Sandra Hemme, who spent more than four decades behind bars for a murder she did not commit, has been released after a judge overturned her wrongful conviction. Despite the Attorney General's attempts to keep her imprisoned, Hemme's innocence was established through overwhelming evidence.
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A Missouri woman, Sandra Hemme, who spent 43 harrowing years behind bars for a murder she did not commit, has finally been released after a judge overturned her wrongful conviction. The 64-year-old became the longest-held wrongly incarcerated woman in the United States, a testament to the flaws that can plague the justice system.
Missouri Woman Wrongfully Imprisoned for 43 Years Freed After Conviction Overturned
Her wrongful imprisonment stemmed from a 1980 murder of a 31-year-old library worker, Patricia Jeschke. Hemme, who was a psychiatric patient at the time, incriminated herself during questioning while under the influence of heavy medication.
However, the conviction was overturned last month after Hemme's legal team at the Innocence Project presented compelling evidence of her innocence. A former police officer, Michael Holman, emerged as the likely killer, based on eyewitness accounts, credit card usage, and stolen jewelry found in his possession.
Missouri Woman Wrongfully Imprisoned for 43 Years Freed After Conviction Overturned
Despite the damning evidence against Holman, who died in 2015, Hemme's release was met with resistance from Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, who argued that she posed a safety risk. Bailey cited Hemme's past offenses, including an assault on a prison worker and an incident of "offering to commit violence."
Judge Ryan Horsman rebuked Bailey's arguments, threatening to hold the attorney general's office in contempt. Hemme was finally freed on her own recognizance, prompting criticism from her attorney, Sean O'Brien, who lamented the challenges faced in securing her release.
Missouri Woman Wrongfully Imprisoned for 43 Years Freed After Conviction Overturned
"It was too easy to convict an innocent person and way harder than it should have been to get her out, even to the point of court orders being ignored," O'Brien stated. "It shouldn't be this hard to free an innocent person."
Hemme's initial confession, made while she was heavily medicated, was highly unreliable. Her lawyers argued that she was unable to comprehend the questions and her statements were contradictory. Furthermore, authorities suppressed evidence implicating Holman.
Missouri Woman Wrongfully Imprisoned for 43 Years Freed After Conviction Overturned
The judge noted that "no evidence whatsoever outside of Ms. Hemme's unreliable statements connects her to the crime." In contrast, there was substantial evidence linking Holman to the murder scene and Jeschke's stolen property.
Hemme's case exposes the systemic failures that can result in wrongful convictions. She was vulnerable and mentally ill at the time of her interrogation, making her susceptible to coerced statements.
To avoid the death penalty, Hemme's attorney advised her to plead guilty, despite her innocence. She provided insufficient details at first, but after a recess and coaching, she gave a more detailed confession.
Her guilty plea was later thrown out on appeal, but she was convicted again in 1985 after a one-day trial. Her current attorneys argued that jurors were not informed about the coercive nature of her interrogation.
"The system failed her at every opportunity," said Larry Harman, a former judge who helped Hemme have her initial guilty plea overturned.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
