Judge Rosa Mroz on Monday ended the case against Debra Milke after a judge in 2013 overturned her first-degree murder conviction.
Ross D. Franklin / AP
A judge on Monday tossed out the murder case against an Arizona woman who served over two decades on death row for killing her 4-year-old son.
Judge Rosa Mroz ended the case against Debra Milke after a judge in 2013 overturned her first-degree murder conviction, the Associated Press reported.
Last week, the Arizona Supreme Court rejected prosecutor's request for a new trial against the 51-year-old, KPHO reported.
Milke was originally sentenced to death for killing her son Christopher in 1989.
Prosecutors in the original case said that Milke had told her son they were going to visit Santa at the mall, but he was instead taken to the desert by two men and shot in the head.
They said Milke did so because she didn't want her child anymore – she has always maintained her innocence.
Anonymous / ASSOCIATED PRESS
The two men, who were both convicted in the case, refused to testify against Milke, according to the AP.
Milke's conviction was based on testimony from a former Phoenix police detective, who said Milke had confessed to the crime but that he didn't record it.
Her conviction came into question after authorities learned that the officer in question, detective Armando Saldate, had lied or violated people's rights during interrogations in multiple other cases, the AP reported.
Milke filed a lawsuit against Phoenix, Maricopa County and others earlier this month claiming that they violated her right to a fair trial, according to the AP.
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