Debra Jean Milke's Story

Despite his many promises to change his habits and Debbie's support to help him in this direction, MARK was once again arrested in 1988 and had to spend several months in jail. During that time, Debra was living with her mother-in-law, ILSE MILKE, with whom Debbie shared a loving bond and who provided Christopher with some sort of family environment despite the divorce from her son. After his release from jail in January 1989, MARK wanted to see his son and CHRISTOPHER had not seen his daddy in six months. Debbie supervised the visits and was hoping that MARK would stay clean now. He had to report to a parole officer on a regular basis and provide a urine sample. Just a short month later, MARK called up Debra frantically to go with him to his parole officer and switch the urine sample. Debbie became unglued and refused, but she offered to talk to the parole officer to enter MARK into a rehabilitation clinic and that she would support him. Otherwise, MARK would have faced a very long prison term. The program involved a family day and Debbie faithfully took CHRISTOPHER to see his dad each Saturday. In May 1989, MARK was released from the rehab clinic and went to live with a sponsor. Thinking that MARK was on the road to recovery and talking to his sponsor, Debra eventually let him spend a day with CHRISTOPHER. This went well for a few visits and then she did not hear from him for quite some time. In late July, MARK asked again to have a day with CHRISTOPHER and Debra agreed, stipulating that the sponsor was present and that she would pick up CHRIS at 6.00 p.m. When she came to the house, she noticed a number of people around and that MARK was high again. She was furious that her son had to be exposed to this. MARK ended up attacking Debra. He grabbed her by the throat and in the struggle took her car keys and threatened to kill her and take CHRISTOPHER. He screamed at her for putting him through this rehab program and that he was sick of her compassion, all he wanted was to have his son and that he would get him one way or another. CHRISTOPHER witnessed the whole scene and wet his pants which infuriated his father even more. She eventually broke free of him, took CHSRITOPHER and ran. Petrified that MARK would come after them, she hid behind a dumpster until she felt safe enough to go somewhere. It was late at night and she was stranded with her son and without her car. It was then that she called JIM STYERS, a friend of her sister SANDY. At that time, CHRISTOPHER was so traumatized from what he had seen his father do that he did not want to see him again.

She knew JIM did not drink, smoke or curse and went to church on a regular basis. She trusted him. When JIM learned of her situation, he offered to let Debra and CHRISTOPHER share his apartment in which he also took care of his own, 2 years-old daughter WENDY. Afraid to go back to her mother-in-law's house - where MARK would find her - Debra agreed to stay with STYERS, at least temporarily and as a means to share expenses. This was strictly a business arrangement, cutting the costs. and there was never a romantic involvement of any kind. JIM knew about MARK and his abusiveness and Debra felt safe to be with someone she felt she could trust. MARK'S threats did not end by any means. He stalked the apartment, he called, he threatened to find a way to take CHRIS, but JIM protected her and her son. She was so petrified of her ex-husband's threats that she was even afraid of going to work, because he knew where she worked, but more so, she instructed JIM to call the police immediately, if MARK ever showed up at the apartment.

Debbie was now more determined than ever to advance in her career in order to become independent and provide for her and her son. Meanwhile, JIM took care of CHRISTOPHER and his own little two year old daughter. He was always helpful and courteous towards Debbie and totally devoted to protecting her from her ex-husband's abuses. She was totally oblivious of any possessiveness from JIM or any untoward behavior. The only thing she realized was JIM could not understand her concern for CHRISTOPHER'S mixed up emotions about his mommy and daddy. How do you tell a three year old about the illness of a father who was heavily into drugs, but whom he loved ?

After the latest incident with her ex-husband, when CHRIS asked his mother to spend his fourth birthday with his grandmother and dad, she was unable to explain or refuse. When MARK finally brought CHRIS back to her, she noticed that he was high again and that was the proverbial "straw that broke the camel's back" for her. When he told her that a little cocaine and taking CHRISTOPHER for a day would not harm the child, she knew that this could not continue. His threats to her never let up and Debra decided to get a restraining order on MARK, because she had lost all faith that he would ever change his habits. She did not want their son to be further exposed to this kind of life and certainly did not want him to grow up to be like his father. MARK contested the restraining order, but during a court hearing on October 24, 1989, Debra won her case. After the hearing, as they went to the parking lot, MARK began threatening her again. It was then that Debra decided to look for a place to live in Tempe, close to her place of employment. She began to look at apartments and a suitable day care center for CHRISTOPHER.

Debbie did not tell JIM about her plans to move out until she was sure she had secured an apartment. On November 24th, 1989, she was notified by the apartment complex she had applied for that her application had been approved. She made arrangements to move in after the holidays and it was on this day of being notified that she told JIM about her plans to move out.

Eight days later, on December 2, 1989, CHRISTOPHER overheard JIM asking Debbie if he could use her car for some shopping errands at the nearby mall. CHRISTOPHER begged his mother to let him go along, because he wanted to have his picture taken with Santa Claus. Debra asked JIM if it was ok with him and JIM agreed. CHRIS dressed himself in his favorite outfit, eager to go. Debra hugged CHRISTOPHER good-bye and wished him a good time. After they left, she took a shower, cleaned the apartment, talked to a friend on the phone, talked to some neighbors outside, and got the mail.

A few hours later, JIM called Debra telling her that CHRISTOPHER was missing from the Metro Center mall. She immediately called the police, her father in Florence, her mother in Switzerland, her sister in Wyoming as well as friends and neighbors. Police, friends and neighbors went to the shopping mall in search of CHRISTOPHER showing pictures of him, but to no avail. Debra was getting hysterical as the hours went by. Her stepmother, MAUREEN, and her stepsister, KAREN, came to Phoenix. They and the police tried to persuade Debra to go to her father's house in Florence, because they thought she needed to be with family and get some rest. Debra hadn't slept or eaten in over twenty-four hours and she was becoming a basket case. Debbie, however, refused at first yelling at everyone that she wanted to stay at home by the phone, because CHRISTOPHER knew his address and phone number. The vigil kept on for many hours until the next day she finally agreed to be driven to her father's house. The police assured her that she would be notified immediately as soon as they knew anything. She gave the police her father's phone number and address.

Debra doesn't know what really transpired on that fateful day of December 2nd, 1989 or why. She had no idea that JIM or anyone else had been plotting to get rid of CHRISTOPHER for whatever reason. Based on the outcome of her trial, it was still unclear who did the actual killing, but as this website has shown in many places the clear evidence proves that JIM'S long-time acquaintance ROGER MARK SCOTT had killed CHRISTOPHER and that former Phoenix police detective ARMANDO SALDATE had orchestrated a case against all three individuals, claiming that a conspiracy existed. Based on the knowledge given to her by her former attorneys and investigators between the years of 1990 and 2001, she finally has come to assume that JAMES STYERS had made plans to eliminate her son, CHRISTOPHER. Yet, she always maintained privately that she had a hard time to believe this theory. She was told that JIM did not want "to do it" alone and got in touch with an old friend, ROGER SCOTT. For as long as she had known JIM prior to moving in with him, she had never heard him mention a friend named ROGER. Only in the years since 2000 a diligent re-research of her entire file uncovered the fraud committed by former detective SALDATE and county prosecutor NOEL LEVY. It became clear that SCOTT covered his own butt by implicating his buddy JIM STYERS, putting the major blame on him by stating "Jim killed him" [CHRISTOPHER]. In his pertinent police report SALDATE alleged that SCOTT next claimed that the mother of the little boy 'wanted it done' and that she was the mastermind behind the crime. According to that report, this purportedly took place inside a police car and en route to the murder-scene. Incredibly, the other detective inside the car, DET. ROBERT MILLS, didn't make any mention of this incident in his report.

A few months prior to the tragedy, Debra remembers ROGER coming to the apartment and was introduced to him. She thought he was very scummy and thought that JIM had picked him up on a street corner. She did not know him at all and only talked to him a few times, because most of the time he appeared intoxicated. She recalls that he did not like to come to JIM'S apartment because the noise of children playing and their whining irritated him and that he questioned JIM how he could put up with all this nonsense. She recalls that ROGER had asked her for some money to tide him over, but she refused him vehemently stating, "What do you think I am, a bank ?" She never saw him again or heard from him until his name was mentioned during her "interview" with Saldate. JIM kept ROGER away from the apartment when Debra came home after work. Based on what she has been told until 2000, there was the assumption that JIM told ROGER about her employment with an insurance company and that she would be able to give them money by doing away with CHRISTOPHER. Only since then it had been discovered in the tiniest detail how SALDATE'S rush to take advantage of intimidating the young woman, harshly confronting her with the death of her son and taking care that no witness was around, eventually culminated in fabricating a 'confession' which was not mentioned to any of SALDATE'S fellow detectives upon exiting the interrogation room, until county prosecutor NOEL LEVY was involved and until the written version was known. Needless to say, this so-called 'confession' was not signed, not tape-recorded and not witnessed by anybody, but it was allowed into evidence at trial and is actually the only [fabricated and fully invented] piece of evidence linking Debra Milke to the murder. Debra was eventually convicted by 'a jury of her peers' [largely well-informed by sensationalizing media] and represented by an public defender, whose substantial role was to lose the case. Sandwiched between SCOTT'S incriminating ramblings and the purported confession of Debra Milke, JIM STYERS was convicted to die. As a co-conspirator ROGER SCOTT was also convicted to die. Debra Milke, a grief-stricken woman of 26 years at the time of her sentencing, enduring the biggest loss of her life at that time - the outrageous murder of her 4-year-old son - was also convicted to die.

"With the measure you measure, it will be measured to you" (Mt. 7:2; Lk. 6:38)