Sandra Hemme, a Missouri woman, spent 43 years in prison after incriminating herself in a 1980 killing while she was a psychiatric patient. Judge Ryan Horsman overturned her conviction, suggesting that a former police officer may have been the actual killer in the case. Hemme was found to have established evidence of actual innocence and must be released within 30 days unless prosecutors retry her. Her trial counsel was deemed ineffective and prosecutors failed to reveal evidence that could have helped her defense. This case highlights the longest time a woman has been incarcerated for a wrongful conviction.
At the time of the initial questioning about the death of 31-year-old library worker Patricia Jeschke, Hemme was heavily sedated, making it difficult for her to communicate effectively with law enforcement. Her attorneys argued that authorities overlooked contradictory statements made by Hemme and suppressed evidence pointing towards Michael Holman, a former police officer, who was attempting to use Jeschke’s credit card. The judge concluded that there was no evidence connecting Hemme to the crime, while evidence directly tied Holman to the murder scene. Holman passed away in 2015, further complicating the investigation into Jeschke’s death.
Jeschke was found dead in her apartment in 1980, with her hands tied behind her back, a pantyhose wrapped around her throat, and a knife under her head. Hemme became a suspect when she showed up at the home of a nurse with a knife, leading to her questioning by law enforcement. Despite being treated for psychiatric issues, Hemme’s statements were considered unreliable as they frequently changed and incorporated newly uncovered facts. She eventually claimed she witnessed a man named Joseph Wabski commit the murder, but it was later determined that Wabski was in a different location at the time of the crime.
Investigators began to focus on Michael Holman as a suspect after Wabski was cleared of involvement in Jeschke’s death. Holman’s alibi could not be confirmed, and there were suspicious circumstances surrounding his attempt to use Jeschke’s credit card after her body was discovered. Police found stolen jewelry in Holman’s possessions, including a pair of earrings that Jeschke’s father recognized as ones he had bought for her. Despite this evidence, the investigation into Holman abruptly ended, and crucial details were not disclosed to Hemme’s defense team.
Hemme’s legal journey included a guilty plea to capital murder in exchange for avoiding the death penalty, which was initially rejected by the judge for lack of detail. She was convicted in 1985 after a brief trial that did not provide jurors with information about coercive interrogations she had endured. Hemme’s attorney Larry Harman, who later became a judge, helped her to have her guilty plea overturned but she was convicted again in a subsequent trial. Her lawyers argue that the system failed her at every opportunity, leading to her wrongful incarceration for over four decades. Despite the challenges she faced through the legal process, Hemme’s attorneys continue to advocate for the dismissal of charges against her and her eventual reunion with her family.
