A journalist with over three decades in the business and editor of multiple Pulitzer-Prize winning investigative teams, Joe Sexton is no stranger to the cold call. When he received an email in 2017 from Kansas resident Eileen Umbehr regarding a mysterious double-homicide in Topeka, he was initially skeptical. However, the persistence of Eileen and her husband, Keen Umbehr, eventually led Sexton to investigate the case of Dana Chandler, a woman they were convinced had been wrongly convicted of a double murder. This investigation serves as the foundation for the new HBO docuseries, A Killer Story, which explores the complexities of the case and the nature of true crime reporting.
The Case Against Dana Chandler
On July 7, 2002, Karen Harkness and her boyfriend, Mike Sisco, were found shot to death in Harkness’ Topeka home. With no forced entry, no significant DNA evidence, and no witnesses, the case went cold. However, authorities and local residents remained focused on one primary suspect: Sisco’s ex-wife, Dana Chandler. Despite Chandler’s insistence that she was in Colorado at the time, she was eventually arrested in 2009 following renewed public interest and convicted in 2012. That conviction was later overturned in 2018 due to prosecutorial misconduct, a revelation that prompted Sexton to travel to Kansas.
A Story About Storytelling
A Killer Story, directed by Matthew Galkin, does more than just re-examine the evidence; it investigates the role of the media and the amateur sleuths who become deeply involved in such cases. Keen and Eileen Umbehr, the couple who contacted Sexton, dedicated years of their lives and significant personal resources to proving Chandler’s innocence. The docuseries captures their journey, as well as the challenges faced by the legal system when true crime narratives influence public perception and trial outcomes.
The Impact of Misconduct
The documentary highlights the serious ethical breaches that plagued the original prosecution. Prosecutor Jacqie Spradling was later disbarred for a “serious pattern of grossly unethical misconduct,” including the fabrication of evidence regarding a protection-from-abuse order that never existed. As the series unfolds, it forces viewers to confront the intersection of entertainment and justice. Sexton notes that while journalists strive for objectivity, there are moments when the evidence of unfairness and systemic failure demands that they take a stand.
A Killer Story is currently airing on HBO, with the series finale scheduled for September 24.