A Missouri judge declared Sandra Hemme, a 64-year-old woman with a history of mental illness, innocent in the 1980 murder of Patricia Jeschke after she spent more than four decades behind bars. Judge Ryan Horsman ruled Hemme’s innocence as “clear and convincing,” citing unreliable confessions made under severe mental distress and powerful medications, along with substandard defense and prosecutorial misconduct. Despite the ruling, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey is seeking to prevent her immediate release, citing concerns over Hemme’s violent history.
The 118-page petition, reviewed by the Innocence Project, points to Michael Holman, a former St. Joseph police officer with a criminal history, as the likely perpetrator. Holman was found with the victim’s credit card and earrings, and his truck was spotted near the crime scene. However, crucial evidence implicating Holman was not disclosed to Hemme’s defense during her trial, and Holman, who died in 2015, was not thoroughly investigated.
Hemme, labeled as the longest-known wrongfully incarcerated woman in the U.S., was convicted based on statements made under severe psychiatric duress. The Innocence Project emphasized there was no physical or forensic evidence linking Hemme to the crime. As Hemme remains behind bars pending an appeal, her attorneys have filed a motion for her immediate release, arguing she poses no threat to public safety.
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