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Dana Chandler, the prime accused in the murder of Mike Sisco and Karen Harkness, has been found guilty in her March 7, 2025, trial. She is set to be sentenced this summer, June 3, 2025, for the double homicide case of 2002. According to 27 News, which reached out to Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay, Chandler will be sentenced at 1:30 PM on Tuesday, June 3, 2025.
Chandler was arrested almost ten years after the murders, in 2011, and she was convicted in 2012, receiving a life sentence. However, this trial was overturned, and since then, she has had two more trials. Here is everything to know about Chandler's trials and the recent verdict.
How many trials did Dana Chandler have? When will she be sentenced?
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Dana Chandler was found guilty in 2012, ten years after the murder of Sisco and Harkness. She was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences in prison, according to the Kansas City Star.
But this fell through when, in 2016, Chandler's attorney, Keen Umbehr, filed a motion against prosecutor Jacqie Spradling, accusing her of prosecutorial misconduct. Umbehr said that Spradling had alleged in closing arguments that Sisco received a protective order against Chandler that she violated.
However, the appeals courts found that no such order existed. Moreover, the mention of his had even unfairly prejudiced the jury, according to CBS News. This led to the Kansas Supreme Court ultimately calling Spradling’s behavior in Chandler’s murder trial an “intolerable pattern of deception” and disbarred her.
Due to this issue, the Kansas Supreme Court overturned Chandler’s conviction. However, they maintained that she could be retried. Following this, a second trial took place in 2022, and it was largely based on circumstantial evidence. The prosecutors again accused Chandler of “jealousy, rage, and obsession.” But Chandler did not testify during her second trial and continued to maintain her innocence.
The second trial ended with a hung jury, and according to Jury foreman Ben Alford, the jury could not arrive at a decision after more than 40 hours of deliberations. He said that although Chandler had a motive, the state failed to prove intent. According to CBS News, he said:
“It made it hard, knowing that the kids were hurt. I think it was obvious, and you could see it, but the prosecution wasn’t there to put the whole case together.”
On March 7, 2025, Dana Chandler's third trial took place, where a Pottawatomie Co. jury found her guilty in the 2002 double homicide of her ex-husband, Mike Sisco, and his fiancée, Karen. In this trial, Dana fired her defense counsel and chose to represent herself.
The court declared a guilty verdict but her sentencing has been delayed. Dana Chandler is set to be sentenced for the murders at a later date. Her sentencing is scheduled for 1:30 PM on Tuesday, June 3, 2025.
What is Dana Chandler being accused of?
Dana Chandler is being held for the double murder of her ex-husband, Mike Sisco, and his fiancee, Karen Harkness. They were found dead on July 7, 2002, by Harkness' parents and a couple of their friends who showed up at the couple's residence.
They found that the garage door was open so was the sliding glass back door. On entering, Karen Harkness' father, Harold Worswick, discovered Harkness and Sisco in the basement, naked and dead. There were 12 gunshot wounds on them.
Catch tonight's Dateline episode for more about this case.
