John,

In 1985, Sandra “Sandy” Hemme was wrongly convicted of the 1980 murder of Patricia Jeschke in St. Joseph, Missouri — even though no physical evidence or eyewitnesses tied her to the crime.

At the time of the crime, 20-year-old Sandy was in psychiatric treatment at a local hospital. She had spent most of her childhood in and out of psychiatric hospitals. Police exploited her mental illness, questioning her for hours while she was physically restrained, sedated, and being treated with antipsychotic medication. At some points, she was so heavily medicated that she was unable to even hold her head up and was strapped to a chair. Police eventually coerced her into falsely confessing.

The statements she gave implicating herself in the crime were inconsistent with one another and did not match the known facts of the murder. Yet police pressed forward with their case against her.

What happened to Sandy is a clear and blatant example of injustice in our criminal legal system. That’s why the Innocence Project is fighting for her freedom — but we need your support. Add your name right now to the growing list of people calling for justice in Sandy’s case. [[link removed]]

The truth is: Sandy never stood a chance. During her day-long trial, her lawyer presented no witnesses and the jury never heard about the profoundly coercive circumstances under which police obtained her statements. They also didn’t hear that no physical evidence connected her to the crime scene. All they heard were the heavily coerced statements Sandy had signed.

Evidence actually pointed to a St. Joseph police officer named Michael Holman whose truck was seen near Ms. Jeschke’s home at the time of the murder, and who had attempted to use Ms. Jeschke’s credit card the day after she was killed. Her earrings were also found in Officer Holman’s possession, along with jewelry stolen during another home burglary — but fellow officers illegally hid evidence that implicated him in the crime.

So far, Sandy has spent more than four decades in prison for a crime evidence supports she did not commit, making her the longest-known wrongly incarcerated woman in the U.S.

And although she’s spent the majority of her life wrongly imprisoned, Sandy has never given up hope that her name will one day be cleared. Will you help turn that hope into a reality and show your support for Sandy’s fight for justice by signing this petition right now? [[link removed]]

Thank you for your support,

— The Innocence Project Team


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The Innocence Project works to free the innocent, prevent wrongful convictions, and create fair, compassionate, and equitable systems of justice for everyone. Founded in 1992 by Barry C. Scheck and Peter J. Neufeld at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University, the organization is now an independent nonprofit. Our work is guided by science and grounded in antiracism.

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