Killer Thriller Docu: A Killer Story: A Murder, a Conviction, and Decades of Doubt
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What is the murder case of Dana Chandler and why does it still have unanswered questions?
This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed human. In 1986, a man named Scott Macklem was killed in broad daylight. Police quickly found their suspect. Prosecutors convicted him. But now, almost 40 years later, I'm reexamining this case. I really didn't believe any of it was real. And I was like, well, they're going to figure out this is not me. They're going to do their police job. Has the wrong man been in prison this whole time? Listen to Examined, The Backfire Effect, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Hi guys, I'm Jen Fessler. Welcome back to Killer Thriller Docu-Edition. So two people are murdered. A woman is convicted and sentenced to life. But years later, a group of amateur sleuths become convinced police got the wrong person and their investigation uncovers a possible alternative suspect. After six years digging into the case, the filmmakers behind a killer story still don't have a simple answer. In fact, they say they wouldn't have convicted Dana Chandler. So did they get it wrong? Today, director Matthew Galkin and executive producer Josh Levine take us inside a killer story and the murder investigation that refuses to stay buried. Thank you for joining.
Our pleasure. Thanks for having us.
So here's the thing. I loved this documentary, and I don't say that to everyone. Just in case you're wondering, I thought it was so great. I thought it was great for so many reasons. I mean, I always say that my cuts are kind of gross, right? It's about people being murdered. So there's that. But the way the story was so captivating and just even like, I don't know, I kind of fell for Joe Sexton. I thought he was so funny and so Maybe because he dropped the F-bomb constantly, which I sort of like. I just thought he was fascinating to watch and to listen to. And I don't know, the whole thing, I thought. And really, unfortunately, though, very unsatisfying at the end. But
I don't think there's
anything you could have done about that. But all right, let's just kind of jump in, please. Tell me what led you guys to this story. Why a killer story?
I mean, I was reached out to by Story Syndicate, who's the production company that ultimately produced the documentary. This had started with Joe Sexta actually receiving the tip from Eileen. I mean, the whole genesis of this project was literally how it was portrayed in the series. So Joe brought it to Story Syndicate because I think he realized quite early on that there is a great... you know, he's a journalist. So like, I think his first thought is like, OK, well, this could be a great series of articles or a great book or a great piece of long form journalism. But he saw the layers in here that were very specifically about true crime TV. in True Crime Entertainment. And I think his initial thought is like, oh, I should bring this to a production company that I have a previous relationship with.
And Story Syndicate is Liz Garbus' and Dan Kogan's production company. It's great, you know, sort of top of the mountain for documentary work. So he brought it there. They called me. I instantly called Josh Levine. You know, we were both incredibly drawn in and, The details of the case are certainly interesting, but then when you meet Joe Sexton and you realize what a phenomenal journalistic voice and character he is and what
I'm so glad it wasn't just me okay
no no no god and then what kind of lens he can provide you know we were both kind of film nerds in a lot of ways and there's there was a lot of there are a lot of layers to the story that that reminded us of film noir of crime stories from mid-20th century there's sort of cone brothers aspects to this story. We're all just sort of like, okay, this could be stylistically very interesting and rich for us to explore. I'll let Josh sort of continue that.
Well, let me just, I'm just going to jump in if you don't mind, because I made these notes. There were so many in terms of stylistically it was even like when you guys zoomed in i remember at the beginning um in the town on the sign that just said like museum and you know what i'm talking about and it was like
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the murder case of Dana Chandler and why does it still have unanswered questions?
0:00–5:19
2
How did the filmmakers first become interested in turning this story into a documentary?
5:19–9:07
3
What role did the amateur sleuths Keenan and Eileen play in reopening the investigation?
9:07–14:43
4
Why did the production team decide to include Joe Sexton’s perspective in the series?
14:43–19:08
5
How did the third trial’s unexpected turn affect the narrative of the documentary?
19:08–23:23
6
What evidence (or lack thereof) makes Dana Chandler’s guilt or innocence uncertain?
23:23–27:59
7
Why do the creators believe the story will likely remain unsolved forever?
27:59–32:47
8
What insights do the hosts and guests share about the intersection of true‑crime storytelling and real‑life justice?
32:47–37:28
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes Present
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Killer Thriller: Two Dead Parents, Two Buried Bodies and One Family Secret
Hayden Panettiere’s Rep Speaks Out Over “Unverified Hearsay And Conflicting Reports”
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