A Missouri judge has overturned the conviction of Sandra Hemme, a woman who has spent 43 years behind bars for a 1980 killing. Hemme was a psychiatric patient at the time and incriminated herself in the crime. Her attorneys argue that the actual perpetrator was a now-discredited police officer named Michael Holman. Judge Ryan Horsman ruled that Hemme had established evidence of actual innocence and must be freed within 30 days unless prosecutors retry her. Her trial counsel was deemed ineffective, and prosecutors failed to disclose evidence that could have helped her case. This is believed to be the longest time a woman has been incarcerated for a wrongful conviction, and her attorneys are seeking her immediate release.
Hemme was found heavily sedated and shackled in leather wrist restraints when she was first questioned about the death of Patricia Jeschke, a 31-year-old library worker. Her lawyers from the Innocence Project allege that authorities ignored Hemme’s contradictory statements and suppressed evidence that implicated Holman in the murder. The judge pointed out that there was no evidence connecting Hemme to the crime besides her unreliable statements, while evidence directly tied Holman to the crime scene. Hemme’s attorneys are dedicated to dismissing the charges against her and reuniting her with her family after enduring a grave injustice for more than four decades.
The case dates back to November 1980 when Jeschke was found dead in her apartment. Hemme became a suspect after appearing at a nurse’s home carrying a knife and exhibiting unusual behavior. She was taken into custody and subsequently accused of the murder, despite her psychiatric condition and the use of antipsychotic drugs that impacted her ability to comprehend the interrogations. Hemme initially accused another man of the crime but later confessed to being the lone killer. However, police started to consider Holman, a former police officer whose actions raised suspicions, like using Jeschke’s credit card and lying about his truck being stolen.
Holman’s involvement in the case was further highlighted when police found stolen jewelry belonging to another woman in his possession, as well as a pair of earrings that belonged to Jeschke. Despite these findings, the investigation into Holman abruptly ended, and many details were not shared with Hemme’s attorneys. Feeling desperate, Hemme pleaded guilty to capital murder in exchange for avoiding the death penalty, but her guilty plea was not immediately accepted due to her inability to provide detailed information about the crime. She was eventually convicted in 1985 after a trial where jurors were not informed of the coercive interrogations she had endured.
Larry Harman, an attorney who helped Hemme get her initial guilty plea thrown out, believed in her innocence and criticized the failure of the system to protect her rights. Hemme expressed her frustration and hopelessness in letters to her parents, stating that she was tired of fighting for her innocence. Her attorneys are determined to prove her innocence and seek her release after decades of imprisonment. The case sheds light on the flaws in the criminal justice system and the importance of ensuring fair trials and full disclosure of evidence to prevent wrongful convictions.
