To a certain group of people, particularly those active on social media, when a new true crime documentary drops, it's a very good day. That's because it offers a new topic to deep dive on, to obsess over, to discuss the twists and turns of a case. Well, HBO just gave us a new documentary to go crazy over, and it's called A Killer Story. (And yes, this writer is one of those people in that particular group of people on the internet.) A limited documentary series directed by Matthew Galkin, A Killer Story follows investigative journalist Joe Sexton as he looks into the case of convicted murderer Dana Chandler, who was found guilty of murdering her ex-husband, Mike Sisco, and his girlfriend, Karen Harkness, in 2002 in Topeka, Kansas.
The lack of evidence in her conviction is what piqued Sexton's interest, but it was also the work two citizen sleuths put into investigating the case that guided much of his reporting. Their work, and the dysfunction of the original prosecution, helped Chandler win a new trial, then another. Sexton is candid about how reluctant he was to take the case seriously at first.
"It took another three thousand emails to get me off my ass," he tells Newsweek’s Parting Shot Podcast of Eileen Umbehr, the citizen sleuth behind the tip who sent Sexton thousands of emails about the case. The journey this story takes is what makes it so compelling, and Sexton anchors its head-scratching realities. "I think Eileen has now invested so many hours and so many years in creating her own theories and certainties that I think it would be too painful for her to actually concede that she might have been wrong," he says.
Ultimately, this documentary is more than just a story about Chandler's innocence or guilt. It's also about Umbehr, the citizen sleuth who stood by Chandler until almost the end. (It's complicated. You're going to have to watch the series to understand.) Sexton spoke with Newsweek about A Killer Story.
Below is an edited and condensed transcript of the conversation. Listen to or watch the full chat on the Parting Shot podcast. How did you even open the email?
There are so many emails I miss. There's an embarrassing story behind it. One of the worst things that can happen in a newsroom is to have the editor in chief forward you an email.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
