Shes guilty. Later, Sanford saw the full video, which showed that the birthday party followed a solemn prayer service and was done as a way to mourn for the children. WebCheck out Darlie Routier's net worth in US Dollar Jan, 2023. Law enforcement convicted her that night, she literally stood no chance. In addition, the state based its case on presenting as evidence details that went to the kind of mother Routier was: Prosecutors Toby Shook played a 15-second clip of Routier happily spraying Silly String on Devons grave, and told the jurors the scene gives you a lot of insight into this woman. Joining me now to discuss Melissa Lucio's case is Vanessa Potkin, director of special litigation at The Innocence Project, which is representing Lucio. One of Darlie Routiers attorneys, Richard R. Smith of Dallas, said the judges order was welcome news. Days after the murders, a local television station ran a clip of Routier smiling and spraying Silly String on the boys balloon-covered grave, singing Happy Birthday on what would have been Devons seventh birthday. The state said a fiber found on a bread knife was evidence that Routier used it to cut the garage window screen. I am on the fence here. So, give us a sense of what happens next now. But how do you know what youre going to do when you lose two children? The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals granted a stay of execution for 52-year-old Melissa Lucio, a woman who had been set to be the first Hispanic woman put to death by the state in modern history after being convicted of beating her 2-year-old daughter to death in 2007. Unfortunately, this is the way our criminal justice system works. There is no way that she did it! By Michael Tarm, Felicia Fonseca, Associated Press. We started to look into it. I am deeply grateful to everyone who has prayed for me and spoke out on my behalf.". And so the fact is, is that we're two days away from sending a woman to an execution based on a crime that never even occurred. I would think a date would be set by now. As you also mentioned, some of that new evidence will now be considered. One adult was left Thats the adult that should be a suspect instead of Darlie. She found the bloody knife on the ground, put it on the counter, and then realized that she and her boys had been stabbed. DNA evidence To this day, Darlie Routier maintains that she is innocent. Nevertheless, the defense would later claim that Darlie Routier simply would have had no time to stage a crime scene and that unidentified bloody fingerprints on the coffee table and in the garage likely came from the alleged intruder. Get the latest breaking news from North Texas and beyond. Her wounds were superficial & she didn't know what/where carotid was. What comes next after Texas school shooting? Lucio's adult children said she never abused them and have been pleading for clemency. Kee said she thinks her daughter's fate was sealed when the jury was shown video of Routier spraying Silly String at her son's grave during a birthday party for Devon shortly after his death. In addition, forensic analysts found evidence of large amounts of Routiers blood in and around the kitchen sink, suggesting that she had stood at that sink to cut her own throat and arm which is what someone who purposefully cut themselves in order to have wounds to show authorities as a cover might do. Four years later, her attorneys asked that DNA testing which they feel will exonerate her be used, though that has yet to be done. She was judged by paramedics and police who responded to the scene who didn't think that she was acting like a stereotypical mother should, because she was detached, because some of the mechanisms that helped her survive her abuse kicked in and reflected her demeanor. Her severe injuries are another. Did anything ever come of that? All this new info is certainly interesting. Posted on May 15, 2022 by brandyanne2 Darlie Routier is sitting on death row for killing her two young boys, although she has only been officially charged with one But we will be going back to the trial court to have a hearing. Two unknown fingerprints were found in the house. Routier's husband believes that she is innocent. Proving just how damning that video was for Darlies defense. The 85-J unknown fingerprint was in blood and weve tested that and theres no DNA in it. After years of legal wrangling, Routier appealed her conviction in 2001 only to have it upheld in 2003. Her defense team, including attorney, Douglas Mulder, argued that the bloody sock found down the street from the Routier house containing DNA proves that Darlie couldnt have committed the murders. Darlies defense was an intruder broke into the house, through a window in the garage and attacked her and the boys. She was found guilty of murdering 5-year-old Damon but never tried in the death of her 6-year-old son Devon. You are using an out of date browser. Her knife used to cut screen, jewelry wasnt taken at sink where clean up occurred, she named 2 men in her jail letters & freaked out on the stand when asked about it, blood under the glass & vacuum, no cuts on her feet, wine glass was latched wouldnt have been knocked down, Domain didnt bark, motion lites not on, she called media herself to film that grave scene. I worked at the dcme as a clerk when the kids were brought in. Agreed! Then discover how Gypsy Rose Blanchard killed her mother Dee Dee. All my thought are with the innocent prisoners in the U.S. You're trying to stop an execution. And the evidence of her innocence, some of it has been there all along. And it really was a disadvantage in the interrogation. However, and this may be an important point of contention for some, though the seller does abide by the Texas law that requires the disclosure, it does not explicitly draw attention to the homes history. One out of three people proven innocent by DNA testing falsely confessed during custodial interrogation to crimes they were completely innocent of. After the murders, the family room carpet was torn out, the kitchen sink removed, and parts of the kitchen floor taken out. Amna Nawaz serves as co-anchor of PBS NewsHour. In April, though, the Innocence Project in New York entered the case and its review of the evidence and subsequent petition won court approval for further testing. That leaves Darlie and the overwhelming evidence against her. these children were loved anf so well cared of. DUNCANSVILLE The Calvin House is going to the dogs. At trial, the prosecution presented a timeline showing that Routier stabbed Devon and Damon before staging the scene by breaking a wine glass, cutting the screen in the garage, planting a bloody sock down an alley 75 yards away, and finally stabbing herself in the arms and throat. The real killer went free and probably did other crimes unhindered due to this injustice. It still wasnt right. Ron Heflin/AP PhotoDarlie Routier being escorted into prison following her sentencing. Routier, 48, was convicted of fatally stabbing her 5-year-old son Damon in June 1996. I hope the truth will be revealed some day and before its too late, considering Darlie is on death row. Her other child, an infant named Drake, was upstairs asleep with her husband Darin and both were unharmed. @frankncarlson. Police and paramedics had responded to Darlies frantic 9-1-1 call at 2:30 a.m. that a man wearing dark clothes and a baseball cap broke in their home and stabbed her and her two sons as they slept in the family room. But that fiber also was consistent with the fiberglass brush that had previously been used to dust for fingerprints. That is Vanessa Potkin, director of special litigation at The Innocence Project, speaking with us tonight. She was charged with murdering her sons, Devon and Damon. She described the attacker as a white male about six feet tall. Given the pathologists estimate that Damon could have survived his wounds for only nine minutes, that the 911 call lasted six minutes, and that police arrived within a minute after the end of the call, that left barely over two minutes for Routier to stab her sons, head for the garage, step through the slit in the window screen, jump a back fence or go through a back gate, run barefoot for 75 yards down an alley, drop a bloody sock, run 75 yards back, stab herself, clean up the blood around the sink, and stage whatever crime scene there was left to be staged, as Texas Monthly put it. Why? She didn't have a single cut on her feet. Well, it's really egregious that not only was she the victim of childhood sexual abuse and trauma, and she had to endure that, and she's a survivor of those experiences, but those experiences were used against her. Forget the graveside party. About half of wrongful convictions that have been overturned with DNA evidence have involved some type of faulty forensics. That was used as a confession at her trial, along with testimony that Mariah's intake injuries indicated abuse. Police said nothing appeared to have been stolen during the alleged robbery. Now, when are they going to execute the woman. So this really opens the door to her conviction being vacated, to a new trial. All of a sudden I woke up, stabbed my kids, tried to slit my head off? Left unexplained was how her blood was on the knife as she stabbed her sons, if the state timeline was correct. When it was last listed on MLS for sale in 2006, the previous sellers agent highlighted this fact by stating in the private MLS remarks on NTREIS, Contact listing agent for disclosures prior to offers.. Obviously the system is not working, So sad. That is really hurting. What told you something might be wrong here that was worth your attention? She grew up in New Orleans and graduated with a journalism degree from the University of Texas at Austin. Routier later commented on the video, saying, He wanted to be 7. Heres an update on one of the more notorious murder cases in recent history.. As for Routier, she remains on death row with no execution date set. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get our public service journalism emailed directly to you. 3 and with the agreement of both parties, has tested multiple items of evidence from the Routier crime scene. Whether innocent or guilty, she is currently being held at the Mountain View Unit prison in Gatesville, Texas, awaiting execution. Just wondering where she is in terms of appeals and the DNA collections. In early October, a group of people following the case organized a three-day rally outside the Dallas County courthouse to sustain public interestand ask why testing has not been completed. We did see a statement from Melissa Lucio today. How did the GameStop stock spike on Wall Street happen? After its June 1997 sale to a private couple, it sold to a single woman in an off market transaction in 2001, and to a private couple on MLS in 2006. Well, the process will probably take several months. YouTubeDarlie Routier and her sons Devon, Damon, and Drake. It's been a long process but necessary.". When you heard that stay had been granted, essentially halting the execution for the time being, what was your reaction? I believe it was her but they all seemed to be putting so much faith in the DNA testing that was supposedly going to exonerate her (at least according to the few shows I watched on it) and then just nothing. Her own attorney made a few vital mistakes in my opinion. It was like a large mens athletic sock. In fact, only seven women currently sit on death row. Yes, the DNA results have been sealed by the Courts and are now confidential. Injustice Watch is a nonpartisan, nonprofit journalism organization that conducts in-depth research exposing institutional failures that obstruct justice and equality. Lost a lifetime with her son Drake who was left with no choice but to live without his Mother. She did that. This seemingly idyllic Colonial-style home may have majestic rooftop dormers and picture-perfect porch pillars, but it is the family home where convicted murderer Darlie Routier killed her two sons, 5, and 6. The infamous address joins homes like 410 Dogwood Drive in Wylie, where Candy Montgomery was accused and acquitted of violently slaying her best friend Betty Gore in 1980, and 942 Beachcomber Lane in Clear Lake, where Andrea Yates drowned her five children pejoratively known as murder houses. Since at least 2018, DNA tests have been ordered multiple times after technology has advanced. Darlies defense was an intruder broke into the house, through a window in the garage and attacked her and the boys. Darlie Routier Responding to Darlie Lynn Routiers frantic 911 call from her Dallas County home in 1996, police found her two sons, Devon Routier, 6, and Damon Because as expected, it all came back to Darlie. Her mother had the opportunity a few years ago to go on Dr. Phil? Routiers supporters also pointed out that the silly string video had been edited to make her appear heartless. Four days after the video was released, Routier was arrested and charged with premeditated murder. Testing will be made on a sock that was found away from the scene of the murder, hairs recovered from the sock, Routiers shirt, blankets and pillow cases found at the scene, the jeans worn by Routier and the children, fingernail clippings from the children, a bloody knife and hairs on the knife. Opendoor put the home up for sale in August 2022 for $410,000 and made subsequent price reductions in September and November to $396,000. For starters, the initial 911 call soon began to seem suspicious. The district attorney's office has a conflict of interest. Next, blood spatter on the back shoulder of Routiers nightshirt was consistent with the idea that she was the one who had done the stabbing. Why did it take so long for so many of these details to come out and get the attention they're now getting? They annoyed her. Her upbeat behavior seemed very unusual for a woman who had lost two sons a mere week ago. She now writes about crime, other breaking news and the Dallas Zoo. Your email address will not be published. The garage screen was cut from the inside and the kitchen knife had screen shavings on it. Remembering George Floyd: A year of protest. Investigators eventually found head trauma in Mariah consistent with the kind of fall from the stairs Lucio described. Ultimately, after the prosecution and defense battled it out, Darlie Routier was found guilty of the first-degree murder of Damon on February 4, 1997 and sent to death row. Darlie Routier is now 48 years old. Routier said an intruder entered the home and stabbed her and the children. I believe she is a victim Her life has been ruined. You need to tell us right now what exactly happened. During the four-week-long trial, Darlie was found guilty of the murder of Damon only. In the early morning hours of June 6, 1996, 911 dispatchers in Rowlett, Texas received a panicked call from 26-year-old Darlie Routier. When police arrived, they found Devon already dead. And we heard about Melissa's case. Prosecutors theorized the motive for Darlie to kill her two sons was financial, though it was widely reported at the time that the boys life insurance policies were $10,000, not enough to cover funeral expenses. On September 20, 1988, Tara Calico left her home in New Mexico to go on a bike ride she took, In November 1981, actress Natalie Wood mysteriously drowned off the coast of Southern California during a boating trip with her, In July 2014, 52 year old Lynn Messer mysteriously disappeared from her familys 260-acre farm in Bloomsdale, Missouri. Plus her blood was all over the sink. Too many loose ends for a decent prosecutor to ever think about trying this woman. Shes been on death row in Texas for over 23 years. A broken wine glass lay on the ground, and there was a torn window screen in the garage. If the results uncover unknown He added that time has also taken a toll on other potential evidence. She refused. We now know that trauma and a history of abuse is a vulnerability for false confession when these type of coercive interrogation techniques are used. One on the windowsill in the garage and a bloody fingerprint was found on the coffee table. She claimed that an intruder had broken into her home and stabbed her two sons, Devon and Damon, as well as herself. Darlies husband, Darin Routier, was sleeping upstairs with 7-month old Drake. Her fans say necklace was embedded, had to be surgically removed but it simply fell off when bandage removed. I hope that someday she will be free. Shes been granted 3 court orders for additional DNA testing to be done on her case to prove her innocence. She was lucky she didn't kill herself. This is the same knife Darlie told 9-1-1 that she already picked up when chasing the man out of her house. Hasnt DNA testing already been done on much of this evidence? UK - Constance Marten & Mark Gordon & Newborn (found deceased), Bolton Greater Manchester, 5 Jan 2023 #2 *Arrest*, https://obpublicaccess.dallascounty.org/PublicAccessEP1/CriminalCourts/, Texas woman's last-minute reprieve on death row draws questions about wrongful convictions, Additional DNA tests ordered for Routier. When reached for comment Friday, Dusenbery said she could not comment on the listing without authorization from Opendoor. Many questions remain. Lucio was convicted of murder in 2008 and sentenced to death. ), Perhaps even more suspicious was the fact that Routier made a point of telling the dispatcher on the call that she had touched the knife, saying, I wonder if we could have gotten the prints maybe., As Officer David Waddell said at trial, I thought if she was worried about fingerprints on a knife, she could certainly take care of her kids., https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8KlJVf5RXk. Update 12/18: The home has A third person doesn't answer who might have killed the boys, but "could prove helpful in determining whether their murders were the products of a conspiracy, rather than the wanton act of an individual suffering from severe postpartum depression, as suggested" during the trial, the court document stated. I know the trial was moved to another county, this was not helpful AT ALL, actually worse, Very Very Very Christian Conservative town. Why wasnt the dna testing done prior to indictment? This is all interesting but the trial evidence, per the transcripts, is hard to dispute. Granted his father Darren did a remarkable job raising Drake. Darren stayed with Darlie for many many many years after while she was on Death Row, because he absolutely DID AND DOES BELIEVE IN HER INNOCENCE. Or were you a frustrated mother who just took it out on her for whatever reason? harder to sell a home where a violent death has taken place, Fort Worth-Based Agents Bring Small-Town Approach to Their Games, http://www.darlieroutierfactandfiction.com/, Centurion American Buys 680 Acres in Grayson County For Cottonwood Master-Planned Community, Foundation Problems Are The Elephant in The Room in North Texas, Palm Springs Tiki House Transports You Back to The 70s, Greater Keller Womens Club Says Bonjour at 27th Foundation Fundraiser, Were Capping Library Lovers Month With Five Homes With Libraries To Love. Darlie Routier and the DNA testing I thought there was going to be new DNA testing done on this case in October 2019. They claimed she was a shallow and materialistic woman with no remorse. Even though our hearts are breaking, I know that Devon and Damon would want us to be happy, she told the station. Webnijmegen apartments for rent nijmegen apartments for rent. Thats ridiculous. Claire joined The Dallas Morning News as an intern in 2012. No court has ever considered the new evidence, the new scientific, the new medical evidence supporting her innocence claim. But I find the american justice system so out of every common sence and reasonable conditions it is disturbing and threatening, Because of this and the overboarding gun violence, I dont travel there anymore, not foreseeable, it is scary. After this look at Darlie Routier, read about Nannie Doss, who spent decades murdering relatives and husbands. Did you see the doubts and understand that it does not make sence from the beginning to the end. Defense investigators are still working to prove she was not involved in her sons' How we can build a clean and renewable future. At least, thats what many people believe about the notorious Rowlett woman now on death row after savagely stabbing her 5- and 6-year-old sons 20 years ago It was a big win for advocates who argued that Lucio was wrongly convicted and that her case represents larger problems with the criminal justice system. They said she wanted her sons gone because they were too much responsibility and got in the way of her desired lifestyle. Gypsy Rose Blanchard killed her mother Dee Dee. Reality #1. And as you can imagine, many real estate agents can attest that its infinitely harder to sell a home where a violent death has taken place. While the jury deliberated, they asked to watch the silly-string video 7 times. Never have been. It is not known when Darlie Routier, 50, will be executed. She knows her daughter did this. However, the prosecution said Darlie made the whole story up. And circumstances which are proving she must be innocent. He also said that the post-conviction hearings in Dallas County could continue while the additional testing is underway. In the post-conviction petition, attorney Richard Burr also cast doubt on the prosecutions contention that the bloody sock found in the alley had been part of the evidence staged by Routier. Required fields are marked *. This article has an interview with Vanessa Potkin who is with the New York IP. The Dallas Morning NewsDarlie Routier in 2018. Update 1/19: The Darlene Routier home has been temporarily taken off the market. Prosecutors said theyre confident in the case against Routier. If the California lab, after comparing the many blood samples to the DNA profiles of the Routier family, determines that a foreign eligible profile has turned up, that sample is to be sent to Acadiana Criminalistics Laboratory in Iberia Parish, La., to determine if it matches the profile of anyone in the national DNA database. As such, the current 2022 disclosure is marked with a Yes. As a woman and mother my intuition tells me, she is innocent. Routier's "family and friends, we've all been going through this for 22 years with no closure at all with the threat of [death row] hanging over her head.". If Acadiana Criminalistics recommends additional testing of samples, the specific evidence is to be sent to Mitotyping Technologies in State College to undergo mitochondrial DNA testing. They had a great life, The bad mouthing and maybe jealous neighbours, . Theres never been nothing going on, said defense attorney Steve Cooper. Once you're convicted, it's extraordinarily difficult to overturn a wrongful conviction. Authorities had thought that the cut screen was the supposed intruders entry point into the house. There also were questions about the states contention that Routier had stabbed her children, then herself: There were bloodstains on the back of her nightshirt that prosecution witnesses suggested had been caused by knife splatter as she performed an overhead stabbing of her sons. As she said from prison just after her sons deaths, I did not kill my children. North Texas Porch Thieves Becoming Bolder, Fort Worth Reviews Violent Crime Response Initiative, LIVE RADAR: Afternoon Showers Possible, Powerful Storms Forecast for Thursday, Man Found Carrying Around a Mummified Corpse Up to 800 Years Old in a Food Delivery Bag in Peru, Long-Lost Ship, the Ironton, Found in Lake Huron Over a Century After Sinking, The Pandemic Altered Many Things, Including Alcohol AbuseThese Are the Warning Signs. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 CandysDirt.com | All Rights Reserved | Site Design by KateOGroup, LLC. The Innocence Project is paying for the shipment of evidence between laboratories, according to the judges orders. All bedrooms are upstairs as well as a large bonus room that can be used as a game room. For starters, the murder weapon was a knife that had come from Routiers own kitchen, which raised suspicion that there had really been an intruder. Routier told police that she had fallen asleep on a downstairs couch watching television, and was awakened by Damon touching her and calling her name, when she noticed an intruder in their house. But the entire scene indicated to me there had not been an intruder, crime scene consultant James Cron testified. In the U.S you always have to be alert, expect the worst to happen? She been on death row now for like 25 years. But why would an intruder put the knife back? Really? She was crucified by the press. How mysterious. The 1993-built Routier home has 2,740 square feet with three bedrooms and three baths. Shes far from having a date though. It's good to see that the non supporters have finally admitted that the IP is on her case. I heard there was a bloody fingerprint found on a table in the living room where the murders took place that either wasnt properly tested or did not match anyone living in the house. The results will determine whether or not to continue. Her trial began in January 1997, just 6 months after the murders. Yet the droplets contained her blood as well as her sons. Bruising on her arms prob caused by boys kicking her off. Email us at [emailprotected] or call us at (312) 521-0977. Subscribe to Forensic Tales podcast so you dont miss an episode! This two-story home has formal living and dining areas at the entrance perfect for entertaining. Prosecutors said Routier's behavior showed a lack of grief and remorse. They also found a large, bloody kitchen knife on the counter top, the possible murder weapon. A few unanswered questions have lingered in my mind. If it hadnt been for that crazy Silly String, Darlie Lynn Routier might be a free woman today. More than 20 years after she was convicted of murdering her young son, a Rowlett woman on death row remains hopeful her conviction will be overturned. An attorney representing Darlie Routier, a former Altoona woman facing the death penalty in Texas for the murder of her two young children 25 years ago, said he is buoyed by an order issued last week in Dallas County ordering additional DNA testing of the massive amount of evidence collected in the case. The home is owned by Opendoor Property Trust and listed by Redfin agent Carolina Dusenbery. Citing the lack of defense forensic evidence, Assistant District Attorney Greg Davis told the jurors in closing argument, It speaks volumes to you sometimes what you dont see and hear.. "It's not really new; we're just now getting to it. Yes, people, you forget how many crazy, psychopathic and completely crazy criminals are around ,all over, the security feeling you have in Germany or Europe, compared to the US, is completely different. An attacker who could float off the ground didn't leave any DNA. Right now, it looks like you're a cold-blooded killer. Forensic analysis showed evidence that was inconsistent with what Darlie Routier had told the police and suspicion began to form around her. And few women appear to literally dance on their childs grave and have aSilly String birthday party at the cemetery, as jurors saw in a video shown by prosecutors during the trial. And so that was used against her. Vanessa Potkin, director of special litigation at the Innocence Project, which is representing Lucio, joins Amna Nawaz to discuss. DARLIE Routier has spent the last 23 years on death row. The clip sickened Dallas County District Attorney Greg Davis, because it had only been a week since these boys deaths and yet weve got a full-blown birthday party out there at the gravesite. Your email address will not be published. February 5, 1997. Judge Audra Riley of Dallas County signed on order on Sept. 30 instructing multiple agencies including the Dallas County District Clerk, the Rowlett Police Department, the Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification to collect their evidence from the Routier case and send it to the Forensic Analytical Crime Laboratory in Hayward, Calif. In December, the homes price was dropped to $390,000. Brothers Devon and Damon both suffered fatal stab wounds from a large kitchen knife found in the home and Darlie sustainedstab woundsto her arm and throat, just a few millimeters from her carotid artery. I strongly recommand , Werner Herzogss documentary about death row inmates, the situation is so absurd and inhumane, when will they ever change? She was discussing Melissa Lucio but she also refers to Darlie as another one of their clients. In June 1996, newspaper headlines nationwide read, Mother Accused of Stabbing Sons to Death, Faking Intruder Story. The Dallas media with their cameras and bright spotlights were lined up in front of the stately brick home of Darlie, 26, and Darin Routier, 28, a Rowlett couple married for eight years, with three young children. Theres an update in October 2021 saying that after that testing theyre pushing for more but I cant find too much about it. As we reported earlier, today, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals granted a stay of execution for 52-year-old Melissa Lucio, who had been set to be the first Hispanic woman put to death by the state in modern history. She still has at least one more appeal after this is all over with.

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