A woman who spent 22 years on death row in her son's killing tearfully described on Tuesday how she suffered twin tragedies in losing her young child and being the victim of a 'blatant miscarriage of justice.' Debra Milke spoke out at a news conference in Phoenix, Arizona a day after her case was dismissed in the 1989 killing of her 4-year-old son, who thought he was going to see Santa Claus when he was taken to the desert and shot in the back of the head. Her conviction was overturned by an appeals court that ruled her murder conviction was tainted because of the work of a discredited detective. Scroll down for video . In tears: Debra Milke cries during a news conference in Phoenix, Arizona, on March 24, 2015 as she speaks of the tragedy of losing her child and of being falsely accused of his murder . Debra Milke (pictured in a prison mug shot) denied that she ever confessed to killing her son Christopher (right) who was wearing his favorite outfit when he was murdered by two of her friends . Milke sobbed repeatedly as she read a statement about her ordeal, fondly recalling her son's love of bubble gum and riding his big wheel. 'Losing a child to murder is a devastating tragedy with an indescribable pain no parent should ever have to feel. It is the purest form of anguish imaginable that sears the soul, and the hurt never goes away, ever,' she said. 'The only thing worse is to be falsely accused of participating in your own child's death.' Milke was convicted of murder and sentenced to death based almost entirely on an unrecorded confession authorities say she made to Detective Armando Saldate. Her lawyers  called him a 'dirty cop' with a long history of misconduct. 'She's an innocent woman who never should have been convicted. She was the victim of a dirty cop,' defense lawyer Michael Kimerer said. Debra Milke said in a news conference on Tuesday that losing a child to murder is the 'purest form of anguish imaginable that sears the soul, and the hurt never goes away, ever' Debra Milke looks on in tears during a news conference as she speaks of her painful time on death row for the alleged killing of her 4-year old son and who  was freed this week after her murder case was dismissed . 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 . Prosecutors insist that Milke had her son killed, but they lost their final appeal last week to have her retried in her son's death. Authorities say Milke's motive was that she didn't want the child anymore and didn't want him to live with his father. James Styers and Roger Scott, the two men who led Christopher to his death, have refused to testify against Milke. While Milke sat on death row, the Arizona Supreme Court had gone so far as to issue a death warrant for her in 1997. The execution was delayed because she had yet to exhaust federal appeals. Multiple rulings in other cases said the now-retired officer either lied under oath or violated suspects' rights during interrogations, according to the federal appeals court. Milke sued the city of Phoenix, Maricopa County and numerous individuals earlier this month, alleging authorities violated her civil rights. She also contends she was denied a fair trial and was a victim of malicious prosecution. 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 . Milke, whose mother was a German who married a U.S. Air Force military policeman in Berlin in the 1960s, has drawn strong support from citizens of that nation and Switzerland, neither of which has the death penalty. All charges against Debra Jean Milke were dismissed on  Monday -  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. Dirty cop: 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 . 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. 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 on Monday. 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. Debra Milke, pictured on 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 . 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. 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 Milke spoke out at a news conference in Phoenix, Arizona a day after her case was dismissed in the 1989 killing of her 4-year-old son . Milke said that the only thing worse than losing a child is 'to be falsely accused of participating in your own child's death'
Milke was originally convicted of the 1989 murder of her son Christopher, who was shot four times in the back of the head by two friends . Milke sobbed repeatedly as she read a statement about her ordeal, fondly recalling her son's love of bubble gum and riding his big wheel . Milke had been free on bail since her conviction was overturned in 2013 .