Released after serving 43 years in prison for manslaughter

A Missouri woman who spent 43 years in prison for a manslaughter has been freed.

Sandra Hemme, 64, was released from Chillicothe prison this week with her sister, daughter and granddaughter. On June 14, 2024, authorities concluded that there was no evidence linking Sandra Hemm to the November 1980 murder of Patricia Jeschke, whose naked and bound body was found in a pool of blood.

M^me Hemme was arrested shortly after being released from a psychiatric hospital where he had spent a good portion of his life. Her “mental confusion” during her interrogation, where she blamed the crime on someone else, was enough to convince the police of her guilt. She pleaded guilty to avoid the death penalty.

The lawyer who opposed his release used the crimes he had committed in prison as evidence.^me Hemme posed a danger to himself and others. In fact, the latter was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 1996 after attacking a prison employee with a razor blade.

However, the court acquitted the ex-prisoner, saying, “There is nothing but unreliable statements of M.^me Hemme did not allow it to be connected to the crime against Patricia Jeschke.

According to the Innocence Project, Sandra Hemme’s sentence is the longest sentence for an innocent woman.