The Interrogation
According to her lawyers from the Innocence Project, Hemme’s statements to the police were inconsistent and heavily influenced by the detectives’ suggestions.
Despite her mental confusion, she eventually claimed to have witnessed a man named Joseph Wabski kill Jeschke. Wabski was charged with capital murder, but the case was dropped when it was confirmed he had an ironclad alibi. He was in an alcohol treatment center in Kansas at the time of the murder.
When it was clear Wabski could not have committed the crime, Hemme, under immense pressure, confessed to being the sole killer.
Her attorneys allege that authorities ignored her “wildly contradictory” statements and suppressed evidence implicating Michael Holman, a police officer who had possession of some of the victim’s possessions.
A Guilty Plea
Desperate and worn down, Hemme wrote to her parents on Christmas Day 1980, expressing her willingness to plead guilty despite her innocence.
In the spring of 1981, she did just that, to avoid the death penalty. However, her plea was initially rejected by the judge due to her inability to provide coherent details about the crime. After a recess and some coaching by the prosecution, her guilty plea was accepted.
