Six o’clock It is the morning of June 6, 1996. A Rowlett, Texas operator receives an incredible 911 call from a hysterical 26 year old Darlie Routier .Darlie tries to tell the author that someone broke in and stabbed two boys, Damon Routier (5 years old) and Devon (6 years old). This call can be heard at “http://www.fordarlieroutier.org”.
The story begins with Damon and Devon falling asleep in the family room while watching t.v. family room Darin Routier (Darlie’s husband) and their youngest son Drake (16 months) were sleeping upstairs. Darlie states that she woke up to a man standing over her wearing a black dress and a baseball cap. She fought off the intruder and fled across the room, dropping the “murder weapon” in the kitchen. Darlie calls 911 and proceeds to tell the operator that her children are dying. During the call, Darlie noticed that he had also been stabbed several times. She weeps and cries for her dying children and then proceeds to say that the intruder dropped the knife but had already touched it. He says he wishes he had touched her, maybe then the police would have had some fingerprints. It is a little less suspicious to say. The woman’s children are lying in a pool of blood, dying and perhaps already dead, and she talks about the writer’s fingers.
The police arrive at the scene. They are overwhelmed by what they witness. Damon and Devon kneel on the ground to stab the massive wounds in his chest, Darlie is there covered in blood, stabbed too. The officers noticed that a few plants and a vacuum cleaner were overturned, but in addition to that and a large amount of blood. the house did not look upon it as a contest of life and death. One of the officers tells Darlie to hold a towel over her son’s chest to help slow the bleeding, which she doesn’t. But holding the towel to his throat, he was severely cut. The officers on the scene call for backup. Officials note that Darlie is wearing a shirt that is soaked in blood and not tied up. Darlie is asked what happened, but she claims to only remember bits and pieces. He says that when he woke up, he was very spontaneous and fighting for his life. He cannot remember being sexually assaulted and does not know what the outcome will be.
Poor Devon was already dead as Damon’s brother stuck by. Darin Routier tried to perform CPR on his dying son, but with both of his breaths, Darin delivered blood from Damon’s gaping wounds. Damon, too, was just hopeless.
Darlie and the boys are taken to the hospital where both boys are pronounced dead and Darlie is rushed to the hospital with his throat cut. The wound was so deep that the necklace lay in his throat. The wound barely missed an artery, which must have caused her to bleed to death (so Darlie’s wounds were said not to be life-threatening). Darlie is also given a rape test which concludes that no rape took place.
Now, Rowlette is questioning Darlie’s story at the police department. He said that the intruder fled through the garage. The officers found that the screen in the garage had been cut, but that no one had entered or exited through it. It was also discovered that the screen could easily be pulled from the window if someone wanted to enter through it. There was also no sign of disturbance on the ground outside the window. A knife was later found inside the Routiers’ home containing fibers from a cut curtain. The knife was found in that place holding the knife (so I guess the intruder must have cut the screen and then put the sword back?). He also noticed blood around the kitchen sink and around the area that had been mopped up. Darlie’s jewelry was still lying on the counter where To say the least, the crime scene was seen to be ridiculous. The police are now working on their case against their first suspect ( Darlie Routier).
Just eight days after the murder, Darlie and her family (including son Darin and Drake) were videotaped throwing what would have been the seventh birthday. Darlie was clearly smiling and chewing gum as she sang “happy birthday” and sprinkled silly string on Devon’s grave. It was hardly seen that the mother was in pain. When asked about the “party,” he responded by saying that if you knew Devon, you would know that he had the biggest birthday party ever. In the sight of the “party” Darlie and the family were also clearly very sober and crying at the grave. This video was never shown to the jury as the images of Darlie’s injuries and the severe “defensive stabbings” were never shown to the jury. This “silly string video” is the piece of evidence that probably sealed Darlie’s fate. Eleven days after the murder, Darlie Routier was arrested and charged with the murder of her children. Since Damon was only five years old at the time of the murder, he made this capital. Punishment by death penalty.
What, then, is the cause? Well, according to witnesses and bank records, Darlie and Darin spent more than they deserved. Although money was lacking, the two continued to live life. The family owned the largest house in the development, a boat and a boat. A witness testified that Darin Routier asked someone about the robbery of the insurance money. So why was Darin never charged or questioned? I can’t answer that question, but I can tell you this: Darin signed a paper from his lawyer stating that if the questioning began to implicate him in court, he would no longer cooperate. I ask you this, “if you are innocent, why should you sign such a paper”? Why would he even come to the conference?
I tell you that when I first heard about this case, the village would have Darlie innocent. I just couldn’t investigate a mother killing her own children for any money. Then there were pictures of all of Darlie’s injuries. The photographs made it easy to believe that another person was involved. But was he an intruder or an accomplice? So why did I change my mind? The answer to the question is simple, Forensics. Forensics are a mare, they just tell the truth about what happened. I watched the show on TV. (my favorite channel) in this particular case. Forensic judgments are unquestionable. They performed a Luminol test in the basin where the blood was wiped. Luminol is a substance that when sprinkled with purified blood will glow under a dark light. When luminol was sprayed around the sink and a black light was shined on it, it showed massive amounts of blood in and around the sunken floor below where the two tracks showed up. I guess whose feet were the same size? Then bagless vacuum cleaners it was as if he pushed away as Darlie ran after the intruder. The luminol showed the blood polluting it, which stood still, and threw it down empty, rather than pulsating from the current. As for me, I am absolutely convinced that Darlie killed her two children and if you see it you will be convinced too.
yet there are some points which make me hesitate a little. Maybe Darin helped out the intruder story. (This last edition is pure speculation on my part). So why, people ask, doesn’t Darlio involve Darin in this? That is easy. Darlie has always preached her innocence and is still trying to get her death overturned. If Darin helped get involved, he might as well stand there and say “I did it and it helped”!
So with all of this in mind, I challenge you to make up your own mind about Darlie’s guilt or innocence. For now, Darlie is on Death Row in Texas where no death penalty has been overturned. This month is the eleventh anniversary of the death of Damon and Devon Routier. Little Drake Routier (who is not injured) lives with his grandparents. These are the victims here, not Darlie as you might think. All the articles I’ve read (including mine) focus more on her than children. So on the day you read this, we ask that you all remember a little less of these children who fell asleep so innocently and trustingly with their mother on the night of June 5, 1996 and never woke up to see another day. And little Drake who will never know his brothers except through the pictures and memories of his family. Thank you for not being in your time.
