Prosecutor Noel Levy

New Times, April 10, 1991

Even Prosecutor NOEL LEVY, an able veteran of the County Attorney's Office, admits he had doubts during the trial about Debra's guilt. "I was starting to feel sorry for her, the way she would be sitting in the judge's chambers shaking like a cornered rabbit," LEVY said.

Soon after Debbie took the witness stand, however, it became apparent to most onlookers that she was sinking herself with her seemingly heartless testimony. She was like steel when LEVY handed her the little cowboy boots Christopher was wearing when he died. Her description of unspeakable tragic events bordered on the banal, reminiscent of what she had allegedly said of the murder in 1989 to Detective Saldate : "I just made a bad judgment call. I'm just an emotionally troubled 25-year-old girl who needs help in dealing with her problems."

The longer Debbie's was on the stand, the worse things got for her. "She was hard as a rock, cold as a stone up there," NOEL LEVY says. "She gave me the case. When she was testifying, I couldn't help myself. I walked up real close to her and I looked into her eyes and it hit me. Behind the shield, I was looking at consummate evil. Her eyes were dead."

Debra was under sedation, prescribed medication, when taking the stand. Prosecutor LEVY should have known the symptoms of a person under sedation. Their personality becomes flat and their reactions do not reflect normal reactions.

If MR. LEVY truly had doubts about Debra's guilt as he professes, then he must have had doubts as to the reliability of Detective SALDATE'S story, in as much as the whole case rested on his account of her alleged confession. Whether Debra, under sedation, responded appropriately wasn't the issue.

There is, furthermore, a cultural issue here that was not address by Prosecutor LEVY. Debra Milke was born in Germany, of a German mother. It was/is instilled in that culture to always conduct oneself in a cool and restrained manner. Visible emotions are frowned upon. As Debra was raised by her mother, this was part of her personality. Add to that the use of sedatives, and her reactions would be considered quite normal.

Prosecutor LEVY has a history of bringing in "ambush witnesses" without notifying the defense in a timely fashion as required by law. The case "Arizona vs. Krone" was thrown out for that very reason and a new trial was ordered.

The tactics used by Prosecutor LEVY and his office to force Debra's family members to testify against her certainly do not conform to acceptable or legal evidence gathering and reek of violations of NOT ONLY Debra's rights but those of her family as well.

1. Her sister SANDY was threatened with imprisonment if she did not agree to testify against Debra. So relentless was the Prosecutor that Sandy who was pregnant at the time was forced to undergo induced labor to have her baby early, to accommodate the Prosecutor's time frame.
2. Debra's mother, who resides in Switzerland, received a frantic call from her daughter SANDY with the message, "Don't come here for the trial; they will put you in jail if you don't testify against Debbie."