She Was Convicted of Murder. Then the Court Found This.

A prosecutor told jurors that a judge had already tried to protect Mike Sisco from his ex-wife. Years later, the Kansas Supreme Court found that the protection-from-abuse order described to the jury did not exist. But overturning Dana Chandler's convictions did not end the case. Mike Sisco and Karen Harkness were found dead in Topeka, Kansas, on July 7, 2002. The investigation led to disputed accounts of a weekend, hundreds of calls, gas cans, missing forensic connections, and three trials spanning more than a decade. This episode follows the evidence, the arguments made about it, and the decisions that sent the case back to court: 2012: Chandler was convicted of both murders. April 6, 2018: The Kansas Supreme Court reversed those convictions because prosecutorial misconduct denied her a fair trial. The court permitted a retrial; it did not acquit her. September 1, 2022: The second trial ended with a hung jury and no verdict. March 7, 2025: A third jury convicted Chandler of both murders. June 3, 2025: She received two consecutive life sentences, with a combined minimum of 50 years before parole eligibility and credit for time already served. Chandler maintains her innocence. Appeal status in this episode reflects reporting dated September 22, 2026, which described her as pursuing an appeal. Which detail changed your understanding most: the changing account of the weekend, the fuel evidence, or the protection order that was never issued? Subscribe to tiny exit for true stories told through the evidence and the questions it leaves behind. CHAPTERS 00:00 The claim that unraveled 00:56 Mike Sisco and Karen Harkness 02:27 The calls and the missing connection 03:36 The 27-hour gap 05:00 The gas cans and the fuel question 05:54 A disputed stop in Kansas 06:41 What the forensic evidence showed 07:31 The first trial 08:31 The protection order that never existed 09:45 Convictions reversed, retrial allowed 10:21 The second trial and a late witness 11:25 Six days, no verdict 12:01 Chandler defends herself 13:17 The verdict and the three outcomes