Release of Sandra Hemme after 43 years in prison for murder she didn’t commit – Attorney General tried to keep her behind bars

Woman Released After 43 Years in Prison for Murder She Didn’t Commit

After serving 43 years of a life sentence for a murder she did not commit, Sandra Hemme was finally released from prison on Friday. The 64-year-old woman had been wrongfully convicted for the 1980 stabbing death of library worker Patricia Jeschke in St. Joseph, Missouri.

Despite the efforts of Missouri’s attorney general, Sandra Hemme was reunited with her family at a nearby park after a judge threatened to hold the attorney general’s office in contempt if they continued to fight against her release. Hemme hugged her sister, daughter, and granddaughter, sharing an emotional moment after decades spent behind bars.

According to her legal team at the Innocence Project, Hemme was the longest-held wrongly incarcerated woman in US history. The judge overturned her conviction on June 14, citing “clear and convincing evidence” of her innocence. However, the attorney general continued to fight against her release, leading to a month-long battle in the court system.

During a court hearing on Friday, Judge Ryan Horsman issued a stern warning to the attorney general’s office, stating that if Hemme wasn’t released within hours, he would require the attorney general himself to appear in court. Horsman criticized the attorney general’s office for attempting to ignore court orders and keep Hemme behind bars.

Despite her release, Hemme faces challenges ahead as she will not be eligible for social security due to her long incarceration. Her legal team expressed relief that she was finally free but noted that the delays had caused irreparable harm and emotional distress to her family.

The case drew attention from legal experts and former judges, who expressed shock at the attorney general’s efforts to keep Hemme in prison despite overwhelming evidence of her innocence. The judge who reviewed her case described her as a victim of manifest injustice and criticized the handling of evidence that could have cleared her name.

As Sandra Hemme takes her first steps into freedom after 43 years, the fight for justice continues for others wrongfully imprisoned, shedding light on the flaws in the justice system that can lead to such tragedies.