Dana Killed by Husband, Dana Chandler, a woman from Kansas, faced a second trial for the alleged double homicide of her ex-husband and his partner. The trial, which left the daughter of the accused in tears, concluded without a verdict. Following six days of contemplations, the jury failed to agree on the two charges of first-degree murder against Chandler, accused of murdering out of resentment two decades ago.
The victims, Mike Sisco, 47, and Karen Harkness, 53, were reportedly killed in Topeka in July 2002. As per the Topeka Capital-Journal, the jury foreman, Ben Alford, revealed that seven of the twelve jurors were in favor of conviction, but the rest disagreed. Hailey Sisco, the daughter of Chandler and the victim, testified against her mother, convinced of her guilt.
Conversely, Chandler, 62, was seen in the company of her attorney, Tom Bath. A court hearing to decide the future course of action is scheduled for later in the month. Interestingly, Chandler was previously convicted for the same crime in 2012 and was serving a life term before the Kansas Supreme Court due to prosecutorial misconduct overturned her conviction.
The trial was characterized by several delays owing to numerous motions filed by the defense. Prosecutors alleged that Chandler, despite lack of substantial physical evidence, harbored animosity towards Sisco and constantly surveilled the couple. Phone records indicated over 700 calls to Sisco and his partner in the months preceding their deaths. Chandler maintained her innocence, claiming to have been in Colorado during the incident. However, inconsistencies in her account raised suspicions. The case, which had gone cold, received a fresh impetus after being featured in a 2009 episode of CBS’s “48 Hours”.
The Macabre Case of Dana Mackay: Present Whereabouts of John Mackay and Nicole Houchin
Dana Killed by Husband, The gruesome murder of Dana Mackay is re-explored in the Investigation Discovery’s episode ‘Married With Secrets: Sick and Twisted’. Reliving the chilling demise of 42-year-old Dana in July 2013, the episode unravels the horrifying truth of a spouse-orchestrated contract-killing. With a combination of dramatic enactments and firsthand narratives from those close to the case, the episode exposes the sinister motives behind Dana’s murder.
What Led to Dana Mackay’s premature Death?
Dana Mackay, originally from Georgia, was living her life in Williamsburg, Virginia alongside her husband, John Wayne Mackay. A graduate from Branell Business College in Atlanta, Georgia, Dana was employed at Empire Today, a carpet and flooring business in close proximity to her home. On July 27, 2013, Dana’s neighbor decided to visit her after Dana’s mother expressed concerns about her unreachable state. The neighbor was met with a gruesome sight inside the Mackays’ residence.
Dana’s lifeless body lay next to her bed, stark naked, with multiple facial stab wounds and a nearly severed finger. The dead woman bore signs of blunt force trauma and defensive injuries on her arms, suggesting a struggle with the murderer. The investigators found the bedroom door violently broken in and the scene drenched with blood. As is standard procedure, the spouse, in this case, was looked upon as a potential suspect, and as the investigation furthered, this suspicion proved accurate.
Who Was Responsible for Dana Mackay’s Death?
John Mackay, a 42-year-old United States Army staff sergeant stationed at Fort Eustis in Virginia also held a second job at an automotive parts store. It was here that he developed a relationship with the 35-year-old Nicole Houchin. Upon discovery of the affair by Dana in 2013, she expressed intentions to mend her marital relationship. John, however, had different plans in mind. Two days post Dana’s murder, John and Nicole were detained, and their extramarital relationship was confessed. The case took a darker turn henceforth.
Investigations revealed that Dana did not intend to divorce John when she was murdered. Her neighbor, who discovered her lifeless body, noted that Dana was living in fear due to threatening messages and stalking incidents initiated by Nicole. Both John and Nicole confessed to fantasizing about Dana’s death but denied any involvement in her actual murder. A significant breakthrough in the case came when a soldier from the same base as John turned in a mobile phone that John had given him. The phone was receiving emails concerning Dana, which alarmed the soldier and prompted him to report it to the police.
Dana Killed by Husband. Upon inspecting the emails, authorities discovered a disturbing correspondence between John and Nicole. Three days before Dana’s murder, John had asked Nicole if Dana would be dead before his return, promising eternal gratitude and daily demonstrations of appreciation to Nicole who responded with a commitment to expedite the process. Thus, the conspiracy to murder Dana was brought to light.
Dana Killed by Husband, John and Nicole had previously broached the subject of Dana’s murder. Nicole had even reached out to her separated spouse, Nace Houchin, for his assistance. Nace agreed to help them, expecting a payment of $20,000. The conspiracy also involved an automobile parts store employee, 25-year-old Gregory Crawford, who agreed to help under the condition that he would receive payment. When John was in New York, the trio broke into the Mackay residence around 1 AM. Nicole and Gregory remained downstairs, staging a robbery, while Nace ascended the stairs to murder Dana.
John later confessed that during a phone call with Nicole that night, she informed him the deed was done amidst a backdrop of loud screaming. In February 2015, John, Nicole, and Nace pleaded guilty to Dana’s murder, with charges of capital murder and conspiracy to commit murder dropped in exchange for their confession. Gregory pleaded guilty to the conspiracy to commit capital murder. The four were sentenced in January 2016.
