Dana Chandler must stand trial a third time — but not in Shawnee County

There is sufficient evidence to try Dana Chandler a third time in a pair of 2002 homicides, a Shawnee County judge ruled Thursday afternoon, but that trial must take place elsewhere after “extensive media coverage” has tainted the pool of available jurors in Shawnee County.

Further, Shawnee County District Court Judge Cheryl Rios ruled that Chandler, who has been incarcerated since her 2011 arrest, may post a bond of $350,000 — much lower than the original $1 million bond set ahead of her August retrial.

The sudden rulings came at a status hearing Thursday, weeks after a jury deadlocked 7-5 on convicting Chandler, far short of the unanimous decision required to convict her of the 2002 killings of her ex-husband Mike Sisco and his fiancée Karen Harkness.

While a majority of jurors believed she likely had committed the killings, not enough believed prosecutors had risen above the level of reasonable doubt needed to convict.

More:Shawnee County DA will seek third murder trial against Dana Chandler, legal filing shows

It was not immediately clear if Chandler had sufficient funds to post the 10% cash required in Kansas for bail, but as a condition of any potential release, Rios required Chandler to live with her nephew in Olathe, wear a GPS monitor, report to a court supervisor, abstain from using any alcohol or drugs, and not communicate with any of the victims’ family members or trial witnesses, save for Chandler’s siblings and nephew.

Rios also granted defense attorney Tom Bath’s request for a new venue, given what Rios said was an excessive amount of media coverage during the August retrial. She said while the court was ultimately able to find 17 jurors out of a pool of more than 700, the trial had barely made it to the end “by the skin of its teeth” after a few jurors were inadvertently exposed to external coverage of the trial.

More:Jurors split 7-5 on convicting Dana Chandler. Two members shared why they couldn't vote 'guilty.'

Rios had initially granted Bath’s request to schedule a trial in Johnson County, Deputy District Attorney Charles Kitt pointed out that that decision is made by a higher court. A status conference on the trial relocation is set for Oct. 11.

Chandler’s third trial is tentatively scheduled to start Feb. 6, 2022, and it should again last four weeks.

Rafael Garcia is an education reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached at rgarcia@cjonline.com or by phone at ‪785-289-5325. Follow him on Twitter at @byRafaelGarcia.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Dana Chandler will face third trial for 2002 killings in February