The Misery Machine - The Case of Devon and Damon Routier

Episode Date: September 26, 2024

This week, Drewby and Yergy head back down to Texas to discuss the Lonestar State's more notorious whodunnit, and that's the murder of Devon and Damon Routier. The boys lived in Rowlett, and affluent suburb of Dallas, with their parents, Darin and Darlie, and their younger brother, Drake. The family seemed to have everything, but underneath the façade, things had started to crumble financially, leading to tension in the home. On June 6, 1996, and intruder allegedly broke into the Routier home and stabbed Devon and Damon, killing them. Their mother, Darlie, was also injured during the attack. But soon, much like the family's financial situation, Darlie's story started to crumble... Support Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/themiserymachine PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/themiserymachine Join Our Facebook Group: https://t.co/DeSZIIMgXs?amp=1 Instagram: miserymachinepodcast Twitter: misery_podcast Discord: https://discord.gg/kCCzjZM #themiserymachine #podcast #truecrime Source Material: https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/darlie-routier-35030.php#:~:text=Darlie%20Lynn%20Peck%20Routier%20was%20born%20on%20January,Pennsylvania%20to%20parents%20Larry%20Peck%20and%20Darlie%20Kee https://thecinemaholic.com/where-is-darin-routier-now/ https://www.darlieroutierfactandfiction.com/ https://www.medicinesfaq.com/brand/pondimin#precaution  https://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-3725/fastin-phentermine-oral/details  https://darliefacts.com/ https://darliefacts.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/devonroutier_autopsy.pdf https://darliefacts.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/damonroutier_autopsy.pdf https://darliefacts.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/66_darlie-lynn-routier.pdf https://darliefacts.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/pr3.pdf https://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2018/06/12/how-the-case-against-darlie-routier-unfolded/ https://murderpedia.org/female.R/r/routier-darlie.htm

Darley Lynn Peck Routier was born in Altoona, Pennsylvania on January 4th, 1970, to parents Larry Pack in Mama Darley Key. She had two younger sisters named Danielle and Dana. When she was seven years old, Darley left Pennsylvania with her mother and stepfather, Robbie Key, and the new family settled in Lubbock, Texas. Within a few short years, they would move back to Altoona, only to be uprooted and brought back to Lubbock a short while later. Mama Darley soon found work at Western Sizzlin, a lower-rung family-oriented steakhouse chain. At the age of 15, Darley met 17-year-old Darren Routier, who worked as a cook and then assistant manager at the same Western Sizzlin, her mother did. The teenager fell in love and once Darley graduated from Monterey High School in 1988 and turned 18,

the pair would marry in August of the same year. On June 14, 1989, less than a year, Year after their marriage, Devin Rush Routier was born. On February 19th, 1991, the couple welcomed Damon Christian Routier to the world. Your youngest son, Drake, joined the family on October 18, 1995. She's one of the most awesome mothers you've ever seen. She's the one that goes to the PTA meetings and makes all these little, we stayed up all night, one night before Easter, making these little bitty Easter eggs

with bunny ears and all that stuff with whole. hot glue and, you know, that's the way she is. I mean, she's the type of mother that gets down on the floor and wrestles with the boys. Darren became very successful with Testneck Electronics, a company he started that tested technology equipment. Their comfortable income afforded them a home at 5801 Eagle Drive in the affluent Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Rowlett. They spent several thousand dollars on upgrades and renovations. In addition to the house, Darren purchased a Jaguar and a 30-foot cabin cruiser, which was docked at Lake Ray Hubbard Marina. Meanwhile, Darley bought lots of expensive and flashy jewelry and went under the knife in 1992

for breast augmentation surgery to mimic the models in Playboy and Penhouse. She bought skimpy and revealing clothing to expose as much skin as she could. Darley relished in the attention she received from onlookers whenever she would go out dancing. The rude tears were perceived as wealthy. They were considered exceptionally kind-hearted and gave to those in need. Darley often baked cookies for the neighborhood children and would host sleepovers for up to six children, so they might play with Damon and Devon's Nintendo on their large-screen television. They also helped a cancer-stricken patient with mortgage payments when they could not make them on their own.

Like any marriage, there was an occasional bump, however. Christmas party guests were once treated to an intense argument between the root tears, stemming from Darley dancing too closely and too frequently with another man. Rumors circulated of extramarital affairs by both Darren and Darley, though nothing was ever substantiated. But this image would come crashing down as Darren's business began to struggle. Given that their 1995 tax return indicated they earned $264,000, it became evident that the Routiers were still living month to month. But in 1996, Tessnaxiexiexed, was no longer profitable. In fact, it began losing money. The Routiers applied for a $5,000

loan, but it was denied by Bank One in early June of 1996. They were two months late with their mortgage payments. They owed $10,000 in back taxes and could not make the minimum payments of $12,000 of credit card debt. Darren had also failed to pay the monthly rent for his office space. And what about that loan they applied for? Well, it was denied because of excessive obligations in relation to income, an excessive amount owed on revolving accounts, too many new accounts, and delinquent past or present credit obligations with others. And what was it for? A vacation, of all things.

Two weeks of family time in Pennsylvania, followed by Darley taking a July vacation to Cancun with her friend Mercedes-Adams. Now, Darley was dealing with more than just financial stress. After giving birth to Drake, she struggled to lose the 10 to 15 pounds she gained during pregnancy. Her appearance and overall attractiveness were very important to the rootiers. On a 1998 episode of the Lisa Gibbons show, Darren went on and on about how beautiful Darley was. The quote is saying, you understand why an intruder may have come into this house basically and targeted your wife. The quote was, she's a good-looking woman.

She's beautiful. I mean, look at the photos. He said she had a beautiful body and she had, I think, big breast was the quote. Yeah, she did. And I've been much. for even saying that. It's the truth. I mean, she's a 36 triple-d. Evidence suggests that Darley was obsessed with losing her baby weight. She reportedly went from a size four to a size eight in her clothing. Darley was taking diet pills, specifically Fasten and pondamin. Both are appetite suppressants and both have side effects including increased anxiety, depression, and thoughts of visiting the self-checkout line. Fasten in particular can be highly

addictive, although its perceived benefits may subside after only a few weeks. Darley would claim to have never experienced any of the side effects. May 3rd, 1996, provides us with a snapshot of Darley's state of mind just six months after Drake was born. Darley kept a journal and wrote sporadically on it. The May 3rd passage was a note addressed to her three sons. It read, I hope that one day you will forgive me for what I am about to do.

My life has been such a hard fight for a long time and I just cannot find the strength that keep fighting anymore. I love you three more than anything else in this world. I don't want you to see a miserable person every time you look at me. Your dad loves you all very much and I know in my heart he will take care of my babies. Please do not hate me or think in any way that this is your fault. The day of June 5, 1996, may have started as any other day. But there were signs of things to come.

Darley's friend and Darren's employee, Barbara Jovel, arrived at the home at around 5.15 that afternoon to find Darley on edge and pacing back and forth between the kitchen and living room. Barbara relayed that there was so much tension in the air that she became uncomfortable, so she did not stay for long. But later that night, tragedy struck, and it struck hard. At 2.31 a.m., Darley dialed 911, with panic in her voice, she was. She told the dispatcher that someone had broken in and stabbed her and her two older boys, Devin and Damon. Rowlett police arrived within three minutes. However, medical first responders were not able to enter until the police had cleared the home.

Devin was just a few days shy of his seventh birthday and was found dead on the scene. He was found laying in a pool of his own blood after four stab wounds killed him, including one to the upper chest, one into the lower chest that punctured his liver, one in the left forearm and one to the back of his thigh. The time of his death, he was nearly four feet tall and weighed 46 pounds. He arrived at the coroners wearing Power Ranger shorts, a cloth necklace adorned with beads, and a shark tooth pendant. His autopsy was performed by Dr. Joni McLean,

who recently passed away on March 20th of this year. Five-year-old Damon Routier succumbed to his injuries at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas at 3.26 a.m. After being transported from his home in Rowlett, Dr. Janice Townsend, Parchman, performed Damon's autopsy. Him was also stabbed four times, one between his seventh and eighth left rib that punctured his left lung, two that punctured his right lung, and another that pierced his diaphragm and liver. He was roughly three and a half feet tall and weighed 40 pounds.

Darley was also treated for stab wounds, including minor cuts and contusions to her arms, a stab to her neck that missed her carotid artery by just two millimeters. A gold necklace may have prevented the cut to her neck from going deeper as it appears to have snagged the incision. She was treated at Baylor University Medical Center and an exploratory surgery was performed on her. Two days afterwards, she was released from the hospital. Investigators thoroughly questioned the root tears. Darley painted an idyllic portrait of the night's events leading up to the horrific murders. Darley told detectives that she was preparing dinner when Darren and her sister Dana arrived at her home.

Devin and Damon were playing with neighborhood children before being summoned for dinner. After dinner, Darley says she, Darren, and Dana watched television. Eventually, Darren took Dana to her house as she was not feeling well. Once they left, Darley made popcorn and watched television with her older sons. Once Darren returned, he offered to stay up and watch TV with her, but Darley declined. She explained that she had been sleeping on the couch the last week or so because Drake's crib was in the couple's bedroom. She had a hard time sleeping when he moved or cried out.

She also told officers that she and Darren discussed some financial issues they were having, including Darren's Jaguar and their boat. She admitted to being a little depressed because they had but one car, and she couldn't go anywhere with the children. They kissed good nights and exchanged I Love You's before Darren retired between 1230 and 1 a.m. Darren's interview echoed much of Darley's. They watched a little bit of a movie on HBO, before Darren took Drake up to his crib.

He returned downstairs, and he and Darley discussed his business, bills, and how Darley took care of the children all day. Provided blankets for Darley, Devin, and Damon, as they were planning on sleeping downstairs. Darren and Darley spoke about her upcoming trip to Cancun. He estimated he went to bed at around 1 a.m. and was asleep a little while later. Darley says that she fell asleep and awoke to a pressure on her. To recall, hearing Damon cry out,

and that's when she saw the man who she would later describe as white, about six foot tall, and wearing dark clothing in a baseball cap walking away from her. Darley got up and chased after him. She heard glass breaking and found a large white-handled knife. Darley grabbed the knife and carried it with her to the living room. She turned on the light and noticed blood everywhere. She remembered screaming for Darren and asking if her babies were dead. She recalled going into surgery and minutes after waking up being questioned by detectives

while still loopy from the painkiller Demerol, which acts in a similar method as morphine. Darren woke up and dashed down the stairs. He found Darley in a state of panic. Darren looked at Devon and saw two holes leaking blood in his chest. He immediately attempted CPR, but had no success doing so, and attempted to blow into the holes in his chest. When Darren looked at Darley, she was on the phone with 911.

Officer David Waddle was the first responder on the scene. He entered the house while Darley was still in the phone with a 911 dispatcher. Officer Waddell did not find an intruder present. Darley told him that she had touched the knife and her fingerprints would be on it. She also asked if any of her jewelry had been stolen. Darren ran over to his neighbors across the street, Karen and Terry kneel and banged on their door. They accompanied him back to the crime scene as the police and ambulances were arriving. Karen, who was a nurse, first informed Darren that Darley had been cut as well.

She was put on a stretcher and rolled to an awaiting ambulance. She shouted, Darren, you have to promise me we will find this man. He killed our babies. Once Darren finally got to Baylor Medical Center, he recalled being questioned by Detective Chris Frosh for hours. Interestingly, right before Darley was taken away by the ambulance, Darren remarked to Sergeant Matthew Walling,

golly, this might be the biggest thing Rowlett's ever had. Sergeant Walling's take on the statement was, The man's had two of his children slaughtered tonight, and he's acting like the damn circuses in town. Various members of the hospital staff found Darley's behavior unusual. Nurse Jody Kotner recalled Darley's mother and sister on the verge of hysterics. She said they were all sobbing, all except Darley. Nurse Paige Campbell's remarks echoed Nurse Kotner's. People react differently, but there is a commonality when someone sees someone they love die,

but I had never seen a reaction like Darley's before. There were tissues by the bed, but she never took one. Darley was released from the hospital just two days later on June 8, 1996. Upon leaving, she and Darren went directly to the police station and were interviewed by lead detective Jimmy Patterson and Detective Chris Frosh. Their interrogations lasted several hours. A viewing for Devin and Damon was being held that day. However, the Rowlett detectives insisted on collecting formal statements at that time.

During her interview, Darley told detectives, I woke up hearing my son Damon say, mommy, mommy as he tugged on my nightshirt. I opened my eyes and felt a man get off me. I got up to chase after him. As I flipped the light in the kitchen on, I saw him open his hand and let the knife drop to the floor. And he ran out through the garage. I went over and picked up the knife. I shouldn't have picked it up. I probably covered up the fingerprints.

I shouldn't have picked it up. I looked over and saw my two babies with blood all over them. I didn't realize my own throat had been cut until I saw myself in the mirror. I screamed out to my husband. On June 9th, more than 400 people attended the graveside services for Devin and Damon Routier. The Routier family asked the public to help the police find the killer. They appeared to be nothing more than a grieving family. However, Darren and all of the extended family appeared far more bereaved than Darlie.

when Helena Saban, a sometimes housekeeper for the Routiers, expressed her condolences at the funeral parlor and said, and now this expensive funeral to add to your problems, Darley replied, I'm not worried, I'll get $5,000 each for both of the boys. On the day of the service, Darley appeared calm. A relative described her demeanor as having never wiped her eyes, never cried. While friends and family were comforting Darren,

Darley was taking notes of the names on the flower arrangements. As the family cried over Devin and Damon's coffins, Darley whispered that she would send thank you notes to all who sent flowers. Her family would defend Darley's stoic and sometimes bizarre reactions on the Xanax her doctor prescribed her. As the investigation unfolded, a regularity started to come to light. The night of the murders, the family's yapping Pomeradian named Domain nipped at the heels of patrolman Mark Wyman.

neighbor Karen Neal scolded the dog and explained that Domain was suspicious of strangers. Why the noisy Pomeranian didn't bark when the murderer was there as anyone's guess. The crime scene itself was the best witness the Rowlett police had and what a story it would tell. There was no evidence of the struggle that Darley had described. In fact, other than a crooked lampshade, there was little that seemed out of place. An expensive flower arrangement lay on the floor, but none of the stems had broken. making investigators conclude that it had been gently placed there. In the kitchen, Darley's purse, a watch, and an expensive piece of jewelry were orderly laid out.

They were completely untouched. Only Darley's bloody fingerprints were found inside the kitchen. And while there was a lot of blood, the broken wine glass and toppled vacuum cleaner sat atop the blood spatter. Again, they looked like they had been staged. Investigators used luminal, which is a white crystalline compound that detects the copper and human blood. The sink area lit up like a Christmas tree when the lumenol was used in the kitchen. Darley had stated she believed the killer entered and escaped through the garage. Police found a slit in one of the screens there, but noted it showed no signs of being

pushed or pulled. No fingerprints were found on the window either, and perhaps the most damning, there was no blood outside of the root-tier house, and the wet muddy mulch outside the window was completely undisturbed. There was no footprints, no blood. All of the blood evidence was found inside of the home. Well, almost all of it. Strangely, a bloody sock was discovered by Sergeant Thomas Ward in a trash can two doors away. The blood on the sock was proven to be that of both Devin and Damon. The sock was identified to belong to Darren.

Again, no other blood was found outside of the home. So the question remains, how did the sock get there with no blood trail? Retired detective and crime scene consultant James Cron examined the root to your house thoroughly. In light of the evidence inside the home and the lack of it outside, he reached his conclusion. And that was, and I quote, We all know the crime scene tells a story. Problem is, that story's not the same one the mother's telling. Somebody inside this house did this thing.

Gentlemen, there was no intruder. Darley, Darren, and Baby Drake went on to live with Mama Darry. in Plano, Texas after the murders. A few days after the funeral, she asked her friend Mercedes to drive her back to her home and rally to fetch some clothing. Mercedes worried that seeing the inside of the house

would be traumatic for Darley, but Mercedes willingly complied. Upon arrival, Darley stood in the foyer, noting, look at this mess. It'll cost us a fortune to fix this shit. Mercedes was understandably taken aback. According to Mercedes, she grabbed a hold of Darley and demanded,

Darley, look me in the eye and tell me you didn't kill the boys. She looked me in the eye and said, I'm going to get new carpet, new drapes, and fix this room all up. Questions piled up among the Rowlett police. What was the motive for the murder? If robbery, then why was nothing taken? Why killed children before attempting to kill an adult? Why would a killer even leave a witness alive?

What criminal would need the Routier's kitchen knife? Why wouldn't he come already armed? How did he apparently use the Routier's bread knife to cut through the window screen unless he already had it? Darley's wounds were also in question. While Devons and Damon's were deep and forceful, Darley's were not. Dr. Janice Townsend Parchman described Darley as having hesitation wound. Pain occurs from these self-inflicted wounds, the body recoils to avoid the pain. The Rowlett Police Department brought in special reinforcements from the FBI's

for violent crime in Quantico. Special agent Al Brantley would describe Darley's wounds as superficial while those of the boys as being massive. He said in his report, the killer focused on their chess, almost as if going for their hearts. That indicates extreme anger toward them. He concluded that the scene had been planned and staged in advance by someone who knew them and their home layout. He finalized his summation with, someone who knew those children very well murdered them. While the case was already national news, what happened next would result in a media frenzy. Devin would have turned seven on January 14th, so why not have a gravesite posthumous birthday party?

Darley, Darley, baby Drake, Mama Darley, and Sister Dana planned a celebratory event. Darley went so far as to return to their Eagle Street neighborhood to rally friends to the get-together. Local news crews were already watching everything the family did, so they were on hand to record the most bizarre aspect of this case, and that was the Silly String Party at the gravesite in Rest Haven Memorial Park. Now, a pastor attempted to evoke a solemn moment, considering the circumstances, but he was soon overridden by the rowdy Rootier family tossing stuffed animals in spraying Silly String on Devon's still unmarked grave.

Darley chewed bubble gum and the family loudly belted out Happy Birthday to Devin's remains Darley screeched out, I love you, Devin and Damon. Was this simply an inexplicable show of love that was perceived in poor taste? A gaudy public relations attempt? Or was it sheer unhinged madness? Happy birthday. For some, this may seem a strange thing to do in an odd place

and time. Happy birthday, dear Devon. Singing happy birthday in a cemetery to a son who was brutally stabbed to death just over a week ago. Love you, Devin and Damon. But Darley and Darren Routier say this is appropriate for them and their family, helium balloons, instead of headstones, to remember Devin, who would have turned seven today. And he would take a loop of paper and he was painting on his cards. Just change them up from what they were before.

He and his five-year-old brother Damon were stabbed to death, their mother wounded by someone she describes as a white man wearing dark clothes. She was downstairs with the boys, Darren, in an upstairs bedroom with infant son, Drake. They were unharmed. The young mother says she feels horrible she did not wake up immediately when her children were attacked first. All I was thinking about was trying to save the babies. I mean, Darren and I tried to save the babies, but it was too late and the babies were close. But we tried. We're tired and we have to live with that forever. Rowlett police our mom about the motive, but do say it was not burglary because nothing was taken.

They also say this was not random. Now we know that this is a sick individual that took absolutely nothing from our house, but took two most important things that were important to us. The family says they not only battled grief now, they battle rumors that they were somehow involved in this violent crime. Gossip is the biggest evil in the world, and unfortunately there's nothing you can do to stop it, and we're not going to make an issue out of this. As for who could so easily snuff the life of two beautiful innocents, the rootiers say the murderer can only be described one way.

When it's an animal that goes after a weak sheep that is asleep, is completely lifeless, and attacks the weakest person in the room first to be able to get off on whatever he was thinking that he was going to accomplish. She attempted to justify the party to NBC affiliate KXAS reporter Joe Munoz. She said, If you knew my sons, you'd know they were up in heaven having the biggest birthday party we could ever imagine.

And though our hearts are breaking, they wouldn't want us to be unhappy. but they'll be a part of us always. However, the court of public opinion ruled against her at that moment. Four days later on June 18, 1996, the Rowlett Police Department arrested Darley Lynn Rootier for the murders of Devin and Damon. The official press release states, We believe that the white male suspect described by Darley Rootier

as the man that attacked her and murdered her children never existed. They also said, We also believe that the wounds present on Darley Rootier were self-inflicted. Darley was taken to the rowl at city jail by order of municipal court Judge Owen Locken. The press release also makes mention of Darren. As for the father, Darren Routier, at this point, we do not believe that he was involved in or participated in the murders. No charges have ever been filed against Darren. The murders of Devin and Damon had already captured national news. But after Darley's arrest, Barbara Davis wrote in her book, Precious Angels,

the following. Film crews and network anchors descended like locusts on the town. Ten days later, a Texas grand jury convened and indicted her for both counts of capital murder. Judge Mark Toley issued a gag order barring anyone, both from the prosecution or the defense, from speaking to the media. Her court-appointed attorney Doug Park successfully had the trial moved from Dallas County to neighboring Bear County, as he claimed Darley's bad publicity would prejudice a local jury. This would prove to be important because four days later on July 2nd,

state prosecutor Greg Davis announced he was seeking the death penalty for Darley. He flanked himself with two rising state attorneys, Sherry Wallace, and Toby shook. On her incarceration, Darley insisted on taking a polygraph. However, she backed out after being informed that Darren would not be allowed in the room. Then she opted for her right to a private polygraph test.

Those results were never released. least, but Darley and Mama Darley were seen sobbing uncontrollably afterward. With the talented team of prosecutors representing the state, Darley's court-appointed attorney would surely be outmatched. Thus, the Rootier family mortgaged their homes to finance the services of the big-name defense attorney Doug Mulder. Jury selection began on October 16, 1996 in Kerrville, Texas. It was difficult to find an impartial jury in such a high-profile and sensational case. The process took nearly an entire month

to cast seven women and five men as jurors. Darren and Mama Darley stayed in local hotels during the trial. Darren deserted the row at home, moving all of their belongings to storage. Now, the lender ultimately repossessed the home as Darren was six months past due on mortgage payments. At the time of the foreclosure,

the only part of the Rootier family that remained on Eagle Street was a pair of abandoned tennis shoes sized for a small boy. TV was on that wall. The boys were in the floor over there. Darley was on the sofa by the window. It was a grim narration in an even darker setting. It was once a beautiful home.

Now it sits empty. Walls still stained with signs of violence. A relative of Darley Rootier recounted what the family says happened the night of June 6th. They say a stranger slipped into the home through a garage window. He came into this house, slaughtered these children, and tried to kill Darley.

When she remembers coming to, he says she saw him going out the back door, she raised up off the sofa. And she saw him going out that way through the kitchen. Randy Reagan is an in-law of Darley Routier. He walked us through the Routier home, past the murder scene. Then upstairs where Darley's husband, Darren, and their infant son Drake were allegedly asleep at the time of the murderers. He says Darren woke to Darley's screams.

She came in here and was screaming at him and he came down the stairs to hear. And then, of course, ran in hearing the boys were in here and the floor. He ran by Damon. He didn't see Damon first. He saw Devon laying over there. And Damon was against the wall. He never saw him. Authorities believe Darley stabbed her sons to death and to cover it, wounded herself at the kitchen sink, leaving blood on the counter. Her family says blood was on the counter because she was trying to help the boys, not kill them.

Where she reached, pulled the drawer open, got the towels out, came over to the sink and wet the towels, and that's why there's blood all over here because... But investigators say it appears someone tried to wipe the blood off the counter, and they question why an unknown murderer would do that. They also contend that there is no evidence of an intruder that even the dust on the window sill was undisturbed. Randy Reagan disagrees. You don't have to touch the window or anything else to give.

in and out of it. There is newer evidence that will have an unknown effect on this case. Test results from a bloody sock found in the alley a few homes down from the Routier's house. Initial testing showed it had blood from both boys on it, a spot no bigger than a quarter, and hair from a deer. Now sources say the latest results show more DNA was found on that sock, DNA that belongs to Darlie Routier. Most of Routier's immediate family remains under a gag order, An exception is Darley's sister Danelle Stahl. I talk to Damon and Devon every night and tell him to help their mommy and to find the guy that did this and appointed out to the police

and to our lawyers and to the people that are looking for. Sources say those involved with the case on both sides have been so torn by the tragedy that many are seeking counseling to help them deal with the violent deaths of two young boys. Joe Muñoz, Texas News 5. The prosecution elected to try Darley for only Damon's murder. Their reasoning is that he was younger and if they failed in the court, they would be able to circumvent double jeopardy and try her for Devons.

State prosecutor Greg Davis stated in bombastic terms and I quote, the evidence will show you, ladies and gentlemen, that Darley Rootier is a self-centered, materialistic woman cold enough to murder two precious children. He further swore to prove how the facts did not match the mother's explanation of what happened in her home the night of the brutal killings. Defense attorney Mulder portrayed Darley as a doting mother who just lost two children she loved dearly. He forcefully drove the point that the state wants you to believe she became a psychotic killer in the blink of an eye. Well, folks, that's just absurd. Darley took the stand and testified on her own behalf for nearly two days.

Under intense cross-examination, Darley stumbled over facts. When interviewed by Bill Parkery, private detective and retired Dallas homicide officer, he accused Darley on six different occasions of murdering her children. Darley's reply was, if I did, I don't remember it. Darley denied this vehemently, although the official police document was presented to the jury. Then the Routier's vacuum cleaner would take center stage. In her voluntary statement to the Rowlett police, Darley mentioned using it as a crutch after being attacked.

However, blood spatter experts would determine that the blood was poured atop the vacuum after it had been turned over. After that, things started getting nasty in the courtroom. First assistant district attorney Norman Kinney referred to Darley's mother, Darley Key, as trailer trash during a heated exchange outside of the courthouse. but the silly string video that we discussed earlier ended up taking the spotlight. The jury was treated to it eight times during the trial. However, there was a second tape, a tape that was deemed inadmissible. Detective Patterson had hidden a camera nearby as a sort of sting operation to catch Darley admitting her guilt. But instead, the footage merely showed the root tears and extended family having a somber get-together beside

the graves. What the jury didn't see was this surveillance video of Darley. Police had secretly taped the grave site for hours that day. There was weeping, praying, preaching. There was Darley's sister. The silly string was her idea. The dead boys had loved it. But this video was not okay. There were questions about its legality. And when the trial judge raised them, there was a heated argument in the courtroom. The two police officers pled the Fifth Amendment. Stephen Cooper is one of Darley's new attorneys. Wait a minute. You're saying that the police officers... Lead investigator in this case pled the Fifth Amendment.

About the videotape that the police department had made? Correct. Why did he do that? He was persuaded that he was exposed to criminal prosecution for his acts. And the video was never entered into evidence. The police were not charged. So the sad darling was never seen by the jury, and the bad darling got big play. He wanted to be seven.

I did the only thing I knew to do to honor him and give him those wishes because he wasn't here anymore. But how do you know what you're going to do when you lose two children? How do you know how you're going to act? Who's to say there's a rule book to grieving? Who's to say if you don't follow these guidelines? That makes you a bad parent, or that makes you a murderer? The trial lasted nearly a month, ending on February 1st, 1997, and it took the jury just seven hours to reach its verdict of guilty. February 5th, she was sentenced to death by lethal injection.

It may be surprising that Texas had not, at the time, executed a woman since the Civil War, to Peter Rodriguez in 1863. Fast forward about 25 years later, on March 21st, 2023, Darley appealed her conviction on the grounds of the accuracy and reliability of the court record. Court reporter Sandra Halsey took stentographic notes during the trial. She would testify in a 1998 hearing, the court tape recorder only worked during the voir dire portion of Darley-Routier's trial, meaning the remainder of the testimonies were worked purely on Sandra's notes. And experts noted the inconsistencies between these court tapes and Sandra's

note. In the end, though, she would not be victorious in her appeal. Darley Lynn Rootier now resides in the Mountain View unit in Gatesville, Texas. To this day, she denies the crime that she was charged with. In a 2020 interview, she said, I'm at peace with myself. I did not murder my children. I did not attack myself. If they choose to kill me, that's my innocent blood that will be on their hands. Darley currently does not have an execution date, as another appeal for retesting the DNA is ongoing. Darren steadfastly maintains his wife's innocence.

He has appeared on many talk shows and conducted countless interviews in her support. Though he still does not believe in his wife's guilt, the couple did divorce in June of 2011, ending to what Darren referred to as Limbo. Darren still lives in Texas and is now married to Cindy Black. Drake Routier, who was but an infant when his brothers were killed, now suffers from acute, lymphocytic leukemia. As of the date of this recording, Drake is in remission. He continues to support his mother's claim of innocence as well.