Wrongfully Convicted After 43 Years: Sandra Hemme's Journey to Exoneration

Chillicothe, MO, Missouri United States of America
Despite being exonerated, Attorney General Andrew Bailey fought to keep Hemme incarcerated due to crimes committed while in prison.
Hemme spent 43 years in prison for a crime she did not commit.
Hemme's release was granted on July 15, 2024 and she was welcomed by her family.
New evidence established Hemme's innocence and her conviction was overturned by the Missouri Supreme Court.
Sandra Hemme was wrongfully convicted of the 1980 stabbing death of Patricia Jeschke in St. Joseph, Missouri.
Wrongfully Convicted After 43 Years: Sandra Hemme's Journey to Exoneration

After spending 43 long years in prison, Sandra Hemme's fight for justice has finally come to an end. Hemme, who was wrongfully convicted of the 1980 stabbing death of library worker Patricia Jeschke in St. Joseph, Missouri, had her conviction overturned following new evidence that established her innocence.

The turning point came when a lower court found that there was clear and convincing evidence of Hemme's actual innocence. This ruling was upheld by the Missouri Supreme Court, which ordered her release from prison.

Despite this, Attorney General Andrew Bailey fought to keep Hemme incarcerated due to crimes she had committed while behind bars: a 10-year sentence for attacking a prison worker with a razor blade and a two-year sentence for offering to commit violence. However, legal experts agreed that keeping Hemme in prison any longer would be an unjust outcome.

Hemme's release was finally granted on July 15, 2024. She was welcomed by her family at a nearby park where she hugged her daughter and granddaughter. Her sister, Joyce Ann Kays, expressed her joy and relief at the long-awaited reunion.

Throughout Hemme's ordeal, she remained steadfast in her belief that she would one day be exonerated. Her unwavering spirit and determination serve as a reminder of the importance of fighting for truth and justice, no matter how long the journey may be.

Sandra Hemme's case is a testament to the power of perseverance and the need for a fair and just legal system. It also highlights the importance of thoroughly investigating all evidence before making judgments that can irrevocably alter someone's life.


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Confidence

91%

Doubts
  • Could there be any other explanations for the physical evidence found at the scene?
  • Was there any potential misconduct by law enforcement or prosecutors during the original investigation and trial?
  • Were all possible suspects thoroughly investigated before focusing on Hemme?

Sources

98%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Missouri woman who served 43 years in prison freed after murder conviction overturned

NBC News Digital Saturday, 20 July 2024 10:17
  • Unique Points
    • Sandra Hemme, a Missouri woman, had her murder conviction overturned after serving 43 years in prison.
    • Judge Ryan Horsman ruled that Hemme's attorneys had established 'clear and convincing evidence' of 'actual innocence' and ordered her release on June 14.
    • Hemme was released from prison on Friday, July 15, after Judge Horsman threatened to hold Bailey's office in contempt if they continued to block her release.
    • The Missouri Corrections Department confirmed Hemme's release before 6 p.m. CDT on July 15.
    • Hemme was serving a life sentence for the 1980 stabbing death of library worker Patricia Jeschke in St. Joseph, Missouri, making her the longest-held wrongly incarcerated woman known in the U.S., according to her legal team at the Innocence Project.
    • Hemme's immediate freedom was complicated by sentences she received for crimes committed while behind bars: a 10-year sentence in 1996 for attacking a prison worker with a razor blade and a two-year sentence in 1984 for 'offering to commit violence'.
    • Legal experts agreed that keeping Hemme incarcerated any longer would be a 'draconian outcome'.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (95%)
    The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy when the judge scolds the attorney general's office for calling the warden and telling prison officials not to release Hemme after an appeals court panel said she could be released. The judge states 'To call someone and tell them to disregard a court order is wrong.' This statement implies that the judge believes it is wrong for the attorney general to do so, but this does not make it true. The attorney general may have had valid reasons for calling the warden, such as concerns about Hemme's safety or potential risks to society if she were released. Additionally, there are no dichotomous depictions or inflammatory rhetoric in the article.
    • The judge scolded Bailey’s office for calling the warden and telling prison officials not to release Hemme after an appeals court panel said she could be released. ‘To call someone and tell them to disregard a court order is wrong,’ Horsman said, adding: ‘It also violates the separation of powers.’
  • Bias (95%)
    The article does not demonstrate any clear bias towards a specific political, religious, ideological or monetary position. However, the author does use language that depicts the Attorney General's actions as extreme and unreasonable by describing them as 'fighting against her release', 'calling prison officials not to release Hemme after an appeals court panel said she could be released', and 'ignoring a court order'. The author also uses the phrase 'lone holdup to freedom' which implies that the Attorney General is the only obstacle preventing Hemme from being freed, when in fact there may be other legal proceedings or considerations at play.
    • Bailey called prison officials not to release Hemme after an appeals court panel said she could be released.
      • He threatened to hold the attorney general’s office in contempt.
        • The attorney general fought her release in the courts.
        • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication

        99%

        The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
        (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

        A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

        Judge orders release of Sandra Hemme by early Friday evening

        Kansas City News (kmbc.com) Nick Sloan Saturday, 20 July 2024 03:09
        • Unique Points
          • Sandra Hemme is the longest-held wrongly incarcerated woman known in the U.S.
          • Judge Ryan Horsman initially ordered Hemme’s release last month, but Attorney General Andrew Bailey contested the decision.
          • Hemme has been serving a life sentence at the Chillicothe Correctional Center for the 1980 stabbing death of library worker Patricia Jeschke in St. Joseph, Missouri.
          • She’s been the longest-held wrongly incarcerated woman known in the U.S., according to her legal team at the Innocence Project.
          • Her lawyers said her family is eager and ready to reunite with her, and the Department of Corrections should respect and promptly release her.
          • Hemme’s immediate freedom has been complicated by sentences she received for crimes committed while behind bars: a 10-year sentence in 1996 for attacking a prison worker with a razor blade, and a two-year sentence in 1984 for ‘offering to commit violence.’
        • Accuracy
          No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
        • Deception (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Fallacies (95%)
          The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy when it states 'The Missouri Supreme Court has ruled in favor of Hemme’s release.' This statement implies that the ruling of the Missouri Supreme Court is infallible and automatically justifies Hemme's release. However, this is not necessarily true as there could be other factors or evidence that were not mentioned in the article that could influence the decision.
          • The Missouri Supreme Court has ruled in favor of Hemme’s release.
        • Bias (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication

        99%

        The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
        (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

        A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

        Missouri high court clears way for Sandra Hemme’s release after 43 years in prison

        KCTV5 News Associated Press Thursday, 18 July 2024 17:22
        • Unique Points
          • The St. Joseph Police Department ignored evidence pointing to Michael Holman and this information was not disclosed before Hemme’s trials.
          • Hemme is the longest-held wrongly incarcerated woman known in the US according to her legal team at the Innocence Project.
        • Accuracy
          No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
        • Deception (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Fallacies (95%)
          The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy when it states 'This Court finds that the evidence shows that Ms. Hemme’s statements to police are so unreliable and that the evidence pointing to Michael Holman as the perpetrator of the crime so objective and probative that no reasonable juror would find Ms. Hemme guilty.' The court's findings do not automatically make it true, and there is no explicit reasoning provided in the article as to why this is a valid conclusion. Additionally, there are dichotomous depictions in the article when it states 'She’s been the longest-held wrongly incarcerated woman known in the U.S., according to her legal team at the Innocence Project.' This statement implies that there are no other long-term wrongfully incarcerated individuals, which is not necessarily true.
          • ]This Court finds that the evidence shows that Ms. Hemme’s statements to police are so unreliable and that the evidence pointing to Michael Holman as the perpetrator of the crime so objective and probative that no reasonable juror would find Ms. Hemme guilty.[
          • She’s been the longest-held wrongly incarcerated woman known in the U.S., according to her legal team at the Innocence Project.
        • Bias (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication

        100%

        The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
        (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

        A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

        Sandra Hemme is Finally Free After 43 Years

        Innocence Project Saturday, 20 July 2024 10:20
        • Unique Points
          • Sandra Hemme was released from prison after being wrongfully incarcerated for 43 years.
          • Sandra Hemme is the longest-known wrongly incarcerated woman in the US.
        • Accuracy
          No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
        • Deception (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Fallacies (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Bias (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication

        98%

        The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
        (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

        A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

        Missouri Supreme Court Clears Release of Woman Who Spent 43 Years in Prison

        The Name Of The NZ Prefix. I PWA NZI.P.Was Dropped. Jesus Jiménez Thursday, 18 July 2024 21:40
        • Unique Points
          • Sandra Hemme's case was recently overturned after new evidence established her innocence.
          • A lower court found that there was evidence of Sandra Hemme’s ‘actual innocence’ and ordered her release.
          • It was unclear when Ms. Hemme would be released from prison.
        • Accuracy
          No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
        • Deception (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Fallacies (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Bias (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication