A US Court has freed a 63-year-old woman, Sandra Hemme from prison after finding out that she was not guilty of the murder crime she was jailed 43 years for.
According to report, Hemme was in 1985 convicted on the basis of incriminating statements she gave to the police against herself. But she was then a psychiatric patient. She was first detained four years earlier.
Hemme was then convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a library worker, Patricia Jeschke. The case happened in 1980 in St Joseph, Missouri.
She had made statements to the police incriminating herself while she was a psychiatric patient.
But in a dramatic twist, Livingston County Circuit Judge Ryan Horsman has now found that a new evidence presented by Hemme’s legal team shows that Jeschke was killed by a local police officer, Michael Holman.
“Holman later went to prison for another crime and is now dead,” the report said.
According to Hemme’s legal team, the prosecution shunned her contradictory statements being evidence that could have helped to exonerate her.
“She had first pleaded guilty to capital murder to avoid the death penalty. But her conviction was overturned on appeal and she had to be retried in 1985.
“Hemme who was 20 years old at the time her trial started was being treated for auditory hallucinations, de-realization, and drug use.
However, haven discovered a new evidence in favour of Hemme, Judge Horsman ordered that she be released within 30 if prosecutors had no intention to retry her.
Following the judgment, Hemme’s lawyers expressed satisfaction with the judgement.
“We are grateful to the Court for acknowledging the grave injustice Ms. Hemme has endured for more than four decades.”
They thanked the court for the justice done.
source: PM NEWS
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