Delbert Lee Case Data
Compiled by Rob Warden
Copyright 2006, Center on Wrongful Convictions
Bluhm Legal Clinic, Northwestern University School of Law
Date of crime: February 3, 1974
Place of crime: Lee County, Florida
Type of crime: Murder of one victim, rape of another
Sentence: Death for murder, life in prison for rape
Defendant’s age at time of crime: 34
Defendant’s gender: Male
Defendant’s race:Black
Defendant’s prior adult or juvenile conviction record:None
Victims: Terry Robert Milroy (murder), Cynthia Nadeau (rape)
Victims’ gender: Male (Milroy), Female (Nadeau)
Victims’ race: Both white
Victims’ ages at time of crime: Milroy 27, Nadeau 17
How defendant initially became a suspect: Identified from photographs by Nadeau
Date of arrest: March 15, 1974
Type of proceeding resulting in conviction: Jury trial
Racial makeup of jury:All-white
Date of conviction: December 14, 1974
Principal evidence presented at trial purporting to establish guilt: Eyewitness testimony by victim (Nadeau), testimony of jailhouse informant (Sylvester Gibbs)
Was conviction ever affirmed on appeal? No
Date of release:January 8, 1977
Total days incarcerated: 1,067
How case was resolved:Dismissal of charges following reversal of conviction
Date of resolution:On July 7, 1982
Factors leading to resolution:Recantation of Sylvester Gibbs, unreliability of identification by Nadeau
Individual(s) responsible for bringing miscarriage to light: Original defense lawyer (George Howard), privately retained appellate counsel (Jerry Paul), brother of defendant (Roy Tibbs, a Cook County, Illinois, deputy sheriff), recanting witness (Gibbs)
Did defendant receive compensation for the wrongful conviction?No
After exoneration, was defendant charged with or convicted of another crime? No (as of September 2, 2006)
