Darlie Routier
| Darlie Routier | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Darlie Lynn Peck January 4, 1970 Altoona, Pennsylvania |
Criminal penalty | Death by lethal injection |
Criminal status | On death row |
| Conviction(s) | Capital murder, 1 count |
Darlie Lynn Routier (born January 4, 1970) is an American woman from Rowlett, Texas, who was convicted of murdering her 5-year-old son, Damon. As of 2014, Routier is on death row awaiting execution by lethal injection.
Motive
The prosecution's contention was that Darlie Routier murdered her sons because of the family's financial difficulties. She was a full-time homemaker but her husband Darin, a small business owner, earned a relatively high income. This was later referred to as "living large" by her husband Darin Routier in an interview a few days after the deaths with Joe Munoz of KXAS Channel 5 in Dallas-Fort Worth. The family lived in a two-story home in a middle-class neighborhood, drove a mid-sized SUV, owned a Jaguar automobile and a boat.
Prosecutors described Routier as a pampered and materialistic woman with substantial debt, plummeting credit ratings, and little money in the bank who feared that her upper-middle class lifestyle was about to end.
Murder
The murder occurred at about 2:30 AM on June 6, 1996. Darlie Routier testified that an intruder killed her children but police alleged inconsistencies between her report and the crime scene evidence.
During the 911 call, Routier can be heard saying that she'd found a knife on the floor. The 911 operator, thinking that Routier was speaking to her, told her not to touch anything, to which Routier responded that she had already touched it and picked it up and later said, "We could have gotten the prints, maybe."[1]
Dr. Alejandro Santos and Dr. Patrick Dillawn referred to Routier's wounds as superficial, although her neck wound came within two millimeters of her carotid artery. Blood spatter expert Tom Bevel testified that cast-off blood found on the back of Routier's nightshirt indicated that she had raised the knife over her head as she withdrew it from each boy to stab again.[2]
Routier's bloody footprints were found underneath a vacuum cleaner and broken glass, indicating those items had been placed there after she went through the kitchen instead of before, as she'd claimed. In spite of broken glass being in the path of her bloody footprints, Routier had no corresponding injuries to her feet.[3]
Newscasts appeared of Darlie Routier and other family members holding a birthday party at the children's grave to celebrate posthumously Devon's 7th birthday, just eight days after the murders. Routier, smiling and laughing, appeared jovial as she sprayed Silly String on the graves in celebration of Devon's birthday.[4]
Four days later, Routier was charged with capital murder.
Sentencing
Routier was convicted of murdering the younger of her two sons, and on February 1, 1997 was sentenced to death by lethal injection.[5]
Divorce
In June 2011, Darin Routier filed for divorce, having remained married to Routier after the murder of their sons. Darin Routier stated that the decision to divorce was mutual and "very difficult," and that he still believes his wife is innocent. He went on to say that they decided on the divorce to move on from the "limbo" they've been in since her arrest and conviction.[6]
Innocence claims
Routier's family maintains a website that proclaims her innocence and a new site has been created by Routier's supporters to present their views and claims of her innocence.
A sock with blood from the boys was found in an alley 75 yards from the house. A crime scene consultant Jim Cron claimed this and other evidence found had been staged.[7]
Defense attorneys allege that errors were made during her trial and the investigation of the murders, especially at the crime scene. Despite her claims, Routier's appeals have continually failed.
Current status
In 2008 Routier was granted the right to new DNA tests. Her appeals have been remanded to the state level for improved DNA testing. Once all state-level testing has been completed, the testing ordered by the federal courts will begin. Routier remains incarcerated on death row located in Gatesville, Texas at the Mountain View Unit of the Texas Department Of Criminal Justice. She is assigned Department of Criminal Justice Identification Number 00999220.
On January 29, 2014 Chief Judge of the Western District Fred Biery granted a request from prosecution and defense for the Routier case to remain in the federal court to allow further DNA tests vital to the defense to be carried out on a bloody fingerprint found in the house, the bloody sock and Routier's nightgown.[5]
References
- ↑ http://www.fordarlieroutier.org/911Call/
- ↑ http://www.guiltybydefault.com/transcripts.php
- ↑ http://www.guiltybydefault.com/transcripts.php
- ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxcZHT5PITw
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Ray, Phil. Judge allows new trial request for Routier case. Altoona Mirror. January 29, 2014. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
- ↑ "Darlie Routier's Husband Files For Divorce". Wfaa.com. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
- ↑ "Precious Angels - CBS News url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/precious-angels/".
External links
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