Sandra “Sandy” Hemme, aged 63, has been released from prison in Missouri after spending over four decades incarcerated for a murder she did not commit. The case against Hemme stemmed from her 1980 conviction for the murder of Patricia Jeschke, a St. Joseph library employee. Despite initially pleading guilty to avoid the death penalty, Hemme’s legal troubles persisted through years of appeals and retrials, where her mental health history played a pivotal but controversial role.
A Livingston County circuit judge recently overturned Hemme’s conviction, citing compelling new evidence that strongly suggests her innocence. The judge pointed to false statements coerced from Hemme about her mental health during her initial arrest. Furthermore, new evidence has surfaced linking a local police officer, who has since passed away, to the crime.
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Hemme’s legal team, supported by the Innocence Project, argued that she was heavily medicated and mentally impaired during police interrogations, which led to contradictory statements used against her in court. They allege that critical evidence implicating another suspect, Michael Holman, was suppressed by authorities at the time.
In response to the judge’s decision, Hemme’s lawyers expressed gratitude for the acknowledgment of the grave injustice their client had endured. They emphasized that Hemme’s case stands as the longest-known wrongful conviction of a woman in American history, according to the Innocence Project.
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The ruling mandates Hemme’s release within 30 days unless prosecutors opt to retry the case. This development follows a January evidentiary hearing where Hemme’s legal team presented substantial evidence challenging her earlier conviction.
Source: Vanguard Nigeria
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