WESTMORELAND — A jury on Friday found Dana Chandler on two counts of murder in the 2002 deaths of her husband and his fiancée in Topeka.

Chandler elected to represent herself in her third trial for the murders of her ex-husband, Michael Sisco, and his fiancée, Karen Harkness on July 7, 2002, in Harkness’ Topeka home.

Chandler had been convicted in 2012, but the conviction was overturned in a 2018 appeals case with the Kansas Supreme Court because of prosecutorial misconduct. She was tried again in 2022, however jurors were unable to reach a verdict and the trial ended with a hung jury.

Because of concerns about media attention, Shawnee County district court judge Cheryl Rios ordered a change in venue, so this trial was in Pottawatomie County. Chandler elected to represent herself this time, excusing defense counsel Tom Bath and Tricia Bath from the case before opening statements were made on Feb. 7.

The state was represented by Shawnee County chief deputy district attorney Charles Kitt and special counsel Dan Dunbar.

Kitt delivered the first part of the state’s closing arguments to the jury, saying that ultimately this case is about control.

Specifically, he argued that Chandler killed Sisco and Harkness after Chandler felt she lost control over her ex-husband and of their shared children, who were teenagers at the time of the murders.

During Chandler’s closing arguments, she reminded the jurors that she as the defendant was under no burden to prove her innocence, and that it was the state’s duty to prove beyond reasonable doubt in order for the jury to find her guilty.

Chandler said the prosecution had come “woefully” short of demonstrating that proof.

The closing arguments were completed by 10:35 a.m., and the jury of 12 were released to deliberate, with four alternate jurors on standby. They reached a verdict after nearly three and a half hours and declared Chandler guilty.

Chandler’s $350,000 bond was revoked, and she was taken into custody.

The judge scheduled a status conference for Chandler on 2 p.m. Thursday.

Upon leaving the court room, family and friends of the victims, many of whom had attended most or all of the trial, were hugging and breathing sighs of relief.