Essay: Did She or Didn't She? The Case of Debra Milke
instructions
Debra Jean Milke (born March 10, 1964) is a German American woman who spent over 25 years in prison in the state of Arizona. She was one of three people sentenced to death for the December 2, 1989 shooting death of her four-year-old son, Christopher Conan Milke. Her alleged conspirators were her roommate James Lynn Styers and his friend Roger Mark Scott. Neither testified against her and both agreed that she was not present at the shooting. Scott implicated Milke as the mastermind while Styers said she had no involvement whatsoever. They implicated each other as the actual shooter. In 2013, Milke’s conviction was overturned based on information that the lead investigator in the case had a history of lying, and that his testimony of Milke’s confession was highly suspect. Milke’s case was set for retrial in February 2015, however it was then decided that Milke cannot be retried.
Here are some links to additional information:
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AZ Talk: Do we owe Debra Milke anything? (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
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Debra Milke, who spent 22 years on Arizona death row, has murder case tossed (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
Then address the following in an essay:
· What are the facts of the case?
· What questions are you left with?
· Do you feel as though Milke is guilty or not guilty and please support with a factual basis to your conclusion.
how to submit
The essay must be APA format, at least 3 pages in length in actual content, double-spaced, using 12-point font with 1-inch margins and include at least 3 legitimate sources. You can use the ASU Library Database system to search articles/newspaper articles. Wikipedia, blogs, and other nefarious sources of dubious credibility are not acceptable sources.
Rubric
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Research Papers
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Criteria
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Ratings
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Pts
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This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeContent (20%)
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10.0 to >5.0 pts
Proficient
All required elements, stemming from the thesis, are addressed in sufficient detail; paper does not go into unrelated discussion; meets the minimum length requirements.
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5.0 to >0.0 pts
Competent
Required elements are addressed, some not as in depth as the topic requires; essay may stray into irrelevant discussion; meets or comes close to meeting minimum length requirements.
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0.0 pts
Novice
Required elements are addressed or not addressed in sufficient depth; essay wanders off-topic; does not meet minimum length requirements.
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10.0 pts
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This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeWriting (20%)
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10.0 to >5.0 pts
Proficient
Clear, concise writing; required elements are clearly identified and well-supported; minimal grammatical errors. Clearly organized paper that is arranged in a logical order; clear introduction, body, and conclusion; proper use of paragraphs.
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5.0 to >0.0 pts
Competent
Overall good writing but may have some inconsistencies; minimal unclear passages; some grammatical or spelling errors. Well-organized paper overall; missing a solid introduction or conclusion; some use of huge mega-paragraphs.
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0.0 pts
Novice
Poor writing; unclear passages; numerous spelling or grammatical errors. Disorganized paper; no logical order to the structure; missing introduction or conclusion; extensive use of huge mega-paragraphs.
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10.0 pts
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This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeFormat (20%)
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10.0 to >5.0 pts
Proficient
Consistent, proper citation of outside sources within the paper and in the bibliography following the paper; essay has a cover page and separate page for bibliography.
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5.0 to >0.0 pts
Competent
Proper citation of outside sources within the paper and in the bibliography; no cover page or bibliography is listed on the same page as the essay.
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0.0 pts
Novice
Sources cited improperly or not at all; missing bibliography; no cover page; most of the first page of content is used for non-content material.
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10.0 pts
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This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeSources (20%)
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10.0 to >5.0 pts
Proficient
Student uses 3 sources; published within last 10 years; fact-based/ academic in nature.
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5.0 to >0.0 pts
Competent
Student uses less than 3 outside sources if required; may use course text as a source; may have used old sources (over 10 years old); some unacceptable sources (Wiki, blogs, etc.)
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0.0 pts
Novice
Student does not meet minimum source requirements; extensive use of course text; has used old sources; extensive use of unacceptable sources.
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10.0 pts
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This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeQuotations (20%)
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10.0 to >5.0 pts
Proficient
Used sparingly if at all; paper is well paraphrased, excellent summary of source material.
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5.0 to >0.0 pts
Competent
Some over-use or overly-long quotations that do not add to the overall quality of the paper.
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0.0 pts
Novice
Used extensively; does not demonstrate that the student understands the material.
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10.0 pts
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Total Points: 50.0
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