Missouri AG takes Sandra Hemme case to state Supreme Court to block release
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - The Missouri Attorney General’s Office is blocking the release of a woman whose murder conviction was overturned by taking the case all the way to the Missouri Supreme Court.
Sandra Hemme, now 64, has been serving a life sentence at the Chillicothe Correctional Center after she was twice convicted of murder in the death of library worker Patricia Jeschke. She is the longest-held wrongly incarcerated woman known in the U.S., according to her legal team at the Innocence Project.
The 1980 conviction was then overturned, and Hemme was set to be released from prison on Wednesday. According to her lawyers, she packed her belongings and her family drove to pick her up, but the AG’s Office called the prison requesting Hemme not be released.
READ MORE: Appeals court orders release of woman whose conviction was reversed after 43 years
In court filings, the Attorney General’s Office alleges Hemme’s lawyers improperly communicated with the prison and warden after Hemme’s release was ordered.
“In representing a client, a lawyer shall not communicate about the subject of the representation with a person the lawyer knows to be represented by another lawyer in the matter, unless the lawyer has the consent of the other lawyer or is authorized to do so by law or a court order,” the document states.
The warden and prison are represented by the Attorney General’s Office.
READ MORE: Missouri attorney general blocks release of woman whose murder conviction was overturned
The documents go on to argue that Hemme still has two consecutive sentences for two separate convictions for crimes committed while she was in prison. Hemme’s lawyers say because the murder conviction was thrown out, legal precedent states her time served more than covers the 12 years of time on her other sentences, so she should be released.
On Thursday, Hemme’s lawyers say her family “eagerly awaits her return.” Her lawyers now have until July 22 to respond to the new court filings.
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