Latest news with #MyMother'sMurderTrials
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
: Dana Chandler sentenced to life after third murder trial
A Kansas woman was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison for the 2002 murders of her ex-husband and his girlfriend. Judge Cheryl Rios handed down two consecutive life terms to Dana Chandler, 65, who was sentenced in the deaths of Mike Sisco and Karen Harkness. She will not be eligible for parole for 50 years, with credit for about 13 years of time she has already served. Hailey Seel, Chandler and Sisco's daughter, gave a victim impact statement at sentencing. According to The Kansas Reflector, Seel said about her mother in court, "I truly see her now as the evil killer. I hate it. I don't want to call you evil killer, but I can't live in a fairy tale." Seel reportedly recommended the judge to show mercy on Chandler if she confessed to the crime and expressed remorse. But if Chandler continued to deny her involvement, Seel recommended the judge should impose the maximum sentence. The Kansas Reflector reported Chandler continued to deny involvement in the crimes, stating, "I have always maintained my innocence. I continue to maintain my innocence. I was not in Topeka, Kansas, on July 7. I never owned or possessed a 9-millimeter firearm. What is happening in this courtroom is a grave injustice. I was not the one who killed them." Sisco, 47, and Harkness, 53, were each shot multiple times with a 9mm gun on July 7, 2002, in Harkness' Topeka, Kansas, home. Police quickly suspected Chandler after members of the Harkness and Sisco families said she harassed Sisco with bizarre visits and frequent phone calls following their bitter divorce and custody battle. She was questioned by police but was not charged. Chandler has always maintained her innocence. "48 Hours" has been covering the case since 2008, and most recently in "My Mother's Murder Trials" reported by contributor Jim Axelrod. For years, the couple's families met with law enforcement and even conducted their own investigation looking for additional evidence, such as the murder weapon, which was never found. At that time, Shawnee County District Attorney Robert Hecht reportedly said there was not enough evidence to charge Chandler. In 2011, a new DA, Chad Taylor, was in office and made the decision to move the case forward. Dana Chandler was arrested in 2011 and entered not guilty pleas to two counts of first-degree murder. A jury convicted Chandler in 2012, and she was sentenced to life in prison. Six years later, Chandler's convictions were overturned due to prosecutorial misconduct. The Kansas Supreme Court ruled that statements made at Chandler's trial by prosecutor Jacqie Spradling was, in at least one instance, "made-up" and "misleading." Spradling was later disbarred for what the court called "intolerable acts of deception" aimed at the jury and the courts. "48 Hours" reached out to Spradling, but did not receive a response. But the Kansas Supreme Court did not dismiss Chandler's case. It ruled that there was still sufficient evidence for a jury to find Chandler guilty. The decision whether to retry Chandler was up to the new Shawnee County DA Mike Kagay, and he chose to proceed with another trial. Chandler's second trial began in July 2022. Defense attorney Tom Bath argued there was no DNA, fingerprint or hair evidence that placed Chandler inside the Harkness residence, or even in the state of Kansas. Shawnee County Deputy DA Charles Kitt acknowledged the lack of physical evidence and told the jury the case was instead based on jealousy, rage and obsession. The jury in this trial was unable to reach a unanimous decision. After six days of deliberation, the judge announced a hung jury, reportedly with seven votes to convict and five to acquit. Following the hung jury, the judge reduced Chandler's bond, and after being incarcerated for more than a decade, she was released from jail with GPS monitoring. The defense also requested a change of venue for the upcoming trial, which the judge granted. Chandler's third trial got underway in February 2025, in Pottawatomie County, 60 miles from Topeka. On the morning of opening statements, Chandler dismissed her attorneys and announced she would represent herself. At trial, Chandler's children, Hailey Seel and Dustin Sisco — who were teenagers at the time of the murders — testified for the prosecution, as they had done previously. They both believe their mother, Dana Chandler, is responsible for murdering their father, Mike Sisco, and Karen Harkness. They were also questioned by their mother. When it was time to present her case, Chandler testified for approximately 20 hours, spread over seven days. She argued that no one could place her at the scene of the murders, or even in the state of Kansas at the time of the killings, and that she had never owned or possessed a .9mm firearm. Deputy DA Kitt focused on Chandler's obsessive behavior and told the jury she killed Sisco and Harkness because she had lost control of her ex-husband. The jury deliberated nearly four hours before finding Chandler guilty. Hailey Seel says she was relieved by the verdict but hopes that the lives lost are not forgotten. "I do feel like the focus of this case has gone almost completely to Dana Chandler and that the — the victims and the families of the victims has really been lost in this case, which is really sad. And I hope that from here out the — the victims and the families can be remembered more," Seel told "48 Hours." Chandler is filing motions to appeal the conviction. "48 Hours" reached out to Chandler for comment, but did not receive a response. Sneak peek: Where is Jermain Charlo? Baldwin grills McMahon on unallocated funds for students, schools, approved by Congress Hegseth orders Navy to rename USNS Harvey Milk, Jeffries calls it "a complete and total disgrace"
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Massive Saharan dust plume is heading for Florida
Saharan dust is heading toward Florida and could be seen over the state by this weekend, radar shows. Dust is forecast to hit south and central Florida on Saturday and stay for at least several days, according to CBS Miami's NEXT Weather radar. Computer models show that after an initial dust wave, a larger and denser plume could be seen in Florida by the middle of next week, CBS Orlando affiliate WKMG reports. Radar also shows dust over south Texas on Monday. Saharan dust was already seen in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands this week, the National Weather Service in San Juan reported on Tuesday. It noted dust impacts included reduced visibility and hazy skies, and said more dust is forecast to move in Saturday and linger through at least Tuesday. Satellite imagery showed dust above most of the Atlantic's tropical waters on Thursday — spanning all the way from Africa's coast to the Gulf, the National Hurricane Center's Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch said in a post on X. It noted that the dry air suppresses the development of storms. Hurricane season officially starts on Sunday. It is typical for dust to move across the Atlantic every year in early summer, WKMG reports. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says it is called the Saharan Air Layer, which is "a mass of very dry, dusty air that forms over the Sahara Desert during the late spring, summer and early fall." Its activity usually "ramps up" in the middle of June before peaking from late in the month to the middle of August, meteorologist Jason Dunion told NOAA's National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service back in 2020. New "outbreaks" — formed when "ripples" in the atmosphere along the edge of the Sahara Desert kick up dust — can occur every few days and reach as far west as Florida and Texas. Dust sometimes covers areas over the Atlantic as large as the continental United States, Dunion said. The National Weather service said the dust can impact allergies and lead to eye irritation. SpaceX loses contact with its Starship, spins out of control Sneak peek: My Mother's Murder Trials - Part 1 Latest Israeli proposal includes Hamas hostage release timing, temporary ceasefire, official says
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
South African woman gets life sentence for selling her 6-year-old daughter
A South African court on Thursday sentenced a woman to life in prison for kidnapping and selling her six-year-old daughter, in a case that horrified the country. Joshlin Smith went missing in February last year from her home in Saldanha Bay, a fishing town 85 miles north of Cape Town, and has never been found. Her mother, Racquel "Kelly" Smith, was found guilty of kidnapping and selling the young girl, reportedly for 20,000 rand ($1,100). Judge Nathan Erasmus ruled that Smith, 35, and her two co-accused -- a boyfriend and mutual friend -- also be jailed for life for human trafficking. They were all sentenced to a concurrent 10 years imprisonment for kidnapping. "I am also ordering the entry of your names to the child protection register," Erasmus ruled. "There is nothing that I can find that is redeeming and deserving of a lesser sentence than the harshest I can impose," he said. Erasmus said the fact that Smith and her two co-defendants were drug users was no excuse, the Reuters news agency reported. Smith was present in court and sat through the hour-long proceeding with an impassive gaze. The judge said the mother of three was manipulative and had shown "no indication of remorse" or concern over Joshlin's disappearance. The verdict drew cheers in the courtroom. Joshlin's grandmother was also present in court in a white shirt emblazoned with images of the young girl. Dramatic turns after Joshin vanished Smith was initially a figure of sympathy when her child disappeared, sparking a massive nationwide search operation. Photos showing Joshlin's striking green eyes, broad smile and brown pigtails flooded the internet. The case drew national attention, including from a minister who offered a one-million-rand ($54,000) reward for her safe return. But it took a turn when prosecutors alleged that Smith sold her daughter to a traditional healer, who was interested in her eyes and fair complexion. The judge didn't say in his ruling who the girl was sold to or why. Witnesses in the trial, which began in March, included the girl's teacher and a pastor, who said the mother had told him of the planned sale of her child in 2023. Police said on Thursday they had extended the search beyond South Africa's borders. South Africa has one of the highest crime rates in the world and the kidnapping of children is on the rise. There were more than 17,000 kidnappings in South Africa in the 2023/2024 financial year, an 11 percent increase over the previous year, according to police statistics. The data doesn't specify the ages of the victims. SpaceX loses contact with its Starship, spins out of control Mountainous terrain poses challenges in manhunt for ex-police chief who escaped Arkansas prison Sneak peek: My Mother's Murder Trials
