The story of Sandra Hemme is incredible: this is the longest American miscarriage of justice. After more than four decades of wrongful detention (43 years old), Hemme has been released. Her case has been full of errors, but there are still doubts and the future of the woman sentenced to life in prison, is still uncertain.
The conviction: fragile evidence
Sandra Hemme was sentenced tolife imprisonment at the age of 20 for the murder of the librarian Patricia Jeschke in St Joseph, Missouri, in November 1980.
The conviction was based solely on a confession obtained under deep sedation in a psychiatric hospital, without any forensic evidence or testimony linking her to the crime.
Miscarriages of Justice in the US: 43 Years in Prison as an Innocent Person
During a recent hearing, an investigator admitted that Hemme, under the influence of sedatives and antipsychotic drugs, he wasn’t fully aware of what was happening during the interrogations.
Miscarriage of Justice and Investigative Errors
On June 14, 2024, the giudice Ryan Horsman overturned the conviction of Sandra Hemme, acknowledging that evidence of her innocence had been ignored and not shared with the defense. The judge ruled that there was “clear and convincing” evidence ofinnocence of Hemme, noting that the only evidence against her was her coerced and inconsistent confession.
The investigation also revealed that the police had neglected evidence which indicated a more plausible suspect: one of their agents, Michael Holman. This one, whose truck was seen in the area of the murder, had used the victim’s credit card the day after the crime and had earrings identified as belonging to her. This information crucial were never presented during the trial.
The circumstances of Hemme’s confession then raise further doubts: questioned while under the influence of powerful sedatives and antipsychotics, Hemme answered in monosyllables. The lawyers of theInnocence Project They highlighted how the police exploited the accused’s mental illness to obtain false statements.
What is Innocence project?
The release of Sandra Hemme It was possible thanks to the work of theInnocence Project, an international collective of lawyers and jurists who work to exonerate wrongfully convicted people.
The legal team expressed gratitude for Hemme’s release, but stressed that there is still a long road to clearing his name (in Italy, the Netflix series about the murder of Yara Gambirasio attempted to do the same thing with Massimo Bossetti, who is serving a sentence for the murder of the 13-year-old).
In fact, despite her release, the woman still faces numerous challenges. Having spent most of her life in prisonis not eligible for social security and will require ongoing support to reintegrate into society. Furthermore, not everyone is in favor of his release and he could end up back in court.
Photo source: 123RF
Source: notizie.virgilio.it
