Her sentence is to be carried out at the Huntsville Units execution chamber. Mr. Routier denies any 1 - Ms. Routier is moved from the Lew Sterrett Justice Center to Routier, who is living with relatives in Plano, says he stopped Darin performed CPR but it wasnt enough. WebDarlie Lynn Peck Routier (born January 4, 1970) is an American woman from Rowlett, Texas, who was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of her five-year-old son Damon 1998:J. Stephen Cooper is appointed to be Darlies appellate attorney. Darlie was born January 4, 1970 in Altoona, Pennsylvania. 6:09 am:Officer David Mayne and Sgt. When Routier was a teenager, she relocated to Lubbock with her mother and stepfather Robbie Kee. Preliminary forensics tests show WebYet according to Richard Reyna, a private investigator working for Darlies appellate attorney, Darin Routier admitted last year that in the spring of 1996, when his business was in She also told Waddell that she had touched the knife that was used to kill her children, implanting her own fingerprints on it. . February 19, 1991 Darlie gave birth to a second boy Damon Christian Routier. pastor who has counseled Ms. Routier, testifies that he also say she is devoted to her children and has been traumatized by the She studied at Monterey High School in Lubbock, graduating in 1988. 6:11 am:Rowlett P.D. with an intruder. A doctor from This biography profiles his childhood, family, criminal activities etc. attorneys and on fees for investigators and DNA experts. After recovery, she was charged with murder. Darlie later added, Im at peace with myself I did not murder my children, I did not attack myself. An police affidavit is 14 - The Routiers hold a graveside birthday celebration for communications officer Dean Poos. 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. He was 17 and Routier was 15 when they met. holidays. I was probably a mermaid in my past life. Darlie baked cookies for the neighbourhood kids who would later testify on her behalf before the court. He added that her injuries did not match with the self-inflicted wounds that he had seen before. He also says the boys' "His eyes were open, and there was Routier has maintained her innocence since the June 6, 1996, stabbing deaths of her children, Damon, 5, and Devon, 6, who were found dead in the familys Rowlett, Texas, home during the early morning hours. Check out this biography to know about her birthday, childhood, family life, achievements and fun facts about her. As I was with him, it slowly A woman Darlie Routier Biography - Facts, Childhood, Life & Crimes property in the house," Agent Brantley says. Two of them, The Innocence Project is representing. Check out this biography to know more about her family, personal life, including her age, birthday, etc. guilty verdict. We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 4 January. Darin lost Drakes custody because of his support for Routier. testifies that blood evidence on Ms. Routier's nightshirt could 2007:On January 25, the state trial court issued an order denying all of the DNA testing Darlie had been seeking. Darlie Routier, who was born in Altoona, was arrested for the murder of her two young sons, Damon, 5, and Devon, 6, which occurred on June 6, 1996. Times for the events of the 911 call are taken from a transcript prepared by Rowlett P.D. Born in Pennsylvania, Routier had spent her teenage years in Lubbock, Texas where she met her future husband Darin Routier when she was 15 years old. When Darin returned, Waddell told him to save the child that was still alive. 15 - Prosecutors suggest that Mr. Routier might have helped his counts of capital murder, and a gag order is imposed on people detectives James Patterson and Chris Frosch begin the first police interview of Darlie. About half of wrongful convictions that have been overturned with DNA evidence have involved some type of faulty forensics. The Darlie Routier Story satisfy their expensive tastes. 2002:The Court of Criminal Appeals holds oral argument on the appeal of Darlies conviction on March 27. She says she can't remember anything about the attack. argued about finances the night of the killings. believes Ms. Routier's grief to be real. questions the legality of the action. ok. . When his back-up arrived, he went through the house but did not find any intruder. 2:45 am:Approximate time Officer Waddell assumes guard duty at the front porch of the Routier home. Vanessa Potkin, I want to ask you about how you came to be involved in this case, because I wonder, early on, when you first heard about it, what specifically jumped out to you? 15 - Crime scene expert James Cron, who helped Rowlett police, Reasonable Doubt: Texas. Was Darlie Routier wrongfully | by 7 - Ms. Routier appears to choke back tears as she hears her own Once you're convicted, it's extraordinarily difficult to overturn a wrongful conviction. WebBiography. I want to begin with that news this afternoon. But they didn't do it. Rowlett Weekend One Hundred 6:00 am:ICU nurse gives Darlie 25 mg. of Demerol for her pain. When Darlie Routiers trial began on January 6, 1997, the prosecutors said that her main goal for staging a break-in, killing her sons, and slashing her own throat was to collect the money from her boys life insurance policies and deal with the familys financial difficulties. October 15, 2021 11:56 am. remember,' " retired Dallas homicide Detective William Parker says. She tells Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get our public service journalism emailed directly to you. Ms. Simmons had not attended the trial and refuses to certify the new transcript once she completes it. They had applied for a loan shortly before the murders but were rejected because of their dire financial situation. Police almost immediately focused on Routier, who was sleeping in a downstairs television room with the children. The court of criminal appeals directed that four of Ms. Lucio's claims be heard, her actual innocence, the state's use of false testimony at her trial, the new scientific evidence of her innocence, and the fact that favorable evidence was withheld by the prosecution at her original trial. 6:37 am:Cron, Nabors, and Walling exit the house after completing the walk-through of the crime scene. Darlie was born January 4, 1970 in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Although the order did not grant everything that Darlie had requested, it was still the first significant setback for the prosecution during the post-conviction proceedings. Here, she's seen in a family photo with the slain Devon and Damon. The state said a fiber found on a bread knife was evidence that Routier used it to cut the garage window screen. In November, Darlies attorneys file a motion for DNA testing to be conducted under Texas post-conviction DNA statute. Jan. 31:After the attorneys make their closing arguments, the jury begins deliberations. The newscasts had a devastating effect. The TLC documentary series Forensic Files, October 1999 episode titled: "Invisible Intruder" (S4; E1) , reports on how detectives discovered who the killer was by analyzing the crime scene's blood spatter, Darlie's 911 call and the offender profiling of her behavior. Death Row Stories': Darlie Routier testify that Ms. Routier made a variety of statements about the Texas womans last-minute reprieve on death row draws Rowlett mother accused of grown since the slayings. Smith pointed out that many of the items being sent for analysis have never undergone DNA testing. 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. The Innocence Project is paying for the shipment of evidence between laboratories, according to the judges orders. And if you just think about that, there are six women on Texas' death row. Patterson. Because his transcript varies from the one introduced at trial, the quotes below are from the trial exhibit. But those who knew them did not realise that at the time. When is Darlie Routier Darlie Routier - Murderers, Birthday, Family - Darlie Routier Biography 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. What told you something might be wrong here that was worth your attention? Devon were killed by someone who knew them. been hired to consult in preparation for her defense. where she was attacked and about whether she was asleep at the Routier was convicted of murdering Damon. , money, salary, income, and assets. Less than a half-hour after they arrived at the house, authorities doubted Routiers version of events. She asked them to forgive her and not to feel responsible for her death. Covid-19 hospitalizations at Illinois corrections department leave incarcerated peoples loved ones in the dark. However, the physicians who treated her at Baylor University Medical Center stated previously to the police officers that the wounds could have been self-inflicted. Born In: Altoona, Pennsylvania, United States, children: Damon Routier, Devon Routier, Drake Routier, See the events in life of Darlie Routier in Chronological Order. 1996 - 2023 NewsHour Productions LLC. For one thing, Routier and every known person in her house that night have been excluded as the source of a bloody fingerprint found on a coffee table, and Routier was excluded as the source of another bloody print on the door to the utility room suggesting evidence of an intruder. According to the testimony of San Antonio chief medical examiner Vincent DiMaio, the wound inflicted on Routiers neck was only two millimetres away from severing her carotid artery. The first officer to arrive at the scene was David Waddell who saw Darin running out the front door. They blamed it all on Darlies post-partum depression. 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. Richard Ramirez was an American serial killer and rapist dubbed as the Night Stalker. knife wounds were superficial. They cite 16 - Outside the jury's presence, Ms. Routier's laundry woman The Routiers were model residents and a picture-perfect family. Detective Patterson also says Ms. The district attorney's office has a conflict of interest. While moving from one home to another, her 2-year-old daughter, Mariah, died. After the Texas state courts affirmed the conviction on direct appeal, the courts granted in 2008 on a limited basis renewed DNA testing touching off a process that has not yet been completed as of summer 2019. Routier showed little concern for her sons when police interviewed Check out this biography to know about her childhood, family, personal life, crimes, etc. He bought a 1982 Jaguar and a thirty-foot cabin cruiser while she underwent a breast augmentation surgery in 1992 and bought a large amount of flashy jewellery. He fled as soon as she tried to approach him and dropped the knife in the process. She studied at Monterey High School in Lubbock, graduating in 1988. 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 weapon. 18 - Police arrest Ms. Routier and charge her with capital Darlie later told officers that shed fallen asleep while watching television on the couch and had woken up only to find a long-haired man, wearing a baseball cap, t-shirt, and jeans, in her living room. Design a site like this with WordPress.com, Credit; https://darliefacts.com/defendants-exhibits/defexhibit68-2/, Credit; https://darliefacts.com/darlies-injuries/defexhibit3-2/, http://www.darlieroutierfactandfiction.com/myth-9/, Credit; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darlie. She was charged with capital murder days later. hidden microphones beside the boys' graves "in case someone went up They purchased a new house in Rowlett, an affluent suburb of Dallas, Texas, and spent thousands of dollars in renovating. Darin performed CPR but it wasnt enough. Judge Tolle refuses to move the case back to Dallas. grave and sing Happy Birthday. Routier and her family hired J. Stephen Cooper as her post-conviction attorney. On June 6, 1996, at 2:31 am, the 911 dispatchers at Rowlett got an emergency call from Routier from their home at 5801 Eagle Drive. But those who knew them did not realise that at the time. Routier herself almost died in the attack; her throat was slashed. Routier sentenced to die; family expected Either way, the jurors did not get to see any photographs of her injuries. Their mother, Darlie Routier, has been fighting to get off of She has a sister named Danelle Fugate. Each week, you have the chance to dive deep into a case from a different U.S. state, published in order of statehood. We are very confident that, given the compelling evidence of her innocence, if this case was tried today, she would be acquitted. In the years that have followed, Darlie has filed two appeals on the grounds of alleged irregularities during her trial, but they have been denied. Narrator: Good evening and welcome back to Friday Night Crimes. Darlie Routier Biography, Age, Height, Husband, Net Worth, Family Mayne remains behind to start photographing the scene. Defense attorney Wayne Huff To this day, she has not been tried for Devons murder. 6 - A mortgage company repossesses the Routiers' home. He has since remarried. She asked them to forgive her and not to feel responsible for her death. 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. Darlie married Darin in August of 1988. WebBiography. 2003:On May 21, the Court of Criminal Appeals issues its opinion denying Darlies direct appeal. testifies that he realized quickly that evidence didn't fit Ms. They would have two more, Damon and Drake. 5:57 am:Officer Steve Ferrie takes over guard duty on the front porch. 9 - More than 400 people attend graveside services for Devon and No court has ever considered the new evidence, the new scientific, the new medical evidence supporting her innocence claim. breathed," the paramedic says. So, if money was the motive, they said, why did she leave Darin unharmed, who had an $800,000 insurance policy? https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/texas-womans-last-minute-reprieve-on-death-row-draws-questions-about-wrongful-convictions, Judge delays execution of only woman on U.S. death row, Only Native American on federal death row executed, Supreme Court rejects death row appeal over anti-gay juror, Supreme Court to review case of Missouri death row inmate with rare medical condition. After stating his identity, Darin informed him that he was going to the house across the street to get Karen Neal, a nurse. On January 19, 2014, both the prosecution and defence teams were permitted to perform further DNA tests on a smudged fingerprint found in the house, a bloody sock found outside, and her nightshirt. Mariah is in my heart today and always. Precious Angels The prosecution, under the leadership of Toby Shook and Greg Davis, suggested that the crime scene had been staged. In July, the federal court lifted its previous stay of that case, leading Darlie to file her motion for discovery in federal court the following month. A broken wine glass lay on the ground, and there was a torn window screen in the garage. At one point, Routier contemplated suicide and wrote a note to her children in her diary. And just this afternoon, Texas' Court of Criminal of Appeals granted Lucio that stay just two days before she was set to die by lethal injection. The affidavit also notes that no blood splatters were A horrific incident took place on the night of June 6, 1996, and when the police arrived at the scene, they found one boy dead, another dying, and Routier herself with serious but superficial injuries. This biography provides detailed information about her childhood, life, achievements, works & timeline. And false and misleading scientific evidence is one of the leading causes of wrongful convictions. 18 - The jury is seated, and Judge Tolle recesses court for the This Time Line is courtesy of the website Darlies Last Defense https://darlieslastdefense.com/timeline/. Today's breaking news and more in your inbox. for his "trailer trash" remarks. $1,200 "on hand." Well, that news was the best that we could have expected, because clemency would have turned Melissa's sentence into essentially a life sentence. The jury voted to convict Routier and sentence her to death in February 1997. Had we been shown this other tape so that we had been able to see the whole picture of what happened that day, I believe I would not have voted to convict Mrs. Routier, he said. helped try to resuscitate the children. Feb. 4:After one day of sentencing testimony, the jury sentences Darlie Routier to death. Unfortunately, this is the way our criminal justice system works. stabbed her sons because she and her husband could no longer She was shown smiling, laughing, and spraying silly strings on the graves, while singing Happy Birthday along with her family. The August 2018 book Darlie Routier: Deaths of Damon and Devon by Pamela Lillian Valemont, in this writing forensic profiles of the individuals involved in the Darlie Routier case are detailed. 14 - A Rowlett police officer testifies that insurance records Left unexplained was how her blood was on the knife as she stabbed her sons, if the state timeline was correct. A bloodied knife lay on the kitchen counter. They found Darlie with wounds on her neck, arms, and shoulder, but her sons Devon, 6, and Damon, 5 were already dying due to their stab injuries. 14 - Seven women and five men are selected as jurors. 3:25 am:Time noted for Darlies arrival in the emergency room. 2:31:06 am:The 911 call begins. escaped through a garage window. the blood evidence lead to a heated exchange outside the courthouse She loved her long fake nails and bleach blonde hair. This story is the fifth in a series, Unrequited Innocence, that looks at cases where people were sentenced to die and have not been exonerated despite significant evidence of innocence. Death Row Information - Texas Department of Criminal This biography of Aileen Wuornos provides detailed information about her childhood, life, crimes & timeline. . When Darlie was 15 she moved to Lubbock with her mother, step-father, and younger sister. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. fibers found on Mr. Routier's tennis shoes that match fibers from a And we heard about Melissa's case. Portraying Routier as a spoilt, materialistic woman who couldnt cope with mounting debt and loss of her affluent lifestyle, the prosecution built the case on the premise that she murdered her children because of the familys financial difficulties. She has a sister named Danelle Fugate. regard for the children but had some attachment to items of However, new DNA tests for her case have been ordered due to technological advancements. He and others in the defence team have claimed that a number of errors had been made both during the trial and in the official transcription of it. says the diary also contains numerous entries that show Ms. Her family, who has stood by her throughout all these years, had called attention to the fact that there was a solemn ceremony honouring the children held earlier that the newscasts failed to show. slayings. Darlie spent two days in the hospital recovering from her injuries, whereas her sons died. Salvatore Sammy the Bull Gravano is a criminal, best known as the underboss of the notorious Gambino family. When Darlie was 15 she moved to Lubbock with her mother, step-father, and younger sister. She said her screams awakened her husband, Darin, who was upstairs with their infant; he rushed down and tried without success to revive one of the two sons. So, you became involved in the case quite recently. Tom Ward finds a bloodstained athletic sock 75 yards down the alley behind the Routier home. DARLIE Routier has spent the last 23 years on death row. He says he has about $2,000 in a business savings account and about How quickly could that all move? 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. Death Row's Women viewers torn over mother who says didn't kill she/they. Texas Monthly reported post-trial that Darin admitted he had been considering an insurance scam shortly before the murders. 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. 22 - Lawyers schedule meetings with the 165 prospective jurors. kitchen. Routier told the operator that her home had been broken into and that an intruder had stabbed her children, 6-year-old Devon and 5-year-old Damon, and cut her throat. Darlie Routier Fact and Fiction 2005:On November 29 while her application for post-conviction testing was still pending in state court Darlies attorneys timely filed her application for writ of habeas corpus in federal court. that a blood-stained sock found several doors from the Routier home court-appointed attorneys and will seek to move her trial back to When is Darlie Routier On December 1, the Court of Criminal Appeals likewise denied habeas corpus. 1 - Mr. Routier, 28, pleads for a reduction in his wife's bail. So, how much is Darlie Routier worth at the age of 53 years old? They married four years later and in 1989, their oldest son Devon was born. In 2007, Melissa Lucio was the mother of 12 children, pregnant with twins and struggling to provide for them. treated at Baylor, suggesting they were inflicted in a struggle 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 2:31:06 am:The 911 call begins. And we had heard of Melissa's case from another one of our clients, Darlie Routier, who's on death row with Melissa. as an exhaustive investigation. psychological evaluation. She was shown smiling, laughing, and spraying silly strings on the graves, while singing Happy Birthday along with her family. Ms. Routier, 26, is wounded JUNE 1996. Darin had asked Routiers stepfather if he knew anyone who could break into the house and fake a burglary, and said it was a possibility he brought it up with others as well. How the case against Darlie Routier unfolded, Pete DeBoer says Stars have one key trait shared by championship-caliber teams, Mass shooting in Cleveland, Texas; manhunt underway: What we know, Rangers, Josh Jung combine balanced approach with aggression in rout of Yankees, Willie Nelson makes music with his friends at 90th birthday concert, Search area widened for Texas suspect after 5 killed following complaint about gunfire, Motley Fool: United Rentals stock a good investment for the long term, Rossman: You can buy an over-the-air DVR for less than $50, Southwest Airlines unveils another jet dedicated to a U.S. state, Government report blames airlines for most flight cancellations, High bar vs. picky buyer: How Pioneer and Exxon execs view Permian Basin tie-ups, How Dallas video game icon Randy Pitchford became the new owner of Hollywoods Magic Castle, Stanley Cup playoff central: Second-round schedule, stories Dallas Stars fans need to know, Stars to face Kraken as Seattle defeats Avalanche, eliminates defending Stanley Cup champs, NFL draft central: Meet the Dallas Cowboys 2023 class of rookies, Cowboys 2023 undrafted free agent tracker: See which players Dallas added after NFL draft. . The 911 dispatcher immediately says Theres a knife . In June 2008, Routier was granted the right to new DNA tests. According to the testimony of San Antonio chief medical examiner Vincent DiMaio, the wound inflicted on Routiers neck was only two millimetres away from severing her carotid artery. There was a torn window screen in the garage, and the weapon, a sharp knife, was found on the kitchen counter. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. The case has received worldwide attention and has been featured on several TV shows as Routier works to prove her innocence through post-conviction petitions in Dallas County and in the U.S. District Court in West Texas. Advocates say the pandemic has exacerbated a long-standing problem of Illinois prison officials failing to inform families when their loved ones fall ill. Get these reports and more delivered directly to your inbox.