6 September 2013

A US woman who spent more than two decades on death row after being convicted of murdering her son has been released because of a lack of evidence.

Debra Milke was found guilty in Arizona state of the 1989 shooting of her four-year-old boy, who was allegedly killed for a $5,000 (£3,200) insurance payout.

Milke, 49, allegedly confessed to a detective whose credibility has since been questioned.

She will remain on bail as prosecutors mount a new trial.

A court of appeals overturned her conviction in March this year after questions were raised about a now-retired detective who testified that Milke had confessed the crime to him.

He was found to have lied under oath in four later cases and was suspended for accepting sexual favours on the job.

Milke's $250,000 bail bond was paid out of money raised by her European supporters - her German mother has maintained her daughter's innocence.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-23997252#

While being yet another case demonstrating the wrongness of capital punishment, it is lucky for Mike that she was on death row: had she received a life sentence, she would likely not have had appeal and she would still be serving her sentence....

Concerning the corrupt detective: I despise crooked cops with a passion--I think they are lower than snake sht...