My Mother's Murder Trials Part 1

Summary

48 Hours: "My Mother's Murder Trials Part 1" – Detailed Summary

Release Date: June 2, 2025
Host/Author: CBS News
Podcast: 48 Hours
Episode Title: My Mother's Murder Trials Part 1

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Introduction

In the gripping first part of "My Mother's Murder Trials," CBS News's acclaimed podcast "48 Hours" delves deep into a harrowing family saga that intertwines love, betrayal, and the relentless pursuit of justice. This episode meticulously unpacks the mysterious 2002 murders of Mike Sisco and Karen Harkness, exploring the subsequent trials of Dana Chandler—Haley Seal's mother—who stands accused of orchestrating her ex-husband's death. Through intimate interviews, critical evidence examination, and emotional testimonies, the episode paints a comprehensive picture of a case that has spanned over two decades.

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The Tragic Night: July 7, 2002

The narrative begins on a fateful night in Topeka, Kansas, when Mike Sisco and his fiancée, Karen Harkness, were brutally murdered in their home.

• Haley Seal (Daughter of Mike Sisco and young Dana Chandler) recounts the shock of discovery:

  "July 7th of 2002, my dad and his fiancée Karen were shot and killed in their beds. I was 17 and my brother was 15. And there was just shock." ([01:24])

• Harold Dow, CBS News correspondent, sets the scene of the aftermath:

  "The killer made it downstairs, shot Karen Harkness multiple times, shot Mike Sisco multiple times. It's unnerving to think that somebody could sneak into a house and do this and leave quietly and nobody knows about it until the next day." ([02:00])

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Initial Investigation and Suspicions

Following the murders, law enforcement swiftly ruled out robbery as a motive due to the absence of theft despite significant valuables remaining untouched.

• Detective Richard Volley, the lead investigator, highlights the emotional aspect:

  "What we're left with is an emotional killing. It's an emotional execution." ([08:01])

Despite thorough investigations, the case initially remained unsolved, leading family members and friends to ponder potential motives and suspects.

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Dana Chandler: From Ex-Wife to Prime Suspect

Dana Chandler, Mike Sisco's ex-wife, emerged as a person of interest due to a tumultuous history characterized by stalking and obsessive behavior.

• Haley Seal expresses her confusion and disbelief:

  "I do have a mind of my own and I'm not biased in this situation. I don't want it to be her. I want the truth to come out and I want true justice for my dad, Karen." ([01:57])

• Mark Boots, Mike's brother-in-law, details Dana's disturbing behavior post-divorce:

  "Dana had a drinking problem and she sporadically stalked Mike during and after the divorce with frequent calls and bizarre visits." ([10:11])

These actions fueled the suspicion that Dana had a motive rooted in jealousy and unresolved animosity towards Mike's new relationship with Karen.

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The Arrest and First Trial

In 2011, nearly a decade after the murders, Dana Chandler was arrested and charged with the killings, marking the beginning of a protracted legal battle.

• Haley Seal shares her emotional state upon Dana's arrest:

  "I felt 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." ([30:04])

• Harold Dow narrates the courtroom dynamics:

  "In March 2012, Dana Chandler went on trial. Jackie Spradling, then chief deputy DA, began by referring to those conversations Haley had taped years earlier with her mother." ([22:34])

The prosecution's case hinged on Dana's obsessive behavior and a series of suspicious activities leading up to the murders, while the defense challenged the lack of concrete evidence.

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Conviction and Sentencing

After a contentious trial, Dana Chandler was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.

• Haley Seal reflects on the verdict:

  "We each have a deep scar in our souls from what this monster has done." ([30:34])

• Dana Chandler maintains her innocence:

  "I deny that I murdered Mike or Karen. I am innocent. I did not murder Mike or Karen." ([30:47])

Despite the jury's swift deliberation and the prosecution's narrative, significant doubts about the evidence lingered among the family and Haley.

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Appeals and Overturning the Conviction

Challenging the integrity of her trial, Dana Chandler initiated an appeal citing prosecutorial misconduct, specifically targeting statements made by the prosecution that were later found to be unfounded.

• Haley Seal voices her disillusionment with the legal process:

  "I think that Ms. Chandler never had an opportunity at a fair trial from the get-go." ([34:01])

In 2018, the Kansas Supreme Court acknowledged the gravity of the misconduct, resulting in the overturning of Dana's conviction and ordering a retrial.

• Harold Dow explains the court's decision:

  "The Kansas Supreme Court held that it's so bad that we're going to go ahead and overturn her conviction." ([34:14])

This reversal reignited the family's quest for justice and thrust Dana Chandler back into the courtroom spotlight.

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Continued Pursuit of Justice

Despite the overturned conviction, prosecutors remained resolute in their determination to retry Dana Chandler, leading to prolonged legal battles marked by numerous motions and legal maneuvers.

• Haley Seal expresses her frustration with the endless legal proceedings:

  "I hit a point where I didn't know if justice would ever be served." ([22:03])

The involvement of organizations like Miracle of Innocence underscored the growing skepticism regarding Dana's guilt, highlighting the absence of definitive forensic evidence linking her to the murders.

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Personal Toll and Ongoing Struggle

Throughout the tumultuous journey, the case has taken a profound personal toll on Haley Seal, straining her relationship with her mother and impacting her own role as a mother.

• Haley Seal shares her emotional scars:

  "All through June for Pride month, Risk. A podcast all about human connection and radical honesty." ([32:19])
  (Note: This line appears out of context and likely relates to an ad segment. It can be disregarded in the summary.)

• On her perception of her mother:

  "I think Dana. Yeah, she's Dana to me. Actually, mom is an ugly 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 very hurtful person." ([44:13])

Haley's journey reflects the complex interplay between seeking justice and grappling with personal trauma, highlighting the enduring impact of unresolved familial conflicts.

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Conclusion and Tease for Part Two

As the episode concludes, Dana Chandler stands on the precipice of a retrial, with all parties bracing for the next chapter in this unresolved saga. The lingering questions about her involvement and the quest for undeniable evidence set the stage for an anticipated continuation in the next installment.

• Haley Seal's Final Words:

  "My dad and his fiancée were shot and killed. Whoever it was that did this hated these people." ([45:10])

• Teaser for Part Two:

  "Stay tuned for part two tomorrow." ([45:19])

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

1. Haley Seal on Her Father's Death:

   "July 7th of 2002, my dad and his fiancée Karen were shot and killed in their beds. I was 17 and my brother was 15." ([01:24])

2. Harold Dow on the Nature of the Crime:

   "What we're left with is an emotional killing. It's an emotional execution." ([08:01])

3. Haley Seal's Determination:

   "I wanted to understand what happened and why and actually know the truth of what happened." ([04:50])

4. Prosecutor Jackie Spradling on Motive:

   "Dana was obsessed with Mike and presented evidence that in the six months leading up to the murders, she called Mike and Karen more than 600 times." ([25:06])

5. Haley Seal on the Overturned Verdict:

   "The Kansas Supreme Court held that it's so bad that we're going to go ahead and overturn her conviction." ([34:14])

6. Haley Seal on Personal Impact:

   "I think Dana. Yeah, she's Dana to me. Actually, mom is an ugly 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 very hurtful person." ([44:13])

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Takeaways

• Complexity of Justice: The case underscores the intricate nature of the legal system, where evidence, personal biases, and prosecutorial conduct can profoundly influence outcomes.

• Emotional Turmoil: Beyond the courtroom battles, the episode poignantly captures the emotional devastation endured by victims' families, highlighting the long-term psychological impact of unresolved crimes.

• Quest for Truth: Haley Seal's unwavering pursuit of justice for her father amidst familial betrayal serves as a compelling narrative of resilience and the human spirit's drive to uncover the truth.

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This detailed summary encapsulates the essence of "My Mother's Murder Trials Part 1," providing listeners and readers with a comprehensive understanding of the case, its key players, and the profound personal and legal battles intertwined within.

Transcript

[Haley Seal]

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[Harold Dow]

Is it hard to believe you're sitting here again to talk about this?

[Haley Seal]

Yeah, it really is. I didn't think 20 years later that this is what would be happening in this situation. July 7th of 2002, my dad and his fiance Karen were shot and killed in their beds. I was 17 and my brother was 15. And there was just shock. The only person that hated them was was my mom, Dana.

[Harold Dow]

What should people understand about the fact that you, Dana Chandler's daughter, thinks Dana Chandler killed your father?

[Haley Seal]

I do have a mind of my own and I'm not biased in this situation. I don't want it to be her. I want the truth to come out and I want true justice for my dad, Karen. Mike and Karen were together for the weekend alone. They did everything. They loved each other, drove up to a casino, spent a few hours there, and then arrived back home in the early morning hours. They were found Sunday afternoon, July 7th. The killer made it downstairs, shot Karen Harkness multiple times, shot Mike Sisko multiple times. It's unnerving to think that somebody could sneak into a house and do this and leave quietly and nobody knows about it until the next day. Whoever it was that did this hated these people. They wanted them dead and they wanted to make sure they were dead. Both hands out of the car.

[Harold Dow]

It could be the justice two families have long been waiting for. The arrest of Dana chandler in the 2002 killings of Karen Hartness and Michael Sisco.

[Haley Seal]

You have a trial where she's found guilty. We the jury find the defendant guilty of the crime of murder. And then the Kansas Supreme Court comes and says, this is prosecutorial misconduct and it's so bad that we're going to go ahead and overturn her conviction. You have a new trial. The jury is unable to reach a unanimous verdict. And now they've had a hung jury and they're going to try her again. That just is almost unheard of.

[Harold Dow]

For the third time, Dana Chandler is back on trial. The opening statements today is Chandler will represent herself in this case.

[Haley Seal]

I knew it was different. I just didn't know what was going to happen. I could never have predicted it. When officers talked to friends, family, co workers, they all said the same thing. You guys should look at Dana Chandler. The truth is that she murdered them. I did not kill Mike Sisco. I did not kill Karen Harkness. I am an innocent woman.

[Harold Dow]

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

[Haley Seal]

My liberty, my freedom is hanging in the balance.

[Harold Dow]

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

[Haley Seal]

I wanted to understand what happened and why and actually know the truth of what happened.

[Harold Dow]

Haley Seal is Dana Chandler and Mike Sisco's daughter. She and other family members of Mike and Karen have spent decades grieving, searching for answers and for justice.

[Haley Seal]

Hi, Dana.

[Harold Dow]

Harold Dow, CBS News, 48 Hours first started covering the murders in 2008 and spoke with individuals involved several times over the years.

[Haley Seal]

It's hard to swallow and it's. It's hard to believe. It's insane.

[Harold Dow]

For Haley, it all started on July 7, 2002. She learned her father and Karen had been killed in. In Karen's Topeka, Kansas home.

[Haley Seal]

I immediately just saw a bunch of tape around the house and police and my grandma was sitting in there and she just told me that they had been shot.

[Harold Dow]

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

[Haley Seal]

They were extremely happy. You could just see that.

[Harold Dow]

Karen's father, Harold Warswick.

[Haley Seal]

Everything they did was for each other.

[Harold Dow]

The day after Mike and Karen's night out, a family get together had been planned at Karen's house. Relatives thought the couple might be announcing they were engaged.

[Haley Seal]

And I rang the doorbell and knocked on the glass and couldn't raise anybody. I thought, this is strange.

[Harold Dow]

Karen's father, who has since died, recalled that he entered Karen's home that afternoon through an open sliding door. Didn't see any sign of her or Mike, so he headed downstairs to the bedroom.

[Haley Seal]

Just as I got the foot of the stairs, I could see Karen and I said, oh Christ. I knew she was dead. Then I found Mike on the outside of the bed.

[Harold Dow]

Harold would then call 911.

[Haley Seal]

I've just located my daughter and she's downstairs and she's dead. I got a radio call just after 2 o' clock on July 7, 2002.

[Harold Dow]

Richard Volley, now retired, was the Topeka Police Department's lead detective on the case.

[Haley Seal]

There was a report of two dead bodies in a basement.

[Harold Dow]

Five bullets had struck 53 year old Karen, including in her back and buttocks. Mike, 47, suffered between five and seven gunshot wounds. The couple had been in bed. The rest of the house appears 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 Karen and Mike dead, police turned to their families for information.

[Haley Seal]

What we're left with is an emotional killing. It's an emotional execution.

[Harold Dow]

Mike, a salesperson for a welding company, and Karen, who worked in the hospitality industry, were both previously married and now divorced. The well liked couple had been dating about four years. It was a surprise to everybody that this would happen to somebody like her. Karen's children, Chad and Erin, were in their 20s at the time of the murders.

[Haley Seal]

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, that I would be the best mom in the world.

[Harold Dow]

Mike had custody of his two children, Haley, then 17, and Dustin, 15.

[Haley Seal]

My dad was really in my life growing up. He was really my hero.

[Harold Dow]

Haley's relationship with her dad was more complicated.

[Haley Seal]

I wasn't happy with my dad, I wasn't happy with my mom. I wasn't happy at my school.

[Harold Dow]

By Haley's own admission, she was a difficult teenager.

[Haley Seal]

My dad gave me an ultimatum. Either you follow my rules or you move out.

[Harold Dow]

Choosing to live with her then boyfriend, Chris.

[Haley Seal]

I moved in with Chris and then my dad was killed.

[Harold Dow]

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

[Haley Seal]

I'm just curious, is everything all right with your dad and everything? Yeah, we weren't really getting along for a little while.

[Harold Dow]

Authorities said their alibis checked out, as did the alibis of Karen's daughter Erin and her husband Jeff Sutton. Karen's son Chad was also questioned. I was hooked up to a polygraph machine and asked if I had murdered my mother or in any way participated.

[Haley Seal]

In the murder of my mother.

[Harold Dow]

Police concluded none of them were involved, but family members thought they knew who was responsible. Mike's ex wife, Dana Chandler, she just.

[Haley Seal]

She never fit in.

[Harold Dow]

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

[Haley Seal]

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. I think she became obsessed with the fact that Mike was moving on with his life.

[Harold Dow]

Mark Boots Mike's BROTHER in law and.

[Haley Seal]

Then when Karen entered the picture, that's when things really started, I think escalating.

[Harold Dow]

Mike 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 Karen's from 7 to 11. Went through stuff.

[Haley Seal]

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

[Harold Dow]

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

[Haley Seal]

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

[Harold Dow]

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

[Haley Seal]

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.

[Harold Dow]

But Dana Chandler lived eight hours away in Denver. And there was no sign that she had been in Karen's house in Topeka the night of the murder.

[Haley Seal]

Pms, pregnancy, menopause, being a woman is a lot. Ollie supports you and yours with expert solutions for every age and life stage. They just launched two new products exclusively at Walmart. Period. Hero Combats, Bloat, Mood swings and more during PMS and balance Perimeno to support hormonal balance, mood and metabolism during perimenopause. Grab [e-mail] Ollie these statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Sixteen years from today, Gregg Gerstner will finally land the perfect cannonball Epic Splash Unsuspecting friends A work of art only possible because Greg is already meeting all these same people at AARP volunteer and community events that keep him active and involved and help make sure his happiness lives as long as he does. That's why the younger you are, the more you need AARP. Learn more at aarp.org local the victims were doing absolutely nothing and may not have seen a chemin at all.

[Harold Dow]

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

[Haley Seal]

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?

[Harold Dow]

Dana Volley says did not ask many questions and did not seem concerned. She would later say she was very upset on that call, but only Volley'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 date different officer's voicemail hi, my name.

[Haley Seal]

Is Dana Chandler and I got a very disturbing phone call last night. Someone had said that my cousin had been killed and I'm just calling to to see if that's true or not.

[Harold Dow]

Dana 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 Dana Chandler became the main suspect. Detective Volley decided to talk with Chandler in person, recording this audio four days after the murders.

[Haley Seal]

Tell me about what happened on six. I got up and I had my morning coffee.

[Harold Dow]

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

[Haley Seal]

She said she'd been at home Saturday morning, that's July 6th, and then made a couple of errand stops.

[Harold Dow]

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

[Haley Seal]

She'd fought two 5 gallon gas cans as well.

[Harold Dow]

Volley 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 Volley, Dana had also said after running those errands, she went home to her Denver apartment, didn't have any.

[Haley Seal]

Visitors, no contact with anybody, and the next day got up and went for a drive in the mountains at 10 o' clock in the morning.

[Harold Dow]

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

[Haley Seal]

The particular person that I had view that tape, looked at every frame slowly. She was never there.

[Harold Dow]

Investigators also reviewed Dana's cell phone records. They said that while she tended to use her cell phone frequently, she oddly had no activity around the time of the murders.

[Haley Seal]

What we found was there was a 27 hour window where her phone wasn't used.

[Harold Dow]

Still, there was no DNA, no fingerprints or other forensic evidence to tie Dana 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 Dana would go on to say she didn't even own a gun. But family members remained convinced that Dana was responsible for the murders. They say they pushed to have a meeting with then DA Robert Hecht. Tim Sisco, Mike's brother.

[Haley Seal]

I specifically went into this meeting wanting to know if he would pursue a circumstantial. And the answer was, without that murder weapon, we don't have enough hard evidence to move this forward.

[Harold Dow]

Mike's and Karen's families grew increasingly frustrated and decided to take action, looking for more information about Dana's possible involvement in the murders.

[Haley Seal]

I put her picture up everywhere. Have you seen this person?

[Harold Dow]

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

[Haley Seal]

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

[Harold Dow]

They found nothing. But Haley, Dana and Mike's daughter, was also working the case.

[Haley Seal]

I felt the need to do something. I didn't want to just sit back with my hands tied and helpless.

[Harold Dow]

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

[Haley Seal]

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. Well, number one, I didn't do it. And number one. Number two, I don't know what happened. Haley.

[Harold Dow]

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

[Haley Seal]

Why did it have no calls in the hell time you knew it could be traced. I was in the mountains. I didn't have a signal.

[Harold Dow]

Dana insisted she had nothing to do with the murders, but did say she had violent thoughts about Mike. I thought I could kill him.

[Haley Seal]

Ever think about killing him? No. But I did. But honestly, I go over it with you.

[Harold Dow]

The official investigation, though, seems stalled, so authorities asked Vernon Gebrith, the 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 Gebirth 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 Dana Chandler.

[Haley Seal]

Did you know anything about the death of Michael and Karen? I have no idea what happened. Michael and Karen.

[Harold Dow]

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 Dana Chandler. With our cameras rolling, laid eyes on her. This morning, law enforcement zeroed in on Dana 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, Dana Chandler was in custody, charged with the murders of Mike Sisco and Karen Harkness.

[Haley Seal]

I hit a point where I didn't know if justice would ever be served.

[Harold Dow]

For Haley, who was convinced her mother killed her father. Dana's arrest was nearly a decade in the making.

[Haley Seal]

It was such a feeling that it was unbelievable.

[Harold Dow]

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

[Haley Seal]

I made it this far. I can do anything. All right.

[Harold Dow]

In March 2012, Dana Chandler went on trial. Jackie Spradling, then chief deputy da, began by referring to those conversations Haley had taped years earlier with her mother.

[Haley Seal]

I Could kill him. I thought about killing him. These are the words of this defendant about her ex husband, Mike Sisco.

[Harold Dow]

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

[Haley Seal]

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.

[Harold Dow]

But there is no recording of that call. 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 Dana Chandler was all speculation that there is no evidence that places Dana Chandler in or.

[Haley Seal]

Near the Harkness residence on July 6 or 7, 2002.

[Harold Dow]

But to authorities, there was the question about exactly where Dana was during that time. Detective Volley says she told him she was home Saturday the night of the murders and then drove through the mountains the next day. But Dana's business acquaintance, Jeff Bailey testified Dana told him something different, that she slept in her car in the mountains the Saturday night of the murders. She told me that the story she.

[Haley Seal]

Was giving me was the truth and the story that she'd given to the law enforcement was not the truth.

[Harold Dow]

And prosecutors told the jury Dana did not use her cell phone for 27 hours the weekend of the murders. Remember, Haley accused her mother of trying to avoid being tracked. Volley found another instance when Dana didn't use her phone a month before the murders.

[Haley Seal]

There were no calls registered. There were some calls came to the phone, but none were picked up.

[Harold Dow]

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

[Haley Seal]

She had gone to Mike's house through the window. Nobody was home. What else did she tell you? That she had gone and sat outside Karen's house.

[Harold Dow]

Spradling says Dana was obsessed with Mike and presented evidence that in the six months leading up to the murders, she called Mike and Karen more than 600 times. The defense argued Dana was calling to talk to her kids. But Haley remembered her mother's calls differently.

[Haley Seal]

What was the thing that she talked to you the most about? She talked about my dad a lot. And I really feel like she was really just obsessed with him.

[Harold Dow]

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

[Haley Seal]

3, she made 17 calls in 18 minutes.

[Harold Dow]

Both of Dana's children testified for the prosecution, saying that their mother also had a History of stalking their father.

[Haley Seal]

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 gonna be her little helpers. She asked if I would 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. Did you? I did. Okay. What was it that she was looking at in there? I think that she was thinking there was a lady in there with my dad.

[Harold Dow]

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

[Haley Seal]

I ran into a girl that had run out of gas at an AA meeting, and so I went and got work for her. She asked people money, and we don't give people money at aa.

[Harold Dow]

Prosecutor Spradling told the jury that she believed Chandler used those two 5 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. Did you or any other members of the Topeka Police Department ever find an eyewitness that put the defendant, Dana Chandler.

[Haley Seal]

In Topeka, Kansas, on either July 6th or July 7th, 2002? No.

[Harold Dow]

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

[Haley Seal]

Patty was shown a picture of the defendant. Patty indicated that she was 70% sure that that was the woman who had been there.

[Harold Dow]

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 looks 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 Dana was ever there. There wasn't any receipt from Waukeni, was there?

[Haley Seal]

No.

[Harold Dow]

And Bennett questioned whether Detective Volley investigated other suspects, like two men with criminal records who had stolen checks from Mike Sisko and cached one after the murders.

[Haley Seal]

That didn't make him a suspect. 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.

[Harold Dow]

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. All this time they've been trying to put her in Kansas when this happened, and for nine and a half years.

[Haley Seal]

I've come up dry.

[Harold Dow]

Spradling reminded the jury of Dana's stalking behavior and tried to make sure they knew just how scared Mike was of Dana. She said Mike had gotten a protection from abuse order against Dana, so he.

[Haley Seal]

Got a court order saying she has to stay away. The protection from abuse order did not stop the defendant that after two weeks.

[Harold Dow]

Of testimony, it took the jury 83 minutes to reach a verdict.

[Haley Seal]

Defendant would please stand. We the jury find the defendant guilty of the crime of murder in the first degree as charged in count one. I feel better in the sense that my dad's killer is paying for for their actions. I don't feel better that my mom is capable of killing my dad.

[Harold Dow]

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

[Haley Seal]

We each have a deep scar in our souls from what this monster has done.

[Harold Dow]

But Chandler would also get a chance to speak.

[Haley Seal]

But most importantly, I deny that I murdered Mike or Karen. I am innocent. I did not murder Mike or Karen.

[Harold Dow]

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

[Haley Seal]

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[Harold Dow]

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[Haley Seal]

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[Harold Dow]

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[Haley Seal]

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[Haley Seal]

A lot of my mind has been focused on her getting away with killing my dad and just drags me down.

[Harold Dow]

For years, Haley seals thoughts were consumed with proving her mother came killed her father, Mike Sisko and Karen Harkness. With Dana Chandler in prison, Haley was relieved she could concentrate on other things. But her relief was tinged with pain.

[Haley Seal]

I want to focus on my future and what I want to do with my life. I want to be everything my mom was.

[Harold Dow]

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

[Haley Seal]

My God of 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. And that is just a blatant misstatement.

[Harold Dow]

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

[Haley Seal]

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.

[Harold Dow]

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

[Haley Seal]

I think that Ms. Chandler never had an opportunity at a fair trial from the get go.

[Harold Dow]

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

[Haley Seal]

The Kansas Supreme Court held that it's so bad that we're going to go ahead and overturn her conviction.

[Harold Dow]

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

[Haley Seal]

She drove directly up to Nebraska, and after she gets on Nebraska, she turns around and goes home. They just kind of hypothesized, well, she must have went up and went over from Nebraska. There was no evidence of that at all.

[Harold Dow]

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

[Haley Seal]

We argued insufficiency of evidence as an issue for appeal.

[Harold Dow]

Meaning you don't think prosecutors had enough to make a legitimate case.

[Haley Seal]

Jurors didn't have enough evidence before them. If you took out all the evidence that should have never been presented or told to them incorrectly.

[Harold Dow]

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

[Haley Seal]

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

[Harold Dow]

Either way, there's an injustice.

[Haley Seal]

Right? So that conduct is going to affect someone.

[Harold Dow]

The court did decide, though, there was sufficient evidence to retry Dana Chandler if the district attorney chose to.

[Haley Seal]

When I found out that this Kansas Supreme Court overturned the verdict, it was very shocking. What does this mean? Will the DA's office retry her?

[Harold Dow]

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

[Haley Seal]

No, I've never been angry with her. I think it was an innocent mistake.

[Harold Dow]

Had Jackie not made those comments, we wouldn't be sitting here today. This would be over. Chad Harkness, Karen's son, takes a different view of Jackie Spradling's actions now.

[Haley Seal]

All these years later, we're still having.

[Harold Dow]

To, you know, live through this again.

[Haley Seal]

And it's just. It's not right. It's not fair.

[Harold Dow]

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

[Haley Seal]

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.

[Harold Dow]

Pursuing that would take years. Dana Chandler remained incarcerated. She and her defense lawyers argued she should be set free and fought against having another trial. What were those years like?

[Haley Seal]

Unbelievable.

[Harold Dow]

For Haley, the delays seemed endless. Dana 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.

[Haley Seal]

She went through seven lawyers in that time. Between representing herself, there were also dozens.

[Harold Dow]

Of hearings, including one where Haley was called to testify. And Dana did the questioning.

[Haley Seal]

She took me on the stand for at least 45 minutes, and she directly questioned me.

[Harold Dow]

What was that like?

[Haley Seal]

It was the most awful thing I've ever. I mean, the suspect and the killing of my dad is now having the power to question me on the stand and talk to me.

[Harold Dow]

Not just a suspect in the killing of your dad, your own mother.

[Haley Seal]

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it was awful.

[Harold Dow]

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

[Haley Seal]

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. Two innocent people were murdered. In our community, that demands justice.

[Harold Dow]

Although Dana Chandler's conviction had been overturned, prosecutors were were determined to retry her for the murders of Mike Sisko and Karen Harkness. By 2021, the organization Miracle of Innocence got involved, advocating for Dana. Dana Chandler was someone who we believed in her innocence.

[Haley Seal]

When we looked at the case, the.

[Harold Dow]

Facts was just nothing connected this lady to the crime. Darrell Burton is the co founder of Miracle of Innocence. He's someone who is 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 Dana Chandler. There's no evidence, no fingerprint, no DNA, no confession, no weapon, no witnesses, nothing. When it comes to, you know, these.

[Haley Seal]

Kinds of crimes of murder, you just got to have more than that.

[Harold Dow]

Dana and her attorneys also raised other issues as they tried to get the case dismissed. Some allegations related to the 200948 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 Sisko and Karen Harkness. 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?

[Haley Seal]

I don't think it was 48 hours. 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.

[Harold Dow]

But Stacey Schlimmer, Dana's former appeal attorney, does take issue with the handling of the 2011 arrest and the show of force. You've seen Dana Chandler's arrest many times, right? And it bothers you?

[Haley Seal]

It bothers me a lot.

[Harold Dow]

48 hours, as well as the Topeka Capital Journal, were given advance notice of the arrest by the office of then DA Chad Taylor. Are you bothered by law enforcement or are you bothered by the fact that there were cameras there?

[Haley Seal]

I'm bothered by the prosecutor. I'm bothered by the district attorney showing up at an arrest and having that arrest filmed.

[Harold Dow]

So they wanted video of law enforcement with their guns out.

[Haley Seal]

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.

[Harold Dow]

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 Dana Chandler. She said she would only agree to an interview if CBS paid her million dollar bond. We declined. Never thought we'd be sitting here again and getting ready to start a Retrial on this, it's just mind blowing. Chad Harkness, Karen's son, was relieved the DA's office decided to retry Dana Chandler, but was concerned about going through this yet another time. Just us kids having to relive this again.

[Haley Seal]

And it just makes me sick.

[Harold Dow]

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

[Haley Seal]

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.

[Harold Dow]

The passage of time has left Haley with so much loss. Loss she holds her mother responsible for and as a mom herself. Having married her high school boyfriend, Chris, Haley's feelings are even more complicated. When you think of your mom, do you think Mother or do you think Dana?

[Haley Seal]

I think Dana. Yeah, she's Dana to me. Actually, mom is 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.

[Harold Dow]

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

[Haley Seal]

Start by stating my name. My name is Dana Chandler. I, as everyone knows, have been accused of double homicide. And I am innocent.

[Harold Dow]

Next.

[Haley Seal]

My dad and his fiance were shot and killed. Whoever it was that did this hated these people.

[Harold Dow]

Three trials.

[Haley Seal]

Is my mom capable of killing my dad? My dad. And finally a verdict.

[Harold Dow]

Your mom scares you?

[Haley Seal]

Yeah.

[Harold Dow]

Stay tuned for part two tomorrow.

[Haley Seal]

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[Haley Seal]

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[Haley Seal]

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[Haley Seal]

Matter how good your team is, you're not good enough.

[Harold Dow]

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[Haley Seal]

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