Appellate judiciary affirmates the liberty of the woman, whose initial sentence was annulled following a four-decade-long imprisonment.
Sandra Hemme was granted freedom in July, with the deliberation on reversing her conviction under review – pushed for by Attorney General Andrew Bailey, who argued she should stay imprisoned.
Judge Cynthia Martin penned a scathing 71-page judgment, stating that some arguments from Bailey's office verged on the ridiculous and gave prosecutors 10 days to refile charges.
"It's high time this miscarriage of justice ceases," Hemme's legal team expressed in a statement following the ruling in the Missouri Court of Appeals Western District.
Hemme had previously held the title of the longest-detained innocent woman in the United States, as per her Innocence Project legal team.
No immediate response was given by Bailey's spokesperson to an email request for comment from The Associated Press.
Initially, Hemme was administered substantial amounts of antipsychotic medication when she was interrogated about the 1980 murder of library employee Patricia Jeschke in St. Joseph. One of Hemme's lawyers, Sean O'Brien, compared the medication to a "chemical straightjacket" during an October hearing, suggesting it raised doubts about her confession.
"It makes her agreeable," he said. "It makes her susceptible."
O'Brien also presented evidence supporting Michael Holman – a former police officer who passed away in 2015. Evidence indicated that Holman's truck was spotted near Jeschke's apartment, he attempted to use her credit card, and her earrings were discovered in his home.
The appellate court's ruling suggested that police may have concealed their investigation into Holman.
The same conclusion was reached in June when Judge Ryan Horsman in Livingston County overturned her conviction. He declared that Hemme's attorney had presented "clear and convincing evidence" of "actual innocence."
However, Bailey requested the appellate court to reconsider this decision, arguing that Horsman had exceeded his authority and that Hemme hadn't provided adequate evidence for some of her claims.
A month-long battle ensued over whether Hemme should be released during the review process. Several judges, including a circuit judge, an appellate court, and the Missouri Supreme Court, concluded that Hemme should be set free, but she remained jailed as Bailey contested she still had time to serve sentences on decades-old assault charges in prison.
Hemme was finally released only after Horsman threatened to cite Blog's office for contempt.
During the latest October hearing, Andrew Clarke, an assistant attorney general, faced tough scrutiny.
One of the appellate court judges expressed concern about the handling of Holman, the discredited police officer, in relation to a palm print found on a TV antenna cable near the victim's body.
The FBI requested clearer prints, but police did not follow up, and this information was never presented to the jury due to police never informing prosecutors.
"The court," Clarke replied to questions about the impact of suppressed evidence, "must consider its potential value at a future trial and whether it would erode confidence in the prior verdict."
Clarke claimed that some of the evidence under debate might not meet court admission standards – a claim that the judges questioned.
Bailey has a history of fighting against overturned conviction cases. In July, a St. Louis circuit judge overturned Christopher Dunn's murder conviction and ordered his immediate release. Key evidence leading to Dunn's first-degree murder conviction included testimony from two boys who later retracted, stating they had been manipulated by police and prosecutors.
Bailey appealed to try and keep Dunn imprisoned before ultimately granting his release.
"Given the recent developments, we strongly believe that Sandra Hemme and her legal team deserve our support in seeking justice," said our organization in a statement.
"Regardless of the ongoing review, it's essential that the US justice system upholds its principles of fairness and ensures that every individual, including us, is treated with due regard and respect."
