people money at AA …

Prosecutor Spradling told the jury that she believed Chandler used those two five-gallon gas cans to have enough gas so she would not have to stop and potentially be seen near the crime scene. But Chandler’s attorney argued there was no proof she was ever in Topeka during the time of the murders. 

MARK BENNETT (in court): Did you or … any other members of the Topeka Police Department … ever find an eyewitness that put — the defendant, Dana Chandler, in Topeka, Kansas on either July 6 or July 7, 2002?

DET. RICHARD VOLLE: No.

The closest law enforcement was able to come was at a gas station in WaKeeney, Kansas, nearly halfway between Denver and Topeka. Clerk Patty Williams wasn’t sure, but she thought she might have seen Chandler the night of the murders.

Jacqie Spradling: Patty was shown a picture of the defendant … Patty indicated that she was 70 percent sure that that was the woman who had been there.

But by the time Chandler went on trial, Patty Williams had died. A different worker from the gas station testified about seeing a black car that looked similar to the one Chandler drove that day. But she said it might have had license plates from Virginia. When it was the defense’s turn, Bennett pointed out there was no proof Chandler was ever there.

MARK BENNETT (in court): Wasn’t any receipt from WaKeeney, was there?

DET. RICHARD VOLLE: No.

And Bennett questioned whether Volle investigated other suspects, like two men with criminal records who had stolen checks from Mike Sisco and cashed one after the murders.

MARK BENNETT (in court): That didn’t make ’em a suspect?

DET. RICHARD VOLLE: No, because the check wasn’t taken from Karen Harkness’ house where the murders occurred. The check was actually taken from Mike Sisco’s house where the murders did not occur.

And one of the men was in jail when the murders occurred. In closing arguments, Bennett reiterated there was no forensic evidence linking Chandler to the crime.

MARK BENNETT (in court): All this time, they’ve been trying to put her in Kansas when this happened. And for nine-and-a-half years, they’ve come up dry.

Spradling reminded the jury of Chandler’s stalking behavior— and tried to make sure they knew just how scared Mike Sisco was of Chandler. She said Mike Sisco had gotten a protection from abuse order against Chandler.

JACQIE SPRADLING (in court): So, he got a court order saying she has to stay away. The protection from abuse order did not stop the defendant, though.

After two weeks of testimony, it took the jury 83 minutes to reach a verdict: guilty of first-degree murder.

Hailey Seel: I feel better in the sense that my dad’s killer is paying for their actions … I don’t feel better that my mom is capable of killing my dad. 

When it was time for sentencing, Hailey Seel asked that her mom receive the maximum sentence.

HAILEY SEEL (in court:) We each have a deep scar on our souls from what this monster has done.

But Chandler would also get a chance to speak.

DANA CHANDLER (in court): But most importantly, I deny that I murdered Mike or Karen. I am innocent. I did not murder Mike or Karen.

Chandler was sentenced to life in prison. But soon that verdict would be called into question.

DANA CHANDLER’S CONVICTION REVERSED

Hailey Seel: A lot of my mind has been focused on her getting away with killing my Dad, and … just drags me down.

For years, Hailey Seel’s thoughts were consumed with proving her mother killed her father, Mike Sisco, and Karen Harkness. With Dana Chandler in prison, Hailey was relieved she could concentrate on other things. But her relief was tinged with pain.

Hailey Seel: I wanna focus on my future and what I want to do with my life. … I wanna be everything my mom wasn’t. (cries)

But Hailey’s focus would turn again to the case. Chandler almost immediately began filing motions as she worked to appeal her conviction. She and her attorneys cited, among other things, the actions of prosecutor Jacqie Spradling. In particular, statements Spradling made at trial about that protection from abuse order.

JACQIE SPRADLING (in court): Mike got a protection from abuse, a court order. He applied and said, “Hey, judge, please order this woman to stay away from me.” And the judge agreed.

Stacey Schlimmer: And that is just a blatant misstatement.

Stacey Schlimmer, one of Chandler’s appeal attorneys, was never able to find a protection from abuse order.

Stacey Schlimmer: I went through the whole case. I went and looked for every possible order I could find. And there wasn’t one that she was referring to.

In 2018, Schlimmer argued that Spradling’s actions constituted prosecutorial misconduct.

STACEY SCHLIMMER (arguing before Kansas Supreme Court): I — I think that Ms. Chandler never had an opportunity at a fair trial from the get-go.

Schlimmer contended the case against Chandler should be thrown out. The court agreed.

Stacey Schlimmer: The Kansas Supreme Court held that … it’s so bad that we’re going to go ahead and overturn her conviction.

Other issues about statements Spradling made at trial also came up, including describing a route Chandler took between Kansas and Denver when there was no evidence that she drove that way.

JACQIE SPRADLING (in court): She drove directly up to Nebraska. And after she gets on Nebraska she turns around and goes home.

Stacey Schlimmer: They just kinda hypothesized, “Well, she must have went up and went over from Nebraska.” There was no evidence of that at all.

Schlimmer also contended the state did not have enough evidence to prove Dana Chandler’s guilt.

Stacey Schlimmer: We argued insufficiency of evidence as an issue for appeal …

Jim Axelrod: Meaning you don’t think prosecutors had enough to make a legitimate case?

Stacey Schlimmer: Jurors didn’t have enough evidence before them if you took out all the evidence that should’ve never been presented or told to them incorrectly.

The Kansas Supreme Court described Spradling’s actions as, “intolerable acts of deception.” And she was disbarred. “48 Hours” reached out to Spradling, but did not receive a response.

Stacey Schlimmer: When a case gets reversed, like a case like this, we essentially have an innocent woman who’s been convicted of crime because of the prosecutor. Or we have a family that has now a reversed conviction that has to go through the system again.

Jim Axelrod: Either way, there’s an injustice.

Stacey Schlimmer: Right. So … that conduct is gonna affect someone.

The Kansas Supreme Court did decide, though, there was sufficient evidence to retry Chandler if the district attorney chose to.

Hailey Seel: When I found out that the Kansas Supreme Court overturned the verdict … it was very shocking. … What does this mean? Will the DA’s office retry her? …

Jim Axelrod: Were you angry with the prosecutor who was cited for misconduct?

Hailey Seel: I’ve never been angry with her. … I think it was an innocent mistake.

Chad Harkness, Karen Harkness’ son, takes a different view of Spradling’s actions.

Chad Harkness: Had Jacqie not made those comments, we wouldn’t be sitting here today. This — this would be over. … Now … all these years later, we’re still having to, you know, live through this again. And it — it’s just — it’s not right. It’s not fair.

The decision whether to retry Chandler was now in the hands of Shawnee County’s new DA, Mike Kagay.

Mike Kagay: We analyzed every aspect of the case. And ultimately, we came to the conclusion that we believed justice demanded that we move forward, and we pursue another trial.

Pursuing that would take years. Chandler remained incarcerated. She, and her defense lawyers, argued she should be set free, and fought against having another trial.

Jim Axelrod: What were those years like?

Hailey Seel: Unbelievable.

For Hailey, the delays seemed endless. Chandler and her lawyers filed nearly 400 motions, including ones requesting a change of judge, to retain an investigator, for her bond to be reduced, and to disqualify the Shawnee County District Attorney’s Office. And through it all, she fired several of her lawyers.

Hailey Seel: She went through seven lawyers in that time, uh, between representing herself.

There were also dozens of hearings, including one where Hailey was called to testify – and Chandler did the questioning.

Hailey Seel: She took me on the stand for at least 45 minutes … and she directly questioned me.

Jim Axelrod: What was that like?

Hailey Seel: It was the most awful thing I’ve ever … I mean, the — the suspect in the killing of my dad is now having the power to question me on the stand and talk to me. …

Jim Axelrod: Not just the suspect in the killing of your dad, your own mother.

Hailey Seel: Yeah, yeah. I mean, It – it — it was awful.

But Hailey was willing to take whatever steps necessary to ensure her mother would stand trial again for the murders.

Hailey Seel: If she could bring out something to prove where she was, to say she didn’t do it, prove she didn’t do it — that’s not just for me, that’s for her and her own freedom. But she can’t, and she hasn’t.

WOULD DANA CHANDLER BE RETRIED?

Mike Kagay: Two innocent people were murdered in our community. That demands justice.

Although Dana Chandler’s conviction had been overturned, prosecutors were determined to retry her for the murders of Mike Sisco and Karen Harkness. By 2021, the organization, Miracle of Innocence, got involved, advocating for Chandler.

Darryl Burton: Dana Chandler was someone who, we believed in her innocence. … When we looked at the case, the facts was just … nothing connected this lady to the crime.

Darryl Burton is the co-founder of Miracle of Innocence. He’s someone who was wrongfully imprisoned and had his murder conviction reversed. He says, before sending someone to prison, the case needs to be more convincing than the one made against Chandler.

Darryl Burton: There’s no evidence … no fingerprints, no DNA, no confession, no weapon, no witnesses, nothing. … When it comes to, you know, these kinds of crimes of murder, you just got to have more than that.

Chandler and her attorneys also raised other issues as they tried to get the case dismissed. Some allegations related to the 2009 “48 Hours” broadcast. Chandler falsely accused law enforcement of forming “a partnership with ’48 Hours’ to film an episode aimed at convincing the public that Ms. Chandler murdered Mike Sisco and Karen Harkness.”

Jim Axelrod: What do you make of the idea that, if “48 Hours” had not reported, starting in 2009, on this case, that Dana Chandler would never have been arrested or tried?

Stacey Schlimmer: I don’t think it was “48 Hours” (laughs). 2009 is a lot different than when they arrested her. They arrested her three or four years — three years later. I think the family was what kept it going. They believe that Ms. Chandler did this. … It was the new prosecutor, and it was the family probably saying, “Hey, we need justice done in this.”

But Stacey Schlimmer, Chandler’s former appeal attorney, does take issue with the handling of the 2011 arrest and the show of force.

Jim Axelrod: You’ve seen Dana Chandler’s arrest many times.

Stacey Schlimmer: Right.

Jim Axelrod: And it bothers you.

Stacey Schlimmer: It bothers me a lot.

“48 Hours,” as well as The Topeka Capital-Journal, were given advance notice of the arrest by the office of then-DA Chad Taylor.

Jim Axelrod: Are you bothered by law enforcement …  or are you bothered by the fact that there were cameras there?

Stacey Schlimmer: I’m bothered by the prosecutor. I’m bothered by the district attorney showing up at an arrest and having that arrest filmed. …

Jim Axelrod: So they wanted video of law enforcement with their guns out?

Stacey Schlimmer: I think they wanted then the public to see that. … That to me was it seemed like such a production for a case. … that prosecutor should never have done that.

Ultimately, the various arguments Dana Chandler’s team made to dismiss the case were unsuccessful. Chandler’s new trial was scheduled for the summer of 2022. Before the trial began, “48 Hours” again tried to speak with Chandler. She said she would only agree to an interview if CBS paid her million-dollar bond. We declined.

Chad Harkness: Never thought we’d be sitting here again and getting ready to start a — a retrial on this … it’s just mind blowing.

Chad Harkness, Karen Harkness’ son, was relieved the DA’s office decided to retry Chandler, but was concerned about going through this yet another time.

Chad Harkness: Just — us kids having to relive this again and … It just it makes me sick.

Hailey, too, was not looking forward to another trial. But said testifying again could give her some control of the situation.

Hailey Seel:  If I can … realize my power. … And it gives me courage to go forward because I know the truth … The truth is that … she murdered them.

The passage of time has left Hailey with so much loss — loss she holds her mother responsible for. And, as a mom herself, having married her high school boyfriend Chris Seel, Hailey’s feelings are even more complicated.

Jim Axelrod: When you think of your mom, do you think mother, or do you think Dana?

Hailey Seel: I think Dana, yeah. She’s Dana to me. Actually, mom is — is a — an ucky word to me, to the point where I don’t even like my kids to call me mom. I don’t like mom. Mom is a — a very hurtful person (cries).

No matter the name, Dana Chandler is someone her daughter will have to face again in court — and  someone who will eventually tell her side of the story.

DANA CHANDLER (in court): Let’s start by stating my name. My name is Dana Chandler. I as everyone know, have been accused of double homicide and I am innocent.

DANA CHANDLER RETRIED FOR DOUBLE MURDER

In the summer of 2022, Dana Chandler was on trial for the second time for the murders of Mike Sisco and Karen Harkness. As in her first trial, the defense focused on all that was lacking in the case against Chandler.

TOM BATH (in court): There is no evidence that she was in the Harkness residence, no evidence she was in Topeka. There’s no evidence she was in the state of Kansas.

Defense attorney Tom Bath insisted Chandler was in Colorado at the time of the murders, more than 500 miles away, and faulted investigators for zeroing in on her. 

TOM BATH (in court): Everything they looked at, everything they examined … excluded Dana. 

The lack of physical evidence was acknowledged by Shawnee County Deputy District Attorney Charles Kitt. 

CHARLES KITT (in court): Science is not going to solve this case. This case is not based on DNA. 

Instead, the state focused on evidence such as Chandler’s hatred of her ex-husband and his girlfriend. 

CHARLES KITT (in court): This case is based on jealousy, rage and obsession. 

Prosecutors presented evidence they say showed that obsession—including records of more than 600 phone calls Chandler made to Harkness and Sisco in the six months before the murders. And they introduced witnesses who said Harkness and Sisco told them some of those calls were menacing.

Kim Warrender was Harkness’ coworker.

KIM WARRENDER (in court): She said she had been up all-night receiving phone calls from Dana. …

CHARLES KITT: She told you she was afraid?

KIM WARRENDER: Very afraid.

Erin Sutton also testified that her mother, Karen Harkness, was scared of Chandler. She spoke about messages she said she heard that Chandler left on her mother’s phone.

ERIN SUTTON (in court): She would call my mom horrible names.

CHARLES KITT: And, like, what kind of names would she call her?

ERIN SUTTON: She would call her a whore.

In addition to testimony about calls Chandler made, there was also attention paid to when there was no call activity on her phone– specifically during 27 hours the weekend of the murders. Authorities believed Chandler’s phone was turned off so it could not be traced as she traveled to Kansas. But the defense suggested it could have just been spotty cellphone service in Colorado. 

Prosecutors told the jury about a purchase Chandler made the day before the murders but failed to mention to investigators. Kitt asked Richard Volle, the lead detective on the case, about the purchase. 

CHARLES KITT (in court): Can you tell us what that is?

DET. RICHARD VOLLE (holding the receipt): This is an Auto Zone receipt … It shows the purch — first two purchases were five dollar or five-gallon gas cans. 

Authorities wondered why Chandler didn’t tell them about the gas cans, and why she would need gas cans unless she was planning a trip — perhaps to Kansas — and did not want to stop for gas along the way.  

And there was the issue of Chandler’s alibi — according to Detective Volle, a changing, unconfirmable one. One witness testified that Chandler said she was in the mountains in Colorado at the time of the murders, but Volle testified Chandler told him she was at home in her Denver apartment. 

DET. RICHARD VOLLE (in court): She said she’d stayed at her house, had no guests or phone calls and then she turned in about 9’o clock. 

A friend of Chandler’s testified about something authorities thought might have been a dry run for the murders. She said about a month before the killings, Chandler called and told her about a trip she made to Sisco’s and Harkness’s homes .

ANN HAMMER (in court): She told me that she knew nobody was in the house and that she went into Mike’s home through the window. After that, she did go to, um, his girlfriend’s house and sat outside her house, waiting for them to come home. But they didn’t show up …

CHARLES KITT: Did she tell you what she did when she — got into Mike’s house?

ANN HAMMER: She wanted to see what it looked like on the inside. 

But Chandler’s attorney questioned the reliability of her testimony, pointing out she may have gotten some dates wrong regarding calls with Chandler. 

ANN HAMMER (in court): It must not have been a Monday.

TOM BATH: But 20 years ago, you said it was a Monday. Right?

ANN HAMMER: Sure. 

Testimony about Chandler’s behavior also came from Cathy Boots, Mike Sisco’s sister. She described an incident several years before the murders, that she said she witnessed while staying at Mike’s house. 

CATHY BOOTS (in court): We went to bed that night and I woke up in the early morning hours … to a noise out in the backyard. And we had left the back porch lights on. And I looked out through the blinds and Dana was jumping on the trampoline out back.

And Mike Sisco’s brother-in-law, Mark Boots, recounted a disturbing conversation he said he had with Mike nine days before the murders.

MARK BOOTS (in court): Mike told me that the patterns of harassment had increased and that he feared for he and Karen’s lives.

Mike Sisco and Dana Chandler’s daughter, Hailey Seel, was going to be in the uncomfortable position of testifying against her mother.

A DAUGHTER’S SECRET RECORDINGS PLAYED IN COURT

Hailey Seel: I was absolutely still nervous — and scared. …  Being up there, it causes conflict.

As Hailey Seel reflected back on testifying against her mother, Dana Chandler, she recalled the stress she was under. As a prosecution witness, Seel was asked to describe some of her mother’s behavior—behavior Seel said she found obsessive.

CHARLES KITT (in court): Was there a time where you were asked to spy on your dad?

HAILEY SEEL: Yeah.

Seel recounted an incident, after her parents split up, when she said, Chandler drove her and her brother to Sisco’s home, and they all sat in the car to watch the house.

HAILEY SEEL (in court): She said, “Come on. We need to watch your dad. And you can be my little helpers.” … She had me go with her to the house after so long. And — um, and she wanted to look in the windows.

CHARLES KITT: Did she look in the windows?

HAILEY SEEL: Yeah. We both looked in the windows. And she said, “Did you see that? Did you see that?” And I said, “No. I didn’t see anything.”

It was episodes like that which led Seel, early on, to think her mother could be responsible for the murders.

Hailey Seel: I always suspected she had something to do with it because of the history of her harassment, stalking, hatred, talking bad about them to us all the time.

Seel testified about some of the ways her mother expressed that dislike of her father — like the demeaning ways Chandler referred to him in emails and online chats — including ones where Chandler referred to Sisco as “it” — sent when Seel was 14 years old.

CHARLES KITT (in court, pointing at email): And does she call him manipulative and deceiving?

HAILEY SEEL:  Yes.

CHARLES KITT: And then calls him a rapist.

HAILEY SEEL: Yeah. …

CHARLES KITT And just a couple of lines down, “I hate his guts.”

HAILEY SEEL: Yeah.

CHARLES KITT: Are those things your mother typed to you?

HAILEY SEEL: Yes.

HAILEY SEEL (recording to Dana Chandler): Nobody can say that they — that you were in Colorado that weekend?

Also played in court, were those conservations Hailey secretly recorded with her mom as she tried to learn more about Chandler’s possible involvement in the murders.

Jim Axelrod:  In all the conversations you had with her over the days, weeks, months, even years after this happened, she never told you something … that made you think, well, at least my mom didn’t do it?

Hailey Seel: No. Every time I talked to her, I felt more and more confident that she definitely had something to do with it.

And perhaps most telling to Hailey was a conversation, played in court, where Chandler said she had thought about killing Mike Sisco.

DANA CHANDLER (recording): …. you ever think about killing him?

HAILEY SEEL: No, but —

DANA CHANDLER: I did.

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In one of those discussions, Hailey asked her mother about why she bought those two gas cans — which authorities thought could have been used to help drive roundtrip from Denver to Topeka without stopping in Kansas for fuel. Chandler, who’d been a problem drinker, explained she bought them for someone else—a woman she met at AA.

DANA CHANDLER (recording, played in court): … She asked me for money and we don’t give people money at AA. I said, “I’ll go buy you some gas …”

The prosecutor asked Hailey if she was able to learn anything more about that woman from Chandler.

CHARLES KITT (in court): She wouldn’t tell you who that person was?

HAILEY SEEL: No. She didn’t.

But Chandler’s defense team argued those recorded conversations proved nothing about the murders. And regarding the two gas cans, it maintained that the 10 extra gallons the cans could hold would not have been enough for Chandler to drive roundtrip from Denver to Topeka without still needing to stop for fuel.

The defense accused authorities of tunnel vision — including not looking more thoroughly at other suspects. And her lawyers said Chandler never owned a .9mm gun — the type of weapon used in the murders, which was never found. What was found, were unusual bullets made in Israel.

AMY COODY (in court): Israel Military Industries, that’s the manufacturer.

Chandler’s attorney questioned a firearms examiner who had worked for the Kansas Bureau of Investigation about those bullets.

TOM BATH (in court): Is that a bullet, ammunition you typically see?

AMY COODY: Actually, we had not seen that before. And so it was a little bit unusual to us.

The prosecution, though, explained there were places one could buy those bullets.

CHARLES KITT (in court): Could that ammo have been brought into Kansas and sold at a gun show?

AMY COODY: Yes, sir.

CHARLES KITT: Could have been exchanged by individuals?

AMY COODY: Yes, sir.

There were other parts of the investigation that the defense argued supported its case. There was forensic work it said eliminated Chandler. Unidentified fingerprints found at the house did not match Chandler. None of Chandler’s DNA was found at the murder scene, nor were any fibers found from her clothing, or any of her hair.

KAREN THIESSEN (in court): I did not find any … hairs that were consistent with the sample coming from Ms. Chandler.

TOM BATH (in court): In 20 years, the state had no evidence, no evidence whatsoever that placed Dana Chandler in Karen Harkness’ home, in the city of Topeka, or in the state of Kansas.

After three weeks of testimony, that lack of physical evidence would be the defense’s theme in its closing argument.

TOM BATH (in court): Each and every time they tested something, it excluded Dana.

CHARLES KITT (in court): From the beginning, I told you this case is about obsession, jealousy, rage.

The state focused on Chandler’s behavior — her calls, emails, and her own family’s testimony against her.

CHARLES KITT (in court): The defendant clearly hated Karen and Mike, words from her own mouth and her own fingers typing those messages.

TOM BATH (in court): A lot of evidence about Dana’s bad behavior. That’s true. … That’s not evidence. …  They have not proven this case beyond a reasonable doubt.

On Aug. 25, 2022, the case went to the jury, and Hailey was waiting for a verdict.

Hailey Seel: I’ve really tried to trust the process … cause I knew I didn’t have any control over it. So it was gonna be what it was gonna be.

But the wait to find out what that verdict would be was a long one.

JURORS DEADLOCK IN DANA CHANDLER’S SECOND MURDER TRIAL

The case in the second trial of Dana Chandler for the murders of Mike Sisco and Karen Harkness went to the jury on Aug. 25, 2022. That day came and went, as did several more.

Hailey Seel: After about four days … I started to get nervous and think, wow, this actually could not come back in a guilty verdict and I started to think of that possibility. … And so … I prayed and I just trusted that, if she did get away with this that … life would have to go on, right?

After six days of deliberating, Chandler would learn her fate.

JUDGE CHERYL RIOS (in court): I understand that the jury is unable to reach a unanimous verdict at this time, is that correct?

FOREPERSON: That’s correct.

The jury informed the judge they were deadlocked.

There were seven votes to convict and five to acquit.

Ben Alford: We did what we could with what we had.

Ben Alford and Carrie Kimes were two members of the jury who voted to find Chandler not guilty.

Carrie Kimes: I never saw actual evidence that — Dana Chandler was ever in the Harkness home. …  I can’t send somebody to spend the rest of their life in prison if you can’t even prove she left Colorado that weekend.

Ben Alford: Everything that was tested for DNA proved inconclusive. … And that’s pretty remarkable.

But for juror Randy Edwards, the state’s depiction of Chandler’s behavior was persuasive evidence.

Randy Edwards: She was beyond upset. She was obsessed.

He also found those conversations Seel recorded with her mother to be convincing and voted to convict.

Randy Edwards: When I was able to comprehend that Dana said that she had thought of killing Mike, that was probably the — the piece that pushed me beyond any question of reasonable doubt anymore.

Mike Kagay: There was a split verdict, but the majority of the jury was in favor of a conviction and that was meaningful.

DA Mike Kagay decided to retry Dana Chandler.

Her lawyers convinced the court to reduce her bond, which allowed her to be released with supervision as she awaited the next trial.

JUDGE CHERYL RIOS (in court): The court is going to direct that … she have GPS monitoring.

After spending more than a decade incarcerated, Chandler celebrated her freedom with Darryl Burton and Miracle of Innocence.

Darryl Burton: Anybody who’s getting outta prison after you’ve been in prison for any length of time, it is, it’s a joyous occasion. … You’re happy that someone’s been released and, you know, also feel like, well, maybe it’s a good chance that, you know, we can, you know, mount a defense, and get her totally acquitted.

As a condition of her release, Chandler was not allowed to contact her children. Still, Hailey worried about her safety. She is married to Chris Seel, her high school boyfriend, and is a mother of three.

Hailey Seel: I’m scared to death that she’s going to hurt me, or she’s going to affect my kids in some way.

Hailey’s fear only grew when Chandler made a post to her Facebook page. Chandler complained about her treatment at trial, calling it a kangaroo court. And in the background, she showed images of Hailey’s children. Hailey says Chandler somehow learned which church she attended and downloaded a livestream of a service to create the photos.

Hailey Seel: It was chilling and it was disturbing. … I feel like it was a direct message to me.

Jim Axelrod: And what was the message?

Hailey Seel: Intimidation. … I don’t care about your boundaries.

Her belief that her mother committed the murders remains unwavering, and she says, disturbing.

Hailey Seel: She’s my mom but … if you’re my mom, why would you do that to my dad? … For your kids’ sake, maybe that would be a reason not to do it. … Being a mother now, I have a new perspective. … It becomes even more unreal now.

Also unreal to Hailey — thoughts of a third trial.

Jim Axelrod: What are your expectations for yet again another trial

Hailey Seel: This time, I am not as confident.

For trial number three, jurors would be from Pottawatomie County, Kansas. The defense requested a change of venue, and the judge agreed, citing excessive media coverage. It would take place in Westmoreland, a smaller, more rural area, 60 miles away from the last setting in Topeka.

CHARLES KITT (in court): July 7th, 2002 was going to be a good day. Mike Sisco and Karen Harkness had been in a relationship for a few years.

The trial got underway with opening statements on Feb. 7, 2025.

CHARLES KITT (in court): One name just kept coming up, Dana Chandler.

Charles Kitt was back retrying the case, joined by prosecutor Dan Dunbar. Judge Cheryl Rios again presided. And in a last-minute change, on the morning of opening statements, Chandler dismissed her defense attorneys.

And Chandler decided the best person to represent her was herself.

DANA CHANDLER (In court): I am innocent. I did not kill Mike and Karen.

DANA CHANDLER REPRESENTS HERSELF AT THIRD MURDER TRIAL

DANA CHANDLER (in court): I think this case is a character assassination.

In February 2025, Dana Chandler was on trial for the third time for the murders of Mike Sisco and Karen Harkness. But this time, she was representing herself.

Mike Kagay: She was exercising her constitutional right. … It was an unknown. It was certainly unexpected.

One thing that was the same as in the previous trials: Hailey Seel testifying.

Hailey was asked again by the prosecution about her mother’s inappropriate behavior.

DAN DUNBAR (in court): What sort of things would she say about Karen?

HAILEY SEEL: She called her a homewrecker. Um, a slut, very bad names.

Prosecutors were also interested in an incident when Chandler drove Hailey and her brother to drop them off at Harkness’ house.

HAILEY SEEL (in court): We waited there for a really long time in the car… And then my dad and Karen got there, and my mom got out and yelled at them and just was very angry with my dad. …

DAN DUNBAR: Hailey, I don’t have any further questions, thank you.

When it was time to be cross-examined, Hailey knew it would now be her mother doing the questioning.

Nt sd Dana ” Hello Ms. Seel.”

Hailey Seel: I really went up there — with like my game face on, you know. I — I knew it was war. I knew it wasn’t going to be a — a nice, a cordial, a thoughtful — you’re the victim, this was your dad and I’m so sorry place that she’d be coming from.

Chandler challenged Hailey about her description of that drop-off at Harkness’ home. Chandler said it was Hailey’s father, Mike Sisco, who was behaving badly, not her.

DANA CHANDLER (in court): When your dad and Karen drove up, your dad stormed over to the car.

HAILEY SEEL: Oh, no. No, he did not.

DANA CHANDLER: And he started banging on the window.

HAILEY SEEL: Wha? No. No, he did not. I was inside that car and my dad absolutely did not bang on the windows.

DANA CHANDLER: And I didn’t get out — I never got out of the car.

HAILEY SEEL: You were the first one out of the car.

Hailey Seel: I was just in disbelief because I knew she just made that up because it never happened, and he never did that. … But … I didn’t get concerned. I just said “no, you know. I’m glad you asked so I can straighten this out. That never happened.” And then it comes down to who’s believable. And I wasn’t worried about that.

As another way to seemingly explain some of her past behaviors, Chandler brought up that she used to have a drinking problem.

DANA CHANDLER (in court): And I did tell you that I was — I realized that I had a problem with alcohol.

HAILEY SEEL: You did tell me you had a problem with alcohol.

Something Chandler said she stopped by 1999, three years before the murders.

DANA CHANDLER (in court): I told you I was going to three AA meetings a day, trying to get well. True?

HAILEY SEEL: I knew you were trying to get well, yes.

The state questioned though, if becoming sober changed Chandler’s behavior.

DAN DUNBAR (in court): When she came back clean and sober, did that change how she treated you?

HAILEY SEEL: No.

DAN DUNBAR: Did it — did it change how she talked about your dad?

HAILEY SEEL: No.

DAN DUNBAR: Did it change how she talked about Karen?

HAILEY SEEL: No.

Chandler not only thought she was the best person to represent herself, but when it was time to put on her defense, she decided she would be her own main witness.

DANA CHANDLER (in court): I feel like that I need to kind of tell my story to kind of put things in perspective.

She testified over seven days, speaking for about 20 hours.

DANA CHANDLER (in court): You have not seen evidence that I was in Topeka, Kansas, on July 7th, 2002.

Darryl Burton: There was times when she would take so long to try to get her point across.

Dana Chandler’s supporter, Darryl Burton, was concerned when she put herself on the stand.

Darry Burton: Sometimes it seemed as though she was just rambling, you know, and that was just unfortunate. … She may have known — probably knew where she was trying to go, but she’d get lost.

She again addressed issues such as her drinking and inappropriate conversations with Hailey.

DANA CHANDLER (in court): I was writing emails, drinking to blackout. I’d get up the next morning and not even aware of those emails. I had a serious problem. … And horrible things I said about Karen spreading her legs. I mean, seriously, Hailey was 14 years old. (cries) I’m just so ashamed and embarrassed about that and I hated that Hailey — that I put Hailey through that.

And Chandler, in her own testimony, addressed again that incident when she waited outside Karen Harkness’ house to drop off Hailey and Dustin with the couple. She said it was done out of necessity.

DANA CHANDLER (in court): I yelled through the window, I could not afford to feed Hailey and Dustin. And that I needed to leave them with him.

Chandler contrasted those times to when she stopped drinking, showing videos of her spending time outdoors with Hailey and Dustin.

DANA CHANDLER (in court): This video was taken about 9 months into my recovery.

Chandler also disputed making frequent harassing calls to Harkness and Sisco, saying when she called, there was a reason.

DANA CHANDLER: I was … calling to speak with my children, Hailey, and Dustin.

As to her having disagreements with Karen Harkness, she testified there were none.

DANA CHANDLER: I never, ever, had any confrontations with Karen Harkness, at all.

Chandler also pointed out what she said was sloppiness in the police investigation. When Chandler questioned lead detective Richard Volle, she asked about whether police were too focused on her and should have been looking more thoroughly at other possible suspects.

DANA CHANDLER (In court, questioning Volle): Did you or did you not receive any leads for other suspects besides me? 

DET. RICHARD VOLLE: Uh, early on in the investigation, there were several other people that were looked at as possible leads. … So it’s a matter of checking people off, to dismissing people that couldn’t have done it. … Uh, when we can’t dismiss them, we keep focusing on them, like we did with you.

Chandler, though, said there was an area she felt law enforcement thoroughly investigated — whether she bought a .9 mm gun, like the one used in the murders and they came up empty handed.

DANA CHANDLER (in court): I’ve never owned, purchased, or possessed a .9mm firearm.

And throughout her defense, Chandler was adamant that at the time of the murders, she was in Colorado, and no one could place her in Harkness’ house, or even in Kansas.

It seemed like a simple question Chandler was asking Detective Volle.

DANA CHANDLER (in court, questioning Volle): Did you ever develop any information that I was in Topeka, Kansas, on July 6th or 7th of 2002?

In answering that question, Volle said there was a woman named Patty Williams who may have spotted Chandler in the state of Kansas around the time of the murders.

DANA CHANDLER (in court, questioning Volle): What do you know about Patty?

DET. RICHARD VOLLE: She was a clerk at a convenience store in WaKeeney, Kansas.

The gas station/convenience store in WaKeeney, where Williams worked, was nearly halfway between Denver and Topeka. It had been visited by an investigator, searching for locations where someone may have spotted Chandler around the time of the murders. There, the investigator showed Williams the photo of Chandler seen below.

DET. RICHARD VOLLE (in court): She was seven out of 10 that it was you.

According to Volle, the clerk was 70 percent sure she had seen Dana Chandler and described some distinguishing features.

DET. RICHARD VOLLE (in court): She had, or said that she had gray near the hairline …

Chandler though, told the jury, she did not have gray hair back then. By the time of the trials, Williams had died and could not be questioned again. Chandler also expressed concern that the investigator only showed a single photo of her initially, instead of an array of photos, including different people—something Volle did do when he went to the gas station about two weeks later.

DET. RICHARD VOLLE (in court): We later — later went out with a — what we call a six-pack photo, it’s uh six photographs of people that looked very similar and amongst those photos was Ms. Chandler.

Volle said Williams immediately picked out Chandler, and again was 70 percent sure she saw her there. But Volle acknowledged using an array initially would have been better.

There was still, for law enforcement, the issue regarding Dana Chandler’s alibi. Remember, Volle said Chandler told him she was home in her Denver apartment the night of the murders. But she told others, including an acquaintance, Jeff Bailey, she slept in her car in the Colorado mountains that night.

DANA CHANDLER (in court): I was confused …

Chandler told the jury she had been confused when she spoke with Volle, but Prosecutor Kitt was not accepting that explanation.

CHARLES KITT (in court): So what you told Detective Volle is not consistent with what you told Jeff Bailey, is it?

DANA CHANDLER: Uh, as far as my trip to – 

CHARLES KITT: Ms. Chandler, it’s not consistent – 

DANA CHANDLER: Oh, that part. OK. Yeah. I would agree with that. Um, I would — that’s true …

Once again, those secret recordings Hailey made with her mother were played in court:

DANA CHANDLER: … you ever think about killin’ him?

HAILEY SEEL:  No, but —

DANA CHANDLER: I did.

This time, Kitt questioned Chandler herself about its authenticity.

CHARLES KITT (in court): Was that your voice saying, “Did you ever think about killing him?” “I did”?

DANA CHANDLER: It sounds like it yes.

When it was time for the final witness, Chandler decided it should be Dana Chandler. She knew the jury heard witnesses testify about her parenting and past behavior. Chandler explained if she was a less than an attentive mother, it was because of her drinking and a lack of money, not a lack of love.

DANA CHANDLER (in court):  I absolutely did want to have a relationship with my children. You know I think the financial, substance abuse combination, um it just wasn’t feasible. So, that’s all I have, thank you. Oh, cross. 

CHARLES KITT (in court): Ms. Chandler, during this time that you couldn’t afford to feed your children, you were buying booze, correct? 

DANA CHANDLER: I was.

CHARLES KITT: Buying enough alcohol to get blackout drunk?

DANA CHANDLER: I was. 

CHARLES KITT: OK, thank you. I have no further questions.

And with that, after 18 days of testimony, Kitt and Chandler presented their closing arguments.

CHARLES KITT (in court): Why are Mike and Karen dead? And the evidence shows one simple answer, control.

Hailey Seel: I think Kitt nailed it when he said it was about control.

The state described Chandler losing control of Mike Sisco, as he planned his future with Karen Harkness, and the rage that followed.

CHARLES KITT (in court): And that’s what led to the defendant traveling to Topeka, Kansas, on July 6th and murdering them on July 7th.

Kitt spoke about Chandler’s depiction of events not lining up with the testimony of others.

CHARLES KITT (in court): It’s the defendant versus everyone. … You can believe the defendant’s testimony, or you can believe everybody else that you heard from in this case.

In Chandler’s closing, she used a scale to make her point that prosecutors, whom she called her accusers, did not have enough evidence to tip it in their favor.

DANA CHANDLER (in court): The, uh, accusers must, uh, tip the scale. Here. I’m innocent. (pointing to scale)

DANA CHANDLER (in court): I had my infirmities, and I have my shortcomings, but I do stand here before you all today and proclaim that I am an innocent woman.

She acknowledged the life she led was not perfect but said that doesn’t make her a murderer.

DANA CHANDLER (in court): The state has woefully failed to meet its burden, to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that I killed Mike Sisco or Karen Harkness.

THE VERDICT

About four hours later, the jury delivered its verdict: guilty of the murders of Mike Sisco and Karen Harkness.

After hearing the verdict, Chandler turned away.

And while it was the verdict Seel hoped for, the end result is nothing she ever wanted.

Hailey Seel: It is so much worse that my mom is the one behind these murders because we lost my dad and Karen, but then through all this, now we’ve lost our mom. … I really wish it was someone else.

Darryl Burton: I don’t believe that they have proved this case beyond a reasonable doubt.

Chandler’s supporter, Darryl Burton, remains undeterred. He still believes she is innocent.

Darryl Burton: The evidence just doesn’t, you know, prove that she’s guilty of anything

Chandler is filing motions for an appeal. “48 Hours” reached out to Chandler again for this episode, but did not receive a response.

Mike Kagay: I am very confident in this verdict.

District Attorney Mike Kagay is certain the jury convicted the right person.

Mike Kagay: I have every confidence in my prosecutors and how they handled this case.

Hailey Seel: The focus of this case has gone almost completely to Dana Chandler and that the victims … has really been lost … which is really sad.

More than 20 years have passed since Mike Sisco and Karen Harkness were murdered —-and Hailey wants to make sure the lives lost are not forgotten.

Hailey Seel: I was trying to tell my daughter about who my dad is. (cries) … and I said … he was a really fun, supportive, encouraging guy who believed in me and my brother. …And Karen … was so kind, so accepting. … I miss them a lot.

Dana Chandler is scheduled to be sentenced on June 3, 2025.

Produced by Ruth Chenetz and Dena Goldstein. Chelsea Narvaez and Hannah Vair are the field producers. Mead Stone is the producer editor. Atticus Brady, Marcus Balsam, George Baluzy, Wini Dini, Gary Winter and Grayce Arlotta-Berner are the editors. Patti Aronofsky is the senior producer, Nancy Kramer is the executive story editor. Judy Tygard is the executive producer.

Fayetteville, Ark. – Kansas went back-and-forth with Creighton for five innings, but the Bluejays exploded for a seven-run sixth inning to take the opening game of the Fayetteville Regional 11-4. The Jayhawks will play an elimination game tomorrow at 2 p.m. against North Dakota State in an attempt to keep their season alive.

“With the loss, you mourn it for five minutes,” Dan Fitzgerald said postgame. “This game does not wait. We’ve got a really good North Dakota State team we gotta play tomorrow.”

Dominic Voegele battled throughout this start, but looked like he was finding his stride after getting out of jams in the fourth and fifth innings. However, the Bluejays notched three straight hits to chase him from the game with Creighton leading 5-3. Things got worse exponentially from there, with the Bluejays sending 12 batters to the plate, scoring seven runs against three different pitchers.

“They did a really nice job of moving the ball,” Fitzgerald said. “Obviously hindsight’s 20-20, and would have liked to have done some things differently in the sixth inning.”

Dominic Cancellieri quickly got the Jayhawks off-balanced with a rapid tempo on the mound while pumping strikes in the first inning. He struck out the first two batters he faced and got through the top of the Kansas lineup on just 11 pitches.

Creighton got on the scoreboard first, with Will MacLean smashing a 109-mph, 455-foot bomb to open the scoring at 1-0.

The Jayhawks responded as they have been doing all season. Cancellieri quickly got the first two outs, but then Michael Brooks worked a walk to extend the inning. Tommy Barth followed with a two-run homer, his first since March 23rd, to give Kansas a 2-1 lead.

“He got a great swing off to put us up two to one,” Fitzgerald said. “And then, you know, lost the ball in the sun in the first and then robbed a home run. But yeah, a great player, a great teammate.”

The back-and-forth swings ensued in the top of the third as the Bluejays went to work against Voegele. Three straight baserunners loaded the bases before Voegele walked Nolan Sailors on four pitches to tie the game. Creighton took a 3-2 lead following a hard-hit fielder’s choice to third base, where Brady Counsell’s only play was to step on the bag.

Kansas got momentum back on its side after Voegele got out of a major jam in the fourth. He walked Tate Gillen to load the bases with two outs, but then caught Matt Scherrman looking on a three-pitch strikeout to give the Jayhawks some life.

Derek Cerda followed with a home run on the first pitch he saw in the bottom frame to tie the game at 3-3. The Jayhawks managed some solid contact against Cancellieri and forced him out of the game after four innings.

Voegele pitched his best inning of the game in the fifth after allowing a leadoff triple. He then struck out back-to-back batters and induced a weak pop-up to strand the runner and keep the game tied.

“It was frustrating because Dom’s best stuff was in the fifth,” Fitzgerald said postgame. “They hit a leadoff triple and then, I thought his stuff was electric.”

However, Creighton rebounded to take the lead in the sixth. Gillen remained a thorn in Voegele’s side, picking up his third hit of the day on a two-run single to give the Bluejays a 5-3 lead. Voegele was pulled after Scherrman singled, and Sailors doubled home two off Manning West to provide Creighton with a four-run lead. The Bluejays wouldn’t stop scoring, leading 10-3 after a 7-run frame, scoring runs on a sacrifice fly and two RBI doubles.

Sailors added to the lead with a solo shot off the scoreboard, putting him a single away from the cycle, to make it an 11-3 game in the seventh.

Ian Koosman kept Kansas at bay, tossing scoreless innings in the fifth, sixth, and seventh. The Jayhawks awoke out of their multi-inning offensive slumber, as Dariel Osoria hit a homer to make the score 11-4 in the eighth.

Kansas was set down in order in the ninth, sending the Jayhawks to an elimination game.

“Nothing really changes from here on out,” Osoria said. “Based off our preparation, we have to just do the same thing and stick to our true approach. Coach always preached about making sure we approach the game the right way and then always prepare the right way. So just another day to try and go and get a win.”

Kansas City Royals’ ace Cole Ragans is expected to begin a rehab assignment on Saturday at Double-A Northwest Arkansas.

He’s been on the injured list with a groin issue. The Royals made the announcement on social media.

An All-Star in 2024, Ragans has gone 2-3 with a 4.53 ERA thus far. One of the best strikeout artists in the game, he’s fanned a whopping 72 batters in 45.2 innings. He’s pitched to a 1.204 WHIP in nine starts.

The 27-year-old is one of the best lefties in baseball, and he broke out in a big way last season, helping lead the Royals to the American League Division Series. He went 11-9 with a 3.14 ERA, striking out 223 in 186.1 innings.

Ragans came up with the Texas Rangers but was traded to the Royals in 2023 as part of the deal that sent Aroldis Chapman to Texas. They went onto win the World Series that season. Lifetime, he’s 20-20 with a 3.60 ERA.

At the big-league level, the Royals enter play on Friday at 30-27 and in fourth place in a crowded American League Central. They’ll take on the first-place Detroit Tigers on Friday night at 8:10 p.m. ET.

Right-hander Seth Lugo, also recently off the injured list, will pitch for Kansas City. He’s gone 3-4 this season with a 3.02 ERA.

Casey Mize, the former No. 1 overall pick in the draft, will pitch for Detroit. He’s out to a stellar 6-1 start with a 2.45 ERA.

Detroit is 37-20.

RISING UP THE RANKS: Max Clark is now the No. 2 prospect in baseball, according to Keith Law of the Athletic. CLICK HERE:

CORA PUSHING THE ENVELOPE? Red Sox manager Alex Cora spoke to local radio in Boston on Thursday about top prospect Roman Anthony, and it seems like he may be pushing the front office into promoting him. CLICK HERE:

ISABELLA! Isabella Robb umpired a game at Double-A Springfield this week, marking the first time a female umpire had worked at Hammons Field, which has been open for 20 years. CLICK HERE: