PHOENIX (AP) – An Arizona woman who spent two decades on death row in the killing of her 4-year-old son will speak out for the first time since she had her case dismissed.
Debra Milke was scheduled to hold a news conference Tuesday, a day after a judge formally dismissed a controversial case that relied almost entirely on the work of a detective with a long history of misconduct.
Milke, 51, was convicted of murder in 1990 in the death of her son, Christopher. Authorities say Milke dressed him in his favorite outfit and told him he was going to see Santa Claus at a mall in December 1989. He was then taken to the desert near Phoenix by two men, one of whom was Milke’s roommate, and shot in the back of the head.
Authorities say Milke’s motive was that she didn’t want the child anymore and didn’t want him to live with his father. Milke has maintained her innocence and denied that she confessed to the killing. James Styers and Roger Scott, the two men who led Christopher to his death, have been on death row and have refused to testify against Milke.
While Milke sat on death row, the Arizona Supreme Court had gone so far as to issue a death warrant for her in 1997. The execution was delayed because she had yet to exhaust federal appeals.