| First Name | Debra |
| Last Name | Sheldon |
| Year of Conviction | 1990 |
| Year of Exoneration | 2009 |
| Testing inculpated culprit | Non-Cold Hit |
| State of Conviction | Nebraska |
| Trial, Bench Trial, or Guilty Plea | Guilty Plea |
| Type of Crime | Murder |
| Death Sentence | No |
| Gender of Exoneree | Female |
| Race of exoneree | White |
| Juvenile | No |
| Types of evidence at trial |
|
| Were non-public facts alleged? | Yes |
| Type of Forensic Evidence |
|
| Types of Flawed Forensics |
|
| Reason why invalid | (1) Masking |
| Brief Quote / Description of Testimony | Fingerprint and hair comparison excluded defendant. Analyst testified in Joseph White’s trial that serology was consistent with two co-defendants, without providing any statistics or explaining that those findings were also entirely consistent with the victim and none could be excluded. |
| Examples of Non-Public or Corroborated Facts and Inconsistencies | ● Described general layout of victim’s apartment ● Described involvement of others in a rape ● Described that victim had been found with heard wrapped tightly in a scarf, wearing a blue nightgown, with towels wrapped around wrists, and with wrists broken BUT also denied having any independent knowledge of the victim’s residence and did not describe victim’s hand’s having been bound |
| Quotes from law enforcement testimony | Guilty Plea – No trial. But testified in Joseph White trial. Deputy Sheriff testified: “Did you tell her anything about the Helen Wilson homicide on April 14, 1989? A. No. Q. Were you present during the whole period of time of the interviews? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did anyone else tell her anything about the Helen Wilson homicide to your knowledge? A. No, sir.” |
| Interrogation Recorded | Videotape of part of interrogation |
| Jailhouse informant, Co-defendant, Incentivized Witness | CD |
| Examples of Non-Public or Corroborated Facts and Inconsistencies | ● Non-public facts described in false confession Appendix concerning other “Beatrice Six” defendants Dean, Taylor, and Winslow |
| Highest level reached | NR |