Don F. Jordan's
letter to former General State Attorney,
Janet Napolitano

June 11, 2001

The Attorney General of Arizona
Mrs. Janet Napolitano
1275 W. Washington Street
Phoenix, Arizona USA

Dear Mrs. Napolitano,

I write to you as a concerned American citizen who has been working as a journalist in Germany for the past 38 years (CV enclosed) and who has become increasingly concerned with the damage being done to European-American relations by travesties of justice in the US., including Arizona. Permit me to emphasize that I am NOT an opponent of the death penalty and - on the contrary - spent many hours on German radio and television defending the right and obligation of your state to put to death the LaGrand brothers whose guilt was without a doubt and thus proven without human error or manipulation. That, however, is not at all the case with your inmate on death row, Ms. Debra J. Milke.

I have had occasion to review substantial documentation of Ms. Milke's trial and tribulations which are the almost weekly subject of press and broadcast interest here in Germany, and am convinced that she is not a murderess but rather a victim of murderous manipulation and professional failure on the part of her accusers, including officials acting on behalf of the State of Arizona. There is definitely more evidence of that than there is of the Ms. Milke's guilt. And this is something I find impossible to defend here or anywhere else, and I do not intend to do so.

I am joined in my concern for the effects which the mounting revelations of wrongful convictions of alleged criminals already executed (!) and those awaiting execution are having on Transatlantic relations by no lesser dignitaries than the former. U.S. Ambassador to Germany, John Kornblum, and eight of his retired colleagues, also well-aware of what harms relations between peoples. They point out in the German press today precisely how euch travesties of justice damage America's claim to moral leadership in the world, something which I, personally, am (otherwise) proud of and spend much time defending to European audiences.

May I appeal to you to use your office and inherent powers to right what is probably a gross wrong in the case of Debra Jean Milke ... before it is irreversible. I write to you on the day when justice definitely was done in Indiana, hopefully with the deterrent effect on potential murderers, I can only hope that justice will also prevail in Arizona in the case of Debra J. Milke with a much-needed boost to the credibility of the U.S. judicial system and to European-American relations.

Sincerely,