MAN ACCUSED OF KILLING SINGLE MOTHER WAS POLICE INFORMANT RELEASED FROM JAIL

FORT WORTH (AP) -- A man accused of killing a single mother in
December was an informant who was released from jail at police request
five weeks earlier, the Fort Worth Star- Telegram reported Sunday.

Fort Worth police lost track of Joshua Edwards for nearly two weeks
before the slaying of Debbie Ralph, who interrupted a burglary at her
employer's Ridglea home on Dec. 4, police said.

Ralph, 34, the mother of a 12-year-old girl, had stopped at the house
to change light bulbs and drop off refreshments for a Christmas party
as a favor to her boss, police said.

Edwards, 26, was arrested the same day and charged with capital murder
after he confessed, investigators said. He walked out of jail on Oct.
31 after he agreed to help detectives solve 90 burglaries, all of
which he said he committed. He disappeared about three weeks later.

The detective assigned to Edwards said he did not learn of his
disappearance for more than a week because of "a lack of
communication," said police spokesman Lt. Ric Clark. Had the detective
been told, he would have sought a warrant for Edwards' arrest, Clark
added.

Law enforcement officials grant informants special treatment in
exchange for help with investigations, prosecutors said. In Tarrant
County, district judges annually authorize release of about 15
informants from jail, said Greg Miller, deputy chief of the district
attorney's criminal division.

Investigators generally strike agreements with informants whom they
believe to be reliable and nonviolent, Clark said. Officers conduct
surveillance, including random checks at the home or workplace, on
informants who require more oversight.

Before Edwards, no informant in recent memory had been accused of
murder, police said.

"We're sorry that Ms. Ralph was murdered, (but) Joshua Edwards killed
her," Clark said. "The Police Department has been using informants in
a manner like this for years and nothing like this has occurred."

While working with police, Edwards tested positive for cocaine and
marijuana use. He was also jailed on a misdemeanor charge of
possessing drug paraphernalia; he was issued a citation and released
the same day, police said.

But the detective and the judge overseeing Edwards' case said they did
not know about the drug test or the misdemeanor arrest before Ralph
was killed. Had they known, police said they would have rescinded
their agreement with Edwards.

Police and county officials said they are reviewing procedures
regarding informants and drug tests.

Ralph's relatives declined comment.