Photos: Photos: (top) Debbie is still held
in a California State Prison.
(middle) Los Angeles DA Steve Cooley
broke his agreement to set Debbie free.
(bottom) Debbie leading the prison choir.

California is the only state in the US with a law written specifically to help exonerate or reduce the sentences of battered women for crimes against their perpetrators. Under California Penal Code 1473.5 (enacted in 2002), an incarcerated victim of abuse has the right to petition the court for relief based on specific expert evidence that explains how the battering she suffered is directly connected to her crime. While this law has led to the release of a number of women, it is still a long and highly subjective process with results that vary widely from county to county in California.

The facts of the abuse that Debbie endured, and the connection of that abuse to the crime, were never presented before the court or to the District Attorney's Office during the original criminal proceedings. California law now allows for the consideration of this evidence.

The prosecution's star witness now admits that he lied in order to place undue blame on Debbie.

One of the two men who actually killed Debbie's batterer had a strong incentive to give false testimony. Placing undue blame on Debbie increased his odds of receiving a lesser sentence.

Internal documents show that in 1983 the LA District Attorney knew that her crime did not merit the death penalty. Nevertheless, the LA District Attorney threatened to pursue the death penalty against Debbie, wrongfully coercing her to accept a "deal" to life in prison.

In 2005, Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley and his Chief Deputy DA Curt Livesay (the very person who initially approved seeking the death penalty) personally reviewed the case and entered into a written deal to set Debbie free, concluding that her release would "serve the interests of justice." Ultimately, the District Attorney broke his agreement to release Debbie and went back on his word, failing to live up to his end of the bargain. The end result - the LA Superior Court denied Debbie's petition for release.

Debbie's record while in prison has been exemplary. She has earned her associate's degree while incarcerated, leads the prison's gospel choir, works in an electronics manufacturing plant, and has graduated from a battered women's support group. She has mentored many inmates, providing spiritual guidance and teaching a number of them to read and write. The former Assistant Director of Policy Operations for the California Department of Corrections has written that Debbie is "a role model to other prisoners who demonstrates significant maturity, stability, and leadership potential."