Missouri woman who had been in prison 43 years freed after overturned murder conviction

A Missouri woman named Sandra Hemme, 64, was released from prison after 43 years when a judge overturned her murder conviction. 

Hemme was wrongly incarcerated when she incriminated herself and was found guilty of murdering a library worker in 1980. She had previously been hospitalized multiple times for mental illness. 

Her legal team at the Innocence Project said that she is the longest held wrongly incarcerated woman, according to Fox News.

Hemme's lawyers brought forth evidence that she was not the killer, and the guilty party was likely a former police officer. This resulted in a judge last month overturning her conviction.

When Hemme left prison on Friday, she had family and supporters embrace her. 

She declined to comment to reporters following her release. Missouri GOP Attorney General Andrew Bailey advocated for her to stay behind bars, saying she was a safety risk to others and herself.