Debra Milke

Debra Jean "Debbie" Milke (* 10. March 1964 as Debra Sadeik in Berlin ) is a US citizen who on 12 October 1990 for inciting the murder of her son sentenced to death was. While she was on death row , doubts about her guilt grew. Milke was released in September 2013 and the murder charges were overturned in December 2014.

Life

Milke was born as the daughter of a US soldier and a German in the Berlin district of Lichterfelde and moved with her family to Arizona in the United States in 1965 . There she married Mark Milke in 1984, her son Christopher was born in 1985. The marriage ended in divorce after three years.

Condemnation

On December 2, 1989, Debra Milke's roommate James Lynn Styers and his high school friend Roger Mark Scott drove with four-year-old Christopher into the desert, where he was shot. After his arrest, Scott claimed that Milke assigned him and Styers to the murder to get $ 5,000 life insurance . This life insurance was only part of a social security package that was due to all employees in Milke's company, and was not taken out specifically by her.

Debra Milke was then interrogated by murder investigator Armando Saldate, who was known to the police to disregard the rights of suspects and to have lied under oath . At the trial, Saldate testified that Milke had confessed to inciting murder. She justified her act with the fact that the son should not become like his father. However, Milke was not informed about her rights ( Miranda Rights ) and a confession was never signed by Milke; there were no interrogation records, no witnesses, and no video and / or audio recording. On October 12, 1990, Milke was found guilty of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, child abuse and kidnapping and sentenced to death .

In the years that followed, doubts about her guilt grew. For example, the accomplice Roger Scott, who had incriminated Milke, was diagnosed with schizophrenia . Armando Saldate's interrogation methods also came to light and cast doubt on Milke's confession. Although Milke only has US citizenship, many celebrities from Germany campaigned for her.

The date for Milke's execution was set for January 1998. A doctor had already checked her veins for access to the venom injection, and a pastor had also visited her as spiritual counsel before Milke's lawyers could prevent the execution.

Resumption

After several attempts by the defense, the disputed verdict was finally overturned on March 14, 2013 by the Arizona Court of Appeal , a three-judge chamber of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco , and Milke was released within 90 days arranged. The Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne appealed against this decision , which is why Milke had to remain in custody for the time being. This appeal was rejected on May 6, 2013.

On July 8, 2013, the Federal District Court finally ordered the process to be reopened or Milke released from custody. A few hours after that decision, the Arizona Attorney General's Office brought another indictment against Milke. The prosecution expected Armando Saldate to testify again in the upcoming trial, this time under oath.

On September 5, 2013 Milke was on bail of 250,000 US dollars (190,000  euros released). The court ruling states: "The court has not yet been able to assess the credibility of Saldate against the credibility of the accused and thus to decide whether or not she has admitted Saldate to the crime." The judge noted in her reasoning, that there is next to no evidence against Milke.

For the time being, Milke lived in an apartment provided by supporters. She had to wear an electronic ankle cuff and was not allowed to leave the house between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. The process shouldn't start until January 2015. In December 2013, a court ruled that the lead witness did not have to testify to Saldate upon his application. Milke's attorney then announced that she would apply for the case to be closed. A court in Phoenix ruled on April 18, 2014 that the main witness against Milke must testify.

In December 2014, an appeals court ordered the murder charges to be dropped because the United States Constitution did not allow anyone to be tried twice for the same offense . On March 18, 2015, the Arizona Supreme Court refused another hearing, which resulted in the case being closed.

After the release

Debra Milke filed a civil lawsuit against the responsible US authorities in Arizona for damages for the more than 24 years she spent innocently in prison. After her final release, she announced that she would move to Germany.

In September 2015 she visited Berlin, the city of her birth, for a few weeks.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Chronology of a questionable conviction. Stern.de, March 20, 2013, accessed April 14, 2013 . 
2. ↑ James Lynn Styer's entry in the murderpedia.org database (accessed April 3, 2015).
3. ^ Roger Marc Scott entry in the murderpedia.org database (accessed April 3, 2015).
4. ↑ From death row on the way to freedom. Stern.de, March 19, 2013, accessed April 14, 2013 . 
5. ^ Bastian Obermayer and Nicolas Richter: History of an unprecedented judicial scandal. Süddeutsche.de, March 24, 2013, accessed April 14, 2013 . 
6. ↑ Antje Passenheim: Lethal injection and executioner's meal were ready. Welt.de, March 17, 2013, accessed April 14, 2013 . 
7. ↑ Antje Windmann, Hendrik Ternieden: The Debbie Milke case: Freedom must wait Spiegel Online, July 9, 2013.
8. ↑ German death row inmate remains in jail (for the time being). Bild.de, April 12, 2013, accessed April 14, 2013 . 
9. ↑ Respondent's petition for rehearing and rehearing en banc is denied. (No longer available online.) May 6, 2013, formerly in the original ; Retrieved May 9, 2013 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.    
10. ↑ Michael Kiefer: Debra Milke to be retried in Peoria killing of 4-year-old son. azcentral.com, July 8, 2013, accessed July 9, 2013 . 
11. ^ Public prosecutors want to execute Debra Milke. Süddeutsche.de, July 9, 2013, accessed on July 9, 2013 . 
12. ↑ Herbert Bauernebel: After 22 years from death row. Bild.de, accessed on September 7, 2013 . 
13. ↑ After release: Debra Milke is amazed by iPads and iPhones Spiegel Online, September 9, 2013.
14. ↑ Report: Possible trial against Debra Milke in 2015 at the earliest Berliner Zeitung, September 24, 2013.
15. ↑ Debra Milke can hope for her final release Spiegel Online, December 19, 2013.
16. ↑ The death penalty still threatens Der Tagesspiegel, April 18, 2014.
17. ↑ US court lifts murder charges on n-tv, December 12, 2014, accessed December 12, 2014.
18. ↑ Debra Milke is finally free Süddeutsche.de, March 18, 2015.
19. ↑ Debbie Milke talks about the years on death row Spiegel.de, April 4, 2015.
20. ↑ Debra Milke in Germany: “I'm back to my starting point” on Stern.de, September 2, 2015