A Killer Story – Review | HBO Docuseries

A KILLER STORY on HBO Max is a true crime docuseries in three parts. The episodes are released weekly, and I was hooked instantly. No matter how you feel about this particular case – which I was not familiar with – it is a wild ride. Not least in terms of how deeply the media can impact a case. Read our A Killer Story docuseries review here!

A KILLER STORY is an HBO True Crime Docuseries with three episodes. It’s a quick watch, but with the episodes releasing weekly, you can’t binge-watch it. Well, unless you wait until September 24, 2026, when the last episode is out.

I am not able to wait, as I find this extremely interesting and fascinating. In fact, if I had gotten my hands on screeners of the entire docuseries ahead of time, I would absolutely have binge-watched the entire thing in one sitting.

Continue reading our A Killer Story docuseries review below. Start watching on HBO Max now.

True Crime documentary with a sharp edge

I find that A Killer Story is very well-made in terms of production quality. And no, this is not always a given. Some of the productions look very cheap, and it’s all about cashing in on whatever case has been talked about the most recently.

This is something very different.

In fact, it has a somewhat quirky and satirical approach, which I appreciated. Especially as this was the case while also being very respectful about the victims. The main question of this true crime case is whether someone was wrongfully convicted. If this is the case, they are a third victim of this case rather than the perpetrator.

Also, it would mean that the actual killer has gotten away with a double homicide. Both angles – the potentially innocently convicted and the killer that got away – have the focus of true crime enthusiasts, who have dedicated their lives to ensuring justice.

Double-murder and triple-trial in Kansas

A Killer Story covers the 2002 double-murder case of Mike Sisco and Karen Harkness. It was controversial from the very beginning, as only one person was really investigated as the killer. This person was Dana Chandler, the ex-wife of Mike Sisco. When the police questioned friends and family of Mike Sisco and Karen Harkness, everyone pointed to her as the most obvious killer.

However, getting her convicted was not easy.

Until it was.

All it really took was seven years of trying to get the district attorney to take on the case. He refused again and again, but then came a new district attorney, and (more importantly!) a true crime TV show that focused on this double murder. They went along with the obvious choice and suddenly Dana Chandler, who hadn’t officially been named a suspect, was on national television with her name and face.

This appeared to be enough for a trial. No new evidence had shown up, but now that it was on TV, it appeared to be a slam-dunk case.

Then again, not so much that it didn’t also require that the prosecutor fabricated evidence. Oh yeah, in episode 1, the court of appeals gets the Assistant DA to admit that key pieces of evidence never existed. It’s absolutely grotesque, but it will not help Dana Chandler get out of prison.

Overall, there will be three trials trying to get Dana Chandler convicted for this double murder. Whether she did it or not, the circumstances are grotesque, and the evidence is severely lacking.

Start watching A Killer Story on HBO Max now

The HBO Original true-crime docuseries comes from director Matthew Galkin (Kevorkian, One Night in Idaho: The College Murders) and executive producer Joshua Levine (Maternal Instinct, Murder in the Bayou). Also, there are some powerhouse executive producers on board. They include Liz Garbus, Dan Cogan, and Jon Bardin. It’s a Story Syndicate production, and they also produced HBO’s I’ll Be Gone in the Dark and Last Call: When a Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York.

A Killer Story was filmed over six years, and we follow investigative journalist Joe Sexton of The New York Times and ProPublica. He is a multiple Pulitzer Prize winner who tried to avoid getting involved. However, after receiving thousands of emails from Eileen Umbehr, a homemaker turned citizen sleuth, he caved in. All it took was more than 2,000 (yes, two thousand) emails from a woman who would not give up.

Both Eileen and her husband, Keen Umbehr (who has his own amazing backstory), have made it their life mission to fight for Dana Chandler and find the true killer. In the end, Joe Sexton discovers that this truly is A Killer Story. However, the truth is far more elusive than anyone would think. It’s a murder mystery, but also so much more. Will we ever truly know the truth?

Well, you may think you do, but isn’t that part of the problem: If what you think cannot be proven, then there isn’t much of a case. I hate to quote Johnnie Cochran, but the good ol’ “If the glove doesn’t fit, you must acquit”. It absolutely sucks, but that’s the justice system for you. Or, well, it should be according to the law.

A Killer Story premieres on HBO and HBO Max on September 10, 2026.