all charges against debra jean milke were dismissed today    25 years after she was convicted and sentenced to die for the brutal murder of her four year old son milke was released from jail in 2013 after 22 years on arizona's death row, but still faced the possibility of a retrial and remained free on bail with an electronic monitoring bracelet on monday, maricopa county superior court before judge rosa mroz found that there was not enough evidence to take the case against milke to trial she ordered the charges dismissed with prejudice   meaning she cannot be re tried scroll down for video  debra milke, pictured monday in court, had murder charges against her dismissed   25 years after she was convicted and sentenced to die  milke leaned in for a hug with her attorney lori voepel (right) on monday after she was finally cleared of all charges in the murder of her son  milke sobbed and hugged her attorney and supporters as she left the courtroom on monday   ending a 25 year legal ordeal  milke was convicted of plotting with two friends to kill her son christopher, who was led into the desert and shot three times in the back of the head  the judge also ordered probation officers to remove her electronic monitoring bracelet and close out milke's case the hearing took just two minutes, according to ksaz tv milke, 51, hugged her lawyer and her supporters and sobbed as she left the courtroom today milke's conviction was based almost entirely on phoenix police detective armando saldate's claims that she had confessed to him that she plotted to killed her son christopher the confession was never recorded and it was later revealed that saldate had a history of lying under oath and violating the rights of suspects in december 1989, milke dressed her son in his favorite outfit and sent him off to the mall to see santa claus in the care of her roommate, james styers styers later picked up roger scott and the two men drove christopher into the desert and shot him three times in the back of the head james styers and roger scott are on death row for the horrific murder of christopher they have both denied that milke had anything to do with the killing  debra milke (pictured in a prison mug shot) denied that she ever confessed and fought for her innocence christopher was wearing his favorite outfit when he was murdered  detective armando saldate claimed that milke confessed to him   but never recorded the confession his testimony sent her to death row it was later discredited  prosecutors argued that milke no longer wanted christopher, but hated his father so much that she didn't want to give up custody of the boy at the time of his arrest, scott claimed that milke had discussed splitting the boy's $50,000 life insurance policy with him   but later recanted that statement styers and scott were convicted and sentenced to death for the murder the refused to testify against milke and now maintain she had nothing to do with the little boy's death both men are awaiting execution in 2013, the 9th circuit court of appeals overturned her conviction and sentence of death, finding that the  judge mroz, when she ordered milke's release, said allegations of saldate's past misconduct 'cast serious doubts on the validity of the defendant’s alleged confession' saldate, who has since retired from the police force, said previously that he would not testify at a retrial of milke prosecutors had tried to force saldate to testify at the re trial and set a new trial date for her, but the arizona supreme court rejected the request milke has filed a lawsuit against phoenix, maricopa county and several officials and investigators involved in her conviction she says she was the victim of malicious prosecution
debra jean milke maricopa county christopher armando saldate saldate
debra jean milke had been free on bail since her conviction was overturned in 2013 . maricopa county judge dismissed her case with prejudice   meaning charges cannot be filed again . convicted of the 1989 murder of her son christopher, who was shot four times in the back of the head by two friends . sentenced to die based largely on the testimony of detective armando saldate, who claimed she confessed to him . saldate was later discredited 