She was convicted of killing her ex-husband and his girlfriend even though there was no murder weapon, DNA, fingerprints, or forensic evidence. Then two strangers became so sure she was innocent, they put their own lives on hold for years to prove it.
Trailer for “A Killer Story”
You Can’t Make This Sh!t Up
- Eileen Umbehr sent investigative journalist Joe Sexton 2,714 emails about Dana Chandler’s case before one finally got his attention: Chandler’s conviction had been overturned.
- Eileen and her husband Keen didn’t know Dana before the case. But they became so consumed by proving her innocence that they sold 500 acres of family property and Keen closed his law practice so they could work on the case full time.
- At Dana’s third murder trial in 2025, she fired her lawyers on the day of opening statements and represented herself in a double-murder case. She even had to question her own children, who testified for the prosecution and believe she murdered their father.
Watch “A Killer Story”
You can watch “A Killer Story” on HBO Max, Hulu and Prime Video.
Ratings:
- My Rating: 94/100
- IMDB Rating: 7.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: note yet rated (Users);100/100 (Critics)
Director’s Note: Matthew Galkin directed this three-part HBO docuseries. He also directed “One Night in Idaho: The College Murders.” Joe Sexton is also a producer and a huge part of why this works. He’s a veteran investigative journalist who worked at The New York Times and ProPublica.
Release Date: September 10, 2026
Other Unique Stuff
- Dana bought two five-gallon gas cans shortly before the murders. Prosecutors argued they could have helped her make the long drive between Colorado and Kansas while avoiding normal fuel stops. The travel and fuel evidence became a major part of the circumstantial case.
- Police searched along I-70 for anyone who might remember seeing Dana. A truck-stop employee in WaKeeney, Kansas, told investigators she was about 70% certain she had seen Dana there around the time of the murders.
- The Kansas Supreme Court overturned Dana’s convictions in 2018 because of prosecutorial misconduct. One especially serious issue involved the prosecution telling jurors that Mike had obtained a protection-from-abuse order against Dana. The Kansas Supreme Court found that no such order was in the trial record.
Wrap Up:
“A Killer Story” works because it never gives you an easy answer about Dana Chandler. The murder case pulls you in, but the bigger story is how Eileen, Keen and Joe each wrestle with the same question: how sure can you be when the evidence is still full of holes?
Thanks for reading!
Heather Fenty, Guest Writer, Daily Doc