IAS Team Sandra Hemme was granted a new trial by Livingston County Circuit Judge Ryan Horsman on Friday, June 14. IAS Investigator Quinn O’Brien and IAS Board President Sean O’Brien served as lead investigator and local counsel for lead attorney Jane Pucher and Andrew Lee of the New York Innocence Project. Judge Horsman ruled that Sandy’s team proved her innocence by clear and convincing evidence, that the police withheld evidence that the murder was committed by one of their own, and that Sandy’s trial lawyer was incompetent. Sandy will soon be released to her family. She has been unjustly held in custody for this crime since November 28, 1980, making her the longest serving exonerated woman in America. She is presently incarcerated in Chillicothe, Missouri; a motion to free her as she awaits her retrial is pending.
Judge Horsman’s June 14, 2024 Order
Motion Release
Missouri prisoner of four decades wins innocence claim in court, KCTV 5, June 15, 2024