Debra Milke

Who is Debra Milke?

Debra Jean Milke is a German-born former Arizona death row inmate who was convicted of the murder of her son Christopher Conan Milke in 1990. On March 14, 2013, Milke's conviction was overturned by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

She was the first female to be sentenced to death in Arizona since 1932. Milke was being held at Arizona State Prison Complex - Perryville in Goodyear, Arizona, until she was released on bond on September 6, 2013 pending a new trial for the murder of Christopher Milke.

Saldate presumably suspected Milke's involvement prior to the interview with her. Roger Scott, one of the murderers and a friend of the other killer, Milke's roommate Jim Styers, confessed to taking Christopher Milke out to the desert where Styers shot him. Styers allegedly had Debra Milke's permission to take Christopher to see Santa Claus at a shopping mall. Scott led police to the body and implicated Styers and Milke in a taped confession. He did not testify at Milke's trial and was convicted separately and sentenced to death. Styers was also convicted and sentenced to death.