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ARIZONA: DEATH ROW INMATE DEBRA MILKE RELEASED TO AWAIT RETRIAL
September 6, 2013: Debra Milke, who spent 23 years on death row, has been released because of a lack of evidence. Debra Milke was found guilty in Arizona state of the 1989 shooting of her 4-year-old boy, who was allegedly killed for a $5,000 insurance payout.
Milke, 49, allegedly confessed to a detective whose credibility has since been questioned. She will remain on bail as prosecutors mount a new trial.
Milke, then a 25-year-old insurance company clerk, was accused of dressing her son in his favourite outfit and telling him he was going to see Santa Claus at the mall. She then allegedly handed him over to 2 men who took the boy to the desert and shot him. Roger Scott and James Styers were both convicted in the case, but neither testified at Milke's trial. A court of appeals overturned her conviction on March 14 this year (see) after questions were raised about a now-retired detective who testified that Milke had confessed the crime to him. He was found to have lied under oath in 4 later cases and was suspended for accepting sexual favours on the job. Judge Rosa Mroz of Maricopa County Superior Court on Thursday set bond for Debra Milke at $250,000. The bond was paid out of money raised by her European supporters. Her German mother has maintained her daughter's innocence. Donors in Switzerland, where Milke's mother now lives, were reportedly spurred to contribute by doubts over her guilt and opposition to the death penalty. Mark Milke, ex-husband of the accused, told the Associated Press on Friday he believes his former wife is guilty of the crime. Prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty again at Milke's retrial, currently set for 30 September. (Source: BBC News, 06/09/2013)
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