Interview of Janet Froebe

The interview of JANET FROEBE took place in the visitation section of the Pinal County Jail, 1955 hours, after Det. Saldate began his interview of DEBRA MILKE.

Comment : Please picture this situation : after at least 1 hour and 17 minutes of waiting, Debra Milke was contacted by DETECTIVE SALDATE inside the Pinal County Jail. He entered the room where Debra and her acquaintance, JANET FROEBE, were waiting. SALDATE sent JANET FROEBE out of the room, where DETECTIVE HAMRICK started to interview her. The metal door to the interview room is closed now.

I began the interview by asking her if she was related to DEBRA or the family and she said she was not. She explained that she and DEBRA'S father both work for the Arizona Department of Corrections and she has been a friend of the family for many years. She asked me what was going on, in regard to the interview of DEBRA, and I told her that we had found the body of Christopher. She asked me if he was dead or alive and I told her that he was dead. I further told her that DEBRA was going to be charged as one of the three people involved in the death of CHRISTOPHER.

Comment : DETECTIVE HAMRICK was not present when DETECTIVE MILLS and DETECTIVE SALDATE had interviewed ROGER SCOTT earlier that day. HAMRICK could only know what he was told by either SALDATE or other superiors. But due to the fact that - as this report shows - HAMRICK already knew that Debra was being arrested [while he talked to JANET and the interrogation took place behind a closed door], SALDATE must have been planning to arrest Debra before he started the interview, directly contradicting his sworn testimony at the Voluntariness Hearing and at the jury trial, where he claimed to have made the decision to arrest Debra when she "feigned emotion". SALDATE'S false testimony tried to hide the fact that the entire State theory of the case rested on ROGER SCOTT'S rambling, contradictory, and self-serving story. We know from the report of the interrogation of ROGER SCOTT that SCOTT didn't implicate Debra in his original confession; it wasn't until he told a new story more than 60 minutes later that he voluntarily claimed Debra had a role in the crime. We also know from the taped interview of ROGER SCOTT that evening by DETECTIVE MILLS that SCOTT'S story became completely incoherent and self-contradictory when he tried to explain Debra's alleged involvement. And from ROGER SCOTT'S later statements to ROBERT JOHNSON, we see SCOTT'S story likely was almost entirely a self-serving lie [and for good measure, a sworn affidavit from SCOTT'S own lawyer stated that SCOTT was a person who willing to say whatever he thought was wanted with no regard for the truth]. But SALDAT, who got the statement from SCOTT, immediately believed it whole, and spent the rest of the investigation trying to "prove" SCOTT'S story rather than seeking out the facts.

The other two people involved were DEBRA'S boyfriend, JAMES and JAMES' friend, ROGER.

Comment : And this sentence shows how misinformed HAMRICK was at that point in time. Calling STYERS Debra's 'boyfriend' was certainly far from reality.

JANET was completely surprised that DEBRA had any involvement in CHRISTOPHER'S death, but she said the family members had been suspicious of JAMES from the beginning.

I asked JANET her knowledge of the relationship between DEBRA and CHRISTOPHER and as far as she had ever seen, the relationship seemed to be normal. She did clarify by saying that she only saw DEBRA and CHRISTOPHER on holiday like occasions and for that reason she had no particular personal knowledge about DEBRA or CHRISTOPHER. She did not have any specific knowledge that would indicate that DEBRA had ever talked about not wanting to have CHRISTOPHER around.

JANET was also questioned about anything that DEBRA might have said to her about CHRISTOPHER'S disappearance. All that DEBRA said to her was that she (DEBRA) thought that CHRISTOPHER had been taken by a stranger and that JIM had nothing to do with his disappearance.

Comment : This statement of JANET FROEBE confirms Debra's actual attitude towards JIM STYERS : she saw him as a friend and father-figure, a reliable baby-sitter and non-violent person.

JANET FROEBE had no additional information to provide so the interview was concluded. If she is needed for future contact, she can be reached at home phone number, 868-XXXX. She does work for the Arizona Department of Corrections, in the prison investigations section, but she will be on sick leave for approximately the next six weeks.

The entire scenario told with this police report was later confirmed by JANET FROEBE during her testimony at the Presentence Hearing on December 7, 1990 :

Ken Ray: When you accompanied her to the Pinal County Sheriff's Office, did you volunteer to do that?
Janet Froebe: Mrs. Sadeik had asked me if I would take her due to the fact that they were all extremely tired because they had not had sleep for a couple of days.
Ken Ray: Was there a Pinal County Sheriff's detective at the house at the time?
Janet Froebe: Yes.
Ken Ray: Was there any conversation concerning whether she would go with the Sheriff's detective or with you?
Janet Froebe: Yes, he asked if she wanted to go with him or if he wanted me to take her. I offered to take her.
Ken Ray: When you arrived at the Pinal County Sheriff's Office, did you notice any officers from the Phoenix Police Depratment?
Janet Froebe: Yes, I did.
Ken Ray: Were they there as you arrived?
Janet Froebe: They were arriving approximately the same time that we arrived.
Ken Ray: You were escorted, were you not, into a room within the Pinal County jail; isn't that right?
Janet Froebe: That's correct.
Ken Ray: Did you have any conversations with any of the officers before going into that room?
Janet Froebe: Before? No.
Ken Ray: So, you were not advised, were you, of why she was being brought to the station?
Janet Froebe: No.
Ken Ray: Did you sit with Mrs. Milke in that room within the jail for a period of time?
Janet Froebe: Yes.
Ken Ray: How long?
Janet Froebe: It seemed at least an hour or more.