Renate Janka and a Painful Journey as Debra Milke's Mother

Phoenix, AZ–Renate Janka is an elegant and well-educated German woman who connected with a handsome U.S. Air Force enlisted man Richard Sadiek in Berlin, Germany.  They married and the couple soon had two daughters, Debra and Sandy.  As toddlers these girls played along the Berlin Wall where they amused the East German border guards watching them from their towers.

Sadiek retired from the Air Force and and the family moved to Florence Arizona.  The culture shock hit Renate like a bomb.  They were living a spartan life in a hot, dusty town where the primary Arizona prison is located. Sadiek’s job there was as a guard.

The guards and their families were poorly educated and many of them were socially similar to what inhabits most America trailer parks. The marriage was understandably troubled with many adjustment problems and Renate separated and divorced Sadiek.

Renate moved back to Europe. The little girls chose to stay in Arizona where they adjusted with their new friends.  Renate would return and visit or the girls would fly to Switzerland.  Renate kept in as close in contact with the girls that the 5,000 miles would permit.

Debra and sandy had what I’d describe as normal sibling rivalry problems.  Sandy felt that Debra got all the breaks in life, good looks, did well and was popular in school.  Life is never really fair but the girls lived with that.

Renate found new love with a dashing German pilot, Alex Janka.  They lived in Switzerland and were enjoying their lives.  Their lives were suddenly decimated by a shocking crime.  James Styers and his boyhood pal Roger Scott took Renate’s grandson, four year-old Christopher out to a remote Phoenix desert and shot thin to death leaving him in a fetal position in a wash.

Debra Milke was also arrested after a bad cop falsified a police report with outrageous claims that the young mother confessed to conspiracy and murder with the two men.

Aside from the damage done to Debra Milke ultimately putting her on Death Row Saldate destroyed the relationships Milke had with her mother, father and sister.  Saldate did that by falsely claiming to Milke’s family he had a tape recorded confession that contained more shocking admissions.  Renate was somewhat convinced that Saldate was truthful as were Sadiek and Sandy. Debra Milke stood trial with no family support whatsoever.

In my experience I found that accused defendants with family members in court always seem to fair better.  Here Sandy was suddenly hating her sister enough to exaggerate her testimony against her in court.  Sadiek was also convinced by Saldate’s lies.

Sadiek died but not before finally learning that his daughter was innocent.  Unfortunately it was too late to be of any sufficient help.

Finally nearly a decade later with the help of Milke’s grandmother Renate began to raise questions about Saldate.  She traveled to Arizona and began her own investigation.  That’s when we met.   I told Renate what I knew and had just finished the last news Debra Mike story I produced with KTVK-TV reporter Mike Watkiss.

Renate went on a mission.  She began investigating and then began writing a book.  With the help of a loyal Berliner friend, Frankie Aue a web site was created.  This was no small feat.  Since German was their native language they had to get an education into the complexities of American criminal law.  With the challenges and hardship things moved quite well. Understandably the law and how it is applied still confounds them from time to time.  The same could be said for most lawyers.

Renate had to make decisions about just who to believe and or trust.  Renate understandably floundered in accepting or not advice from people she hardly knew. Renate did however became an unstoppable speeding train in her quest to expose the truth about her daughter’s plight.

After World War II and all the killing under color of law Europeans have learned to reject the death penalty that always gets abused by government bureaucrats.  For Renate opening diplomatic channels seemed to be a good idea and soliciting funds for her Berlin born daughter was a lot easier there too.

Renate has paid out many thousands of her own  dollars for her daughters defense.  Her retirement funds have been decimated and her health has spiraled downward with now terminal ovarian cancer.

Renate longed to simply hug Debbie and got very recently her fist chance to do that just two days after she was released on bail.  The two have been enjoying their reunion and are looking forward to derailing the continued lies before a new jury if that actually happens. Unfortunately this is a race so that Renate can see this happen before she departs our world.

Renate lost not just one daughter but two.  Renate could not deal with Sandy’s hatred for her sister built on the lies of Saldate. Those two were estranged as a result.  I must say that is finally changing as Sandy found out the truth and will now testify at any new trial as she painfully explains her somewhat tainted testimony in 1990.

While working on a Swiss documentary film on Debra Milke in Europe I visited with Renate.  Her husband Alex had died and as he would have liked Renate partnered with his best friend Reinhardd Muller. Muller is another keeper like Alex.  I spent a few days with them in Karlsruhe,Germany for the film. They are happy together while living through incredible hardship and drama.  Today this couple lives in Eastern Switzerland near Zurich.

Renate will always have my total respect and admiration.  I’m personally very happy for her.  Above all Renate was an additional an innocent victim of the criminal conduct of disgraced former cop Armando Saldate who’s actions destroyed her family and stole her retirement.  

Now every day alive is a gift to Renate knowing she is at the end of the nightmare. I only can hope for a miracle that her doctors don’t expect. I want to see this fine woman reunited with both of her daughters soon.  I too look forward to seeing Renata’s smile soon.

Now we have to see how Judge Rosa Mroz handles the challenges of a fair trial after so many things went wrong.