Court upholds freedom for woman whose conviction was overturned after 43 years behind bars

Associated Press

An appellate court in Missouri has ruled that a lower court was right when it decided to overturn the murder conviction of a woman who spent 43 years behind bars for a killing that her attorneys argue was committed by a discredited police officer. Sandra Hemme was freed in July while the decision to overturn her conviction was reviewed — at the insistence of Attorney General Andrew Bailey, who argued she should remain imprisoned. The appellate court’s ruling came Tuesday. Hemme was being treated with heavy doses of antipsychotic drugs when she was first questioned about the 1980 murder of 31-year-old library worker Patricia Jeschke.