Dana Chandler: Kansas: Yes, she was convicted by a jury (on her third trial following a mistrial) but the verdict leaves me most uncomfortable because this case has been tainted by a prosecutor's 'lies,' as noted in the 'backgrounder. (HL):…"The Kansas Reflector reported Chandler continued to deny involvement in the crimes, stating, "I have always maintained my innocence. I continue to maintain my innocence. I was not in Topeka, Kansas, on July 7. I never owned or possessed a 9-millimeter firearm. What is happening in this courtroom is a grave injustice. I was not the one who killed them."

BACKGROUNDER:  "Chandler is being retried in a case that captivated national attention more than a decade ago when police and a politically ambitious district attorney teamed with “48 Hours” to identify her as the likely killer in an unsolved crime of passion, then coordinated with news media to film and photograph her arrest. Jacqie Spradling, the lead prosecutor in the case, won a conviction in 2012 by lying to the jury about nonexistent evidence. The Kansas Supreme Court overturned the conviction on the basis of Spradling’s misconduct, then disbarred her after a prolonged disciplinary process."

https://kansasreflector.com/2022/08/05/high-profile-kansas-trial-hinges-on-jealousy-rage-and-obsession-without-physical-evidence/

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PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "A jury convicted Chandler in 2012, and she was sentenced to life in prison.Six years later, Chandler's convictions were overturned due to prosecutorial misconduct. The Kansas Supreme Court ruled that statements made at Chandler's trial by prosecutor Jacqie Spradling was, in at least one instance, "made-up" and "misleading." Spradling was later disbarred for what the court called "intolerable acts of deception" aimed at the jury and the courts. "48 Hours" reached out to Spradling, but did not receive a response."

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PASSAGE TWO OF THE DAY: "Chandler's second trial began in July 2022. Defense attorney Tom Bath argued there was no DNA, fingerprint or hair evidence that placed Chandler inside the Harkness residence, or even in the state of Kansas. Shawnee County Deputy DA Charles Kitt acknowledged the lack of physical evidence and told the jury the case was instead based on jealousy, rage and obsession. The jury in this trial was unable to reach a unanimous decision. After six days of deliberation, the judge announced a hung jury, reportedly with seven votes to convict and five to acquit."

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STORY: "Dana chandler sentenced to life in prison after third murder trial," published by CBS News (Reporter Dana Goldstein) on June 4, 2025.

GIST: "A Kansas woman was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison for the 2002 murders of her ex-husband and his girlfriend. Judge Cheryl Rios handed down two consecutive life terms to Dana Chandler, 65, who was sentenced in the deaths of Mike Sisco and Karen Harkness.  

She will not be eligible for parole for 50 years, with credit for about 13 years of time she has already served.

Hailey Seel, Chandler and Sisco's daughter, gave a victim impact statement at sentencing. According to The Kansas Reflector, Seel said about her mother in court, "I truly see her now as the evil killer. I hate it. I don't want to call you evil killer, but I can't live in a fairy tale."

Seel reportedly recommended the judge to show mercy on Chandler if she confessed to the crime and expressed remorse. But if Chandler continued to deny her involvement, Seel recommended the judge should impose the maximum sentence.

The Kansas Reflector reported Chandler continued to deny involvement in the crimes, stating, "I have always maintained my innocence. I continue to maintain my innocence. I was not in Topeka, Kansas, on July 7. I never owned or possessed a 9-millimeter firearm. What is happening in this courtroom is a grave injustice. I was not the one who killed them."

Sisco, 47, and Harkness, 53, were each shot multiple times with a 9mm gun on July 7, 2002, in Harkness' Topeka, Kansas, home. Police quickly suspected Chandler after members of the Harkness and Sisco families said she harassed Sisco with bizarre visits and frequent phone calls following their bitter divorce and custody battle. She was questioned by police but was not charged. Chandler has always maintained her innocence. 

"48 Hours" has been covering the case since 2008, and most recently in "My Mother's Murder Trials"reported by contributor Jim Axelrod.

For years, the couple's families met with law enforcement and even conducted their own investigation looking for additional evidence, such as the murder weapon, which was never found. At that time, Shawnee County District Attorney Robert Hecht reportedly said there was not enough evidence to charge Chandler. In 2011, a new DA, Chad Taylor, was in office and made the decision to move the case forward. 

Dana Chandler was arrested in 2011 and entered not guilty pleas to two counts of first-degree murder. A jury convicted Chandler in 2012, and she was sentenced to life in prison.

Six years later, Chandler's convictions were overturned due to prosecutorial misconduct. The Kansas Supreme Court ruled that statements made at Chandler's trial by prosecutor Jacqie Spradling was, in at least one instance, "made-up" and "misleading." Spradling was later disbarred for what the court called "intolerable acts of deception" aimed at the jury and the courts. "48 Hours" reached out to Spradling, but did not receive a response.

But the Kansas Supreme Court did not dismiss Chandler's case. It ruled that there was still sufficient evidence for a jury to find Chandler guilty. The decision whether to retry Chandler was up to the new Shawnee County DA Mike Kagay, and he chose to proceed with another trial. 

Chandler's second trial began in July 2022. Defense attorney Tom Bath argued there was no DNA, fingerprint or hair evidence that placed Chandler inside the Harkness residence, or even in the state of Kansas.

Shawnee County Deputy DA Charles Kitt acknowledged the lack of physical evidence and told the jury the case was instead based on jealousy, rage and obsession. 

The jury in this trial was unable to reach a unanimous decision. After six days of deliberation, the judge announced a hung jury, reportedly with seven votes to convict and five to acquit.

Following the hung jury, the judge reduced Chandler's bond, and after being incarcerated for more than a decade, she was released from jail with GPS monitoring. The defense also requested a change of venue for the upcoming trial, which the judge granted. 

Chandler's third trial got underway in February 2025, in Pottawatomie County, 60 miles from Topeka. On the morning of opening statements, Chandler dismissed her attorneys and announced she would represent herself. 

At trial, Chandler's children, Hailey Seel and Dustin Sisco — who were teenagers at the time of the murders — testified for the prosecution, as they had done previously. They both believe their mother, Dana Chandler, is responsible for murdering their father, Mike Sisco, and Karen Harkness. They were also questioned by their mother.

When it was time to present her case, Chandler testified for approximately 20 hours, spread over seven days. She argued that no one could place her at the scene of the murders, or even in the state of Kansas at the time of the killings, and that she had never owned or possessed a .9mm firearm.

Deputy DA Kitt focused on Chandler's obsessive behavior and told the jury she killed Sisco and Harkness because she had lost control of her ex-husband. 

The jury deliberated nearly four hours before finding Chandler guilty. 

Hailey Seel says she was relieved by the verdict but hopes that the lives lost are not forgotten.

"I do feel like the focus of this case has gone almost completely to Dana Chandler and that the — the victims and the families of the victims has really been lost in this case, which is really sad. And I hope that from here out the — the victims and the families can be remembered more," Seel told "48 Hours."

Chandler is filing motions to appeal the conviction. "48 Hours" reached out to Chandler for comment, but did not receive a response.

The entire story can be read at: 

dana-chandler-sentenced-to-life-in-prison-kansas-third-murder-trial

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:  I am monitoring this case/issue/resource. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic"  section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com.  Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.

SEE BREAKDOWN OF  SOME OF THE ON-GOING INTERNATIONAL CASES (OUTSIDE OF THE CONTINENTAL USA) THAT I AM FOLLOWING ON THIS BLOG,  AT THE LINK BELOW:  HL:

https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985

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FINAL WORD:  (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases):  "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."

Lawyer Radha Natarajan:

Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;

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FINAL, FINAL WORD: "Since its inception, the Innocence Project has pushed the criminal legal system to confront and correct the laws and policies that cause and contribute to wrongful convictions.   They never shied away from the hard cases — the ones involving eyewitness identifications, confessions, and bite marks. Instead, in the course of presenting scientific evidence of innocence, they've exposed the unreliability of evidence that was, for centuries, deemed untouchable." So true!

Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;

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