A 63-year-old woman from United States named Sandra “Sandy” Hemme, who spent over four decades behind bars for a murder she did not commit, has had her conviction overturned after 43 years.
Hemme, based in Missouri was convicted in 1985 after making incriminating statements while she was a psychiatric patient.
According to foreign news outlet, a judge recently determined that there is “clear and convincing” evidence of her innocence.
Hemme, now 63, had been serving a life sentence for the 1980 murder of Patricia Jeschke, a library worker in St Joseph, Missouri.
Her conviction was largely based on her own statements to the police, made while she was a psychiatric patient.
On Friday, Livingston County Circuit Judge Ryan Horsman ruled that evidence directly links the murder of Jeschke to a local police officer, Michael Holman, who was later imprisoned for another crime and has since died.
Judge Horsman stated that Hemme, who has spent the last 43 years incarcerated, must be released within 30 days unless prosecutors decide to retry her.
This decision follows a January hearing where Hemme’s legal team presented evidence connecting the murder to Holman.
Her case, which stands as the longest-known wrongful conviction of a woman in U.S. history, was taken up by the Innocence Project.
They argued that authorities ignored Hemme’s contradictory statements and failed to disclose exculpatory evidence.
Her attorneys expressed gratitude for the court’s recognition of the injustice Hemme endured, stating, “We are grateful to the Court for acknowledging the grave injustice Ms Hemme has endured for more than four decades.”
Initially, Hemme pleaded guilty to capital murder to avoid the death penalty, but her conviction was later overturned on appeal.
In her 1985 retrial, the only evidence against her was a contradictory and factually impossible “confession” made during her psychiatric treatment.
At the time of her initial conviction, Hemme was a 20-year-old undergoing treatment for auditory hallucinations, de-realization, and drug use. Her attorneys highlighted her extensive history of inpatient psychiatric care, which began when she was just 12 years old.
