Darlie Routier: Wrongfully Convicted of Murdering Her Children
Devon and Damon Routier were murdered in 1996 and their mother Darlie was convicted of the crime.
The Darlie Routier Case
On June 6th, 1996, someone brutally murdered two little boys and got away with it. Their mother, Darlie Routier, has been fighting to get off of death row for over 25 years.
The Murders
At around 2:30 a.m. on the morning of June 6, 1996, Rowlett, Texas homemaker Darlie Routier awoke on her family room couch to see the silhouette of a man walking away from her in the dark. Groggy and confused, Darlie instinctively followed the man through her kitchen toward the utility room that leads out to a garage.
As the man made his escape, he dropped a large butcher knife onto the floor. Darlie picked up the knife without thinking about it and headed back to the family room where she and her young sons had fallen asleep. Her husband, Darin, and seven-month-old son Drake were asleep in an upstairs bedroom, unharmed.
She turned on the lights to find that she and her children had been stabbed and were soaked in blood, thus beginning the worst nightmare and biggest fight of her life.
The Arrest
Twelve days later, on June 18, 1996, Darlie was arrested. She was tried for the murder of her youngest son, 5-year-old Damon, found guilty, and, on February 4, 1997, sentenced to death. Although her older son, six-year-old Devon, died as well, the prosecution claimed that they only charged her with Damon's murder because, as a child under the age of six, his murder qualified for capital punishment under Texas law.
They also stated that had Darlie been acquitted of Damon's murder, they could have then charged her with Devon's murder, doubling their chances of a conviction—hmmm, perhaps their case was not as strong as they would like us to believe?
What the prosecution does not say is that there was no evidence of Devon's blood present on the knife that was recovered from the Routier home; only Damon's and Darlie's blood were present.
To this day, they cannot prove that Devon was attacked with the same knife, and many speculate that there were indeed two intruders in the house that night, one who brought his own knife and one who used the butcher knife from the kitchen.
Even now, over 25 years later, Darlie Routier still maintains her innocence, asserting that someone broke into the home and attacked her and her children.
Darlie Routier with Damon (left) and Devon (right)
Because of what happened to that woman in Texas.
— John Ramsey, when asked why he obtained legal counsel after his daughter JonBenet was murdered
More Information About the Routier Case
- Darlie Routier: Myth vs. Fact
This article will address several misconceptions—as well as mistruths—surrounding the highly debated case of Darlie Routier.
The Routier Home at 5801 Eagle Drive: Devon and Damon called it the "Home Alone House." The neighborhood children called it the "Nintendo House" because of the elaborate game room made just for kids.
Why Darlie Seemed Suspicious
The police and lead prosecutors Greg Davis and Toby Shook claimed that the crime scene was staged and that Darlie inflicted her injuries upon herself. Their reasoning for this conclusion included the following factors and pieces of evidence, some of which, admittedly, did not look good for her:
- The murder weapon came from the house.
- No valuables were taken.
- Blood spatter analysis was inconsistent with Darlie's version of events.
- Drops of blood from the boys, which were consistent with castoff from the blade, were found on the back of Darlie's night shirt.
- A large amount of blood was found in front of the sink, indicating she stood there bleeding for some time.
- Fibers believed to be from a sliced screen were discovered adhering to a bread knife from the kitchen.
- A diary entry from May 3rd of that year indicated that Darlie was contemplating suicide.
- The Routiers had significant financial problems, including a substantial drop in income from the previous year, credit card debt, a late mortgage payment, and back taxes owed to the IRS.
- Darin had applied—and been turned down—for a $5,000 loan on June 1st.
- A videotape of a graveside birthday celebration for Darlie's late son showed Darlie smiling, chewing gum, and spraying "silly string" while singing "Happy Birthday."
Darlie's "Superficial, Self-Inflicted Wounds"
Darlie's Differing Accounts of the Attack
During the police investigation, one of the mistakes that hurt Darlie the most was giving several accounts and timelines of how the events occurred.
- In the first account, she awoke to see a man standing at the edge of the couch, walking away from her toward the kitchen.
- In another account, she was awakened by Damon pushing on her shoulder, saying, "Mommy."
- In yet another account, she was awoken by the sound of breaking glass.
- In one account, she fought with the intruder.
- In another, she has no memory of fighting with him.