A woman who was in prison for 40 years has been found not guilty

In 1980, the judge found “clear and convincing” evidence of guilt.

A Missouri woman in the US who spent 43 years in prison for a murder conviction has been found not guilty.

Now 63 years old, Sandra Hamme was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison for murder.

In 1980, Sandra was accused of murdering library worker Patricia Jeschke in Missouri.

Livingston County Judge Ryan Horsman ruled that evidence linked the murder of Jeschke to a local police officer.

That police officer later went to prison for another crime and is no longer alive.

The judge said Hamme must be released within 30 days unless prosecutors decide to reindict her on the murder charge.

“We are grateful to the Court for recognizing the grave injustice Ms. Hamme has experienced for more than four decades,” the defendant’s attorneys said.

At the time, they said, the 20-year-old Hamme was being treated for auditory hallucinations, derealization and drug use.

She had spent most of her life, since the age of 12, on inpatient psychiatric treatment.

Hamme’s attorneys said police at the time exploited her mental illness and forced her to give false testimony.

She was sedated and treated with antipsychotic medication during the interrogation. 

Such a miscarriage of justice is reported by The Guardian.