Wrongfully convicted Missouri inmate Sandra Hemme was released from prison on Friday after a monthlong battle with the state’s attorney general, who sought to deny the release on procedural and jurisdictional grounds.
Hemme’s release was the culmination of multiple motions and petitions. Circuit Judge Ryan Horsman had overturned Hemme’s conviction, citing withheld exculpatory evidence. However, the state’s attorney general filed a motion to deny her release, arguing that the court lacked jurisdiction and that Hemme posed a danger. This motion was ultimately rejected by the appeals court, prompting Judge Horsman to repeatedly order Hemme’s release. After further legal maneuvering and intervention from the correctional facility, Hemme’s counsel moved to enforce the release order.
The attorney general then sought reconsideration of the release order, asserting that Hemme needed to complete other sentences for incidents occurring during her incarceration. Judge Horsman stood firm and ordered Hemme’s release by 6 pm that Friday, also stating that the attorney general himself must appear in court if the order was defied, as reported by the Associated Press.
Sandra Hemme had been wrongfully convicted in 1980 for the murder of Patricia Jeschke. Judge Horsman found “clear and convincing evidence” of her innocence. It was revealed that she was subjected to unreliable coercion and her conviction was based on statements made while under duress, influenced by antipsychotic medications and restraint. Moreover, significant evidence had been withheld by prosecutors, compromising her defense.
This case was supported by the Innocence Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to overturning wrongful convictions. Since its founding in 1992 at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, the Innocence Project has helped free over 240 individuals.
For more details, refer to the complete article on JURIST.