Freedom is permanent for Missourian described as the longest-held wrongly incarcerated woman in US

Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Years of legal wrangling have come to an end for a woman who spent 43 years behind bars for a killing that her attorneys argue was committed by a discredited police officer. A judge ruled Tuesday that Sandra Hemme can’t be retried, the final step toward making her freedom permanent. Hemme’s attorneys say she had been the longest-held wrongly incarcerated woman known in the U.S.  She was freed in July but under a cloud as Attorney General Andrew Bailey continued to argue that she should remain imprisoned. Last month, an appellate court sided with a lower court judge that overturned her murder conviction. But there were still a few more steps. Now that process is over.