US Woman Jailed For Murder She Didn't Commit Walks Free After 43 Years

Sandra Hemme was 20 years old when she was found guilty of murdering a library worker named Patricia Jeschke in November 1980.

Sandra Hemme in the middle with her sister and mother.

Source : Innocence Project

A US woman jailed for 43 years for murder has been released after her conviction was overturned in Missouri. Sandra Hemme was 20 years old when she was found guilty of murdering library worker Patricia Jeschke in November 1980. She was given a life sentence, but has been released now on the grounds that no evidence was found linking her to the crime.

Patricia Jeschke was discovered dead at her home on November 13, 1980. When she didn't report for work, her worried mother climbed through the window of her home and found her nude body lying in a pool of blood. According to the Associated Press, Jeschke's hands were tied behind her back with a telephone cord and a pair of pantyhose was wrapped around her throat.

According to the legal nonprofit Innocence Project, which represented Sandra Hemme, there were no witnesses connecting Hemme to the murder of Jeschke or the crime scene. She had no motive to harm the victim, and there was no evidence indicating that the two ever met. Additionally, no physical or forensic evidence linked Hemme to the killing.

The only evidence they had was Hemme’s unreliable statements, which were taken when she was under heavy antipsychotic medication and a sedative while involuntarily committed to a psychiatric hospital. 

Hemme was shackled and so heavily sedated that she couldn’t hold her head straight or “articulate anything beyond monosyllabic responses” when she was first questioned about the death of Jeschke, the AP reported, citing Innocence Project.

Now 64, Hemme is believed to have spent the longest time a woman has been incarcerated for a wrongful conviction in US history, her attorneys said. 

Undisclosed Evidence & Michael Holman

The court in its ruling said the local police completely ignored the evidence that directly pointed towards one of their own — Michael Holman. A month following the murder, Holman was arrested after he falsely reported his pickup truck being stolen for an insurance payout.

It was the same truck that was spotted near the crime scene. Holman’s alibi was that he had spent the night with a woman at a nearby motel, but it could not be confirmed. Other evidence appeared to link him to Jeschke too. He had used her stolen credit card, saying he found it in a ditch, and a pair of her earrings was reportedly found at his home. The earrings were immediately identified by Jeschke's father as they were a gift from him, AP reported.

None of this was disclosed to Hemme’s defence team at the time, reported BBC. Holman died in 2015.

Hemme Reunites With Family

After her release, Hemme reunited with her family in a park, where she hugged her sister, daughter and granddaughter, reported BBC. Citing the Kansas City Star, BBC reported that Hemme will live with her sister.

Her father has been hospitalised and is receiving palliative care. She plans on visiting him soon. 

Defence lawyer Sean O’Brien, while speaking to the Kansas City Star, said Hemme is going to require help because she spent most of her life in prison and was ineligible for social security. 

Responding to the release, Hemme’s legal team stated, “We are grateful that Ms. Hemme is now, finally, reunited with her family after 43 years. She has spent more than four decades wrongfully incarcerated for a crime she had nothing to do with.”