ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Sandra Hemme, who spent 43 years behind bars for a murder she did not commit, is suing the city of St. Joseph, Missouri, over allegations that police concealed and manipulated evidence that led to her wrongful conviction. Her case, release, and subsequent lawsuit have shed light on broader patterns of resistance by Missouri authorities to claims of innocence, according to Hayley Bedard of the Death Penalty Information Center.
“Sandra Hemme walked free from a Missouri prison in July 2024 after 43 years behind bars for a murder she did not commit,” Bedard wrote.
NBC News reported that Hemme’s release came only after a judge threatened to hold Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey in contempt for continuing to block her release despite strong evidence of her innocence.
Sam Zeff of KCUR noted, “Hemme served the longest sentence of any wrongly convicted woman in American history.” Zeff also reported that the lawsuit stated Hemme was not in St. Joseph at the time of the 1980 murder.
Following her release, Hemme filed a lawsuit against the city of St. Joseph and eight police officers involved in her case for malicious prosecution. She alleged that “officers fabricated evidence and coerced her confession while she was heavily medicated in a psychiatric hospital.”
“There was never any objective evidence tying Ms. Hemme to the crime,” the lawsuit states, instead pointing to former police officer Michael Holman as the individual responsible for the 1980 murder of Patricia Jeschke.
Tom McArthur of BBC News added, “Holman’s truck was seen in the area the day of the murder, his alibi could not be corroborated, and he used Patricia Jeschke’s credit card after claiming he found it in a ditch.”
According to the Death Penalty Information Center, police obstruction and manipulation of evidence further distorted the Jeschke investigation. They reported that Holman possessed items belonging to the victim, including her earrings and a credit card he attempted to use.
“Following the crime, police interrogated Ms. Hemme while she was under the influence of a powerful antipsychotic and in a state hospital,” the Death Penalty Information Center wrote.
“She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in April 1981,” they reported. “Ms. Hemme eventually moved to withdraw this guilty plea, and in a 1985 retrial, she was resentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for at least 50 years.”
Bedard also reported that files from the St. Joseph Police Department were only turned over to Hemme’s counsel after a lengthy delay. When finally received, the evidence further pointed to Holman as the primary suspect.
In a more than 100-page filing submitted by Hemme’s counsel, statements from a psychiatrist revealed that her mental illness and the medications she was prescribed made her vulnerable to giving a false confession.
After a review of the petition and delayed evidence, Judge Ryan Horsman reversed Hemme’s conviction, describing her as a victim of “manifest injustice,” a legal term used when an outcome is clearly and fundamentally unfair.
Despite this, the Death Penalty Information Center noted that Attorney General Bailey’s office “fought her release and only agreed to allow her to walk free after threats of contempt from Judge Horsman.”
CBS News confirmed that “Judge Horsman also scolded Bailey’s office for calling the warden and telling prison officials not to release Hemme after he ordered her to be freed on her own recognizance.”
CBS also reported that Attorney General Bailey actively delayed Hemme’s release by filing court motions that could have extended her incarceration by years.
“Once the courts have spoken, the courts should be obeyed,” CBS quoted Michael Wolff, a former Missouri Supreme Court judge.
The Death Penalty Information Center also drew parallels between Hemme’s case and that of Marcellus Williams. In that case, Attorney General Bailey pushed for an execution date despite DNA evidence casting serious doubt on Williams’ guilt.
Despite pleas from 1.5 million people on social media, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson denied Williams’ clemency petition, and Williams was executed.
Though Hemme is no longer incarcerated, BBC News reported she still faces considerable obstacles. After spending the majority of her life in prison, she needs financial assistance and is ineligible for Social Security.
