© 2025 Kansas City Public Radio
NPR in Kansas City
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

How a Missouri wrongful conviction case could help others

Sandra Hemme spent 43 years in a Missouri prison for a murder she did not commit. But her case should help others wrongfully convicted win their freedom, because the judges directly addressed the issue of false confessions.

Sandra Hemme, the Missouri woman who served 43 years in prison for a murder she did not commit, has been home now for six months. One key detail in her exoneration was that her confession was false — Hemme was heavily sedated during multiple interrogations by St. Joseph Police.

KCUR's Sam Zeff checked in with Hemme's attorney, Sean O’Brien, to talk about how that detail sets the stage for future exoneration cases.

Contact the show at news@kcur.org. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news.

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios, and edited by Lisa Rodriguez and Gabe Rosenberg.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate

As a newscaster and a host of a daily news podcast, I want to deliver the most important and interesting news of the day in an engaging and easily understandable way. No matter where you live in the metro or what you’re interested in, I want you to learn something from each newscast or podcast – and maybe even give you something to talk about at the dinner table.
As an on-demand producer, I am focused on using my skills and experiences across multiple digital applications, platforms and media fields to create community focused audio, video and on-demand products for KCUR Studios. The media that I produce aims to inform, entertain and connect with the Kansas City metro area as we continue to learn from each other. Email me at byronlove@kcur.org.
KCUR prides ourselves on bringing local journalism to the public without a paywall — ever.

Our reporting will always be free for you to read. But it's not free to produce.

As a nonprofit, we rely on your donations to keep operating and trying new things. If you value our work, consider becoming a member.