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Missouri judge scolds AG’s office and orders release of woman whose murder conviction was overturned
A Missouri judge has once again ruled that a woman whose 1980 murder conviction was overturned must be released — and he said she must be allowed to walk free by Friday evening.
Judge Ryan Horsman overturned Sandra Hemme’s conviction last month and ordered her release then, but Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey fought it in the courts.
During a court hearing Friday, Horsman said that if Hemme wasn’t released by a designated time, he wanted Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey himself to appear in court Tuesday morning.
He also scolded the attorney general’s office for calling the warden and telling them not to release Hemme after an appeals court panel said she could be released. “I would suggest you never do that,” Horsman said, adding: “To call someone and tell them to disregard a court order is wrong.”