Part 2: Darlie Routier on Death Row--Guilty or Innocent? Prosecution Opening Statement
Why Darlie is believed to be guilty.
Assistant District Attorney for Dallas County Greg Davis made his opening statements on January 6, 1997. In it, he explains why he thinks Darlie Routier murdered her children. He paints her as a deparate, materialistic woman who enjoyed the finer things in life. When that began to go away, when she had trouble losing weight she gained while pregnant, he suggests she became angry and looked for a way to regain the freedom she once had.
Damon and Devon Routier
MR. GREG DAVIS: Thank you.
May it please the Court. Ladies and gentlemen, on June the 6th, of 1996, the evidence will show that five-year-old Damon Christian Routier, and his six year old brother Devon, were stabbed and murdered in their own home in Rowlett,Texas. And Rowlett being a small suburb in eastern Dallas County.
Now, the evidence will show in this case how these two children were murdered, who murdered them, and the reasons why they were murdered. And in the process, ladies and gentlemen, the evidence in this case will show to you, that this woman here, Darlie Lynn Routier, and no other person, is the individual who stabbed and murdered her own children as they lay sleeping in their own home on June the 6th, 1996.
The evidence will show you that the real Darlie Routier is, in fact, a self-centered woman, a materialistic woman, and a woman cold enough, in fact, to murder her own two children. Now, the evidence in this case also will show you that the defendant's husband is named Darin. Darin Routier. Now, Darin owned and operated a small electronics business in Rowlett, Texas. And he did very well. He was a hard worker.
In 1993, the Routier family moved into 8 a new two-story home in Rowlett, in a nice neighborhood. Their address was 5801 Eagle Drive. It was a corner lot.The evidence will show that when they moved into that home, they started to buy the kinds of things that would show their success: A lighted fountain, satellite dishes, jewelry, fancy clothes, leather furniture and a Jaguar automobile. And 1994 was another good year. And 1995 was even better. But, again, instead of reinvesting the money from that business back into that business, the evidence will show that the defendant and her husband kept on spending those profits on themselves. And this time, in 1995, there were several vacations. There was a nine thousand dollar redwood spa for their backyard. And there was a twenty-four thousand dollar cabin cruiser for the lake, Lake Ray Hubbard, which is close to Rowlett. Now, as 1996 began, everything still looked good on the surface for this defendant. The evidence will show that beneath the surface, things were starting to change. For, you see, in 1996, Darlie Routier had a new baby. That baby was keeping her very busy. Her
other two children Devon and Damon were also keeping her busy. Secondly, she hadn't been able to lose
the weight from her pregnancy. She was having problems there also. And perhaps most importantly, the
evidence will show to you that the money train from Darin's business was beginning to peter out. His business was flattening out as 1996 began. When we come to June the 5th, 1996, the evidence is going to show you that those problems began to worsen, and they had worsened over time. By that date, this defendant right over here, still had not lost the weight that she had gained during her pregnancy. And that
had led her by June the 5th, 1996, to begin taking diet pills in order to try to get back that figure. She was no longer the glamorous, blond center-of-attention by that date.
Also by that date, the baby, his name was Drake. By this time he was eight months old. Drake, Devon and Damon were again -- were taking up more and more of her time. And by this time, she was becoming angry because, in fact, her lifestyle that she had grown accustomed to, the vacations, the buying sprees, the nice things, the freedom, those things were starting to go away, and she was beginning to become very angry by that time. You will also see that by 1996, by June the 5th, on that date, the Jaguar automobile, it wasn't running, so she had no transportation. That cabin cruiser on the lake, by that time, it wasn't running either. And there were problems at Darin's business. The evidence
will show again, that business was starting to flatten out. By June the 5th, the Routiers, the defendant and her husband, had no savings accounts, no retirement accounts. They had very little money in the bank. I mean, the house was still there, the boat was on the lake, but there was very little money in the bank. And we're going to show you, that on that date there was under two thousand dollars cash available to these people by that date.The evidence is going to show to you, that by June, the situation had become bad enough, that on June the 1st of 1996, now we're talking only five days before the murder of these two children in their home; that the Routiers tried to borrow five thousand dollars from a bank in Rowlett. Because of their credit situation, they were turned down on that loan. That's the situation that we see on June the 5th, 1996.
Now, during that evening, the evidence is going to show to you that the two boys, Devon and Damon, were downstairs in the family room. And we'll be referring to it as either the family room, or as the
Routiers sometimes referred to it as the Roman room. They were in the family room sleeping, watching television, the defendant was down there, at times her husband was downstairs also. About 1:00 a.m. that morning, both boys were asleep on the carpet, by a couch where the defendant was, close to a big screen television. They had been watching TV that evening. By this time they were sound asleep. About 1:00 o'clock in the morning, the defendant's husband came to her and told her that he was going to go ahead and go upstairs to the master bedroom and go to sleep. Baby Drake was already up there in his
bassinet. The defendant, at that time, at 1:00 o'clock in the morning, told her husband, "I'm not going to go upstairs, I'm going to stay downstairs with the two boys." You see, the defendant was a very light sleeper, and she had complained to her husband that the baby would keep her awake simply by turning in his crib.
And for that reason, she said, "I'll stay down here with the two boys tonight, and I will sleep down here."
So, at 1:00 o'clock in the morning, the situation will be, that we have Devon, we have Damon, we have only one other person downstairs with them. And that person is the defendant right over here, Darlie Lynn
Routier.
Now, sometime between 1:00 a.m., and 2:30 a.m., on the morning of June the 6th, 1996, both Devon and Damon were stabbed to death. The evidence will show to you that Devon Routier, the six-year-old, was stabbed twice in the chest. The first stab wound to the upper chest penetrated his pulmonary artery, and it went into his right lung. The second stab wound that you will hear about, is lower in the chest, and that entered into his liver. And the evidence will show to you that six-year-old Devon died face up, on the carpet, with his eyes open. Supposedly, as his mother, the defendant, was sleeping on a couch in that very same room where he died.
Now, the evidence will show you that five-year-old Damon was also stabbed. That child was stabbed four times in the back. Some of those wounds penetrated through his lungs, others through his liver, and he died as a result of those stab wounds. The evidence will show you that he was stabbed at least one time in the back, again, as his mother supposedly was sleeping on a couch, nearby where he was attacked. But the evidence will show to you that he didn't die immediately. Damon somehow struggled across the floor of that family room, towards the hallway, and towards the kitchen, before collapsing on the floor. And when the first police officers got there to that scene that morning, and when the paramedics got there, they found him face down, gasping for breath, with his eyes open. But the evidence will show to you that Damon Christian Routier died before the paramedics could get him to the hospital that morning.
Now, you will hear from police officers, who dealt with the defendant. You will hear from paramedics who dealt with the defendant that morning also. You will hear from doctors who treated her, and you will hear from personnel from Baylor Hospital in Dallas, nurses, and other medical personnel over there who dealt
with her that morning. And you'll hear them tell you that that morning, immediately after these attacks on her children, this defendant was not in shock. This defendant was awake, she was alert, and she was very coherent. You will hear them tell you how they had conversations with her, in which she was able to follow their instructions, and able to give very detailed information to them about herself, and about events, and
about her condition. You will hear, from those very same people, that this woman over here, Darlie Lynn Routier, that morning, while she is at the scene at 5801 Eagle Drive, made absolutely no attempts to help either of her two children, either Devon or Damon. She never asked about their condition, never asked about where they were going, made absolutely no inquiries about her two children at 5801 Eagle Drive.
Darlie Routier booking photo
You will hear also from them how this defendant gave differing stories about what had happened out there that night. You will hear the 911 tape. You will hear that at 2:31 a.m., June 6th, the Rowlett Police Department received a call from the defendant, a 911 call. And you'll hear that tape during this trial, probably today or either tomorrow. You'll hear that tape. And on that tape, you will hear the defendant's voice. You will hear her scream, sometimes very loudly. You will hear the very first story that she gives to the police about what happened out there that night. You'll hear her say to them that, in fact, that she had seen an intruder while she was sleeping downstairs, that she woke up, she found that her two children had been stabbed, that she had been stabbed, that she saw an intruder. That intruder then started to run
from the family room, through the kitchen, to the utility room and finally to the garage. That he was armed with a knife. You will hear her tell the police that she chased that man, while she's unarmed, that she chased this armed intruder through that house, that he threw a knife down in the utility room, that she picked up that knife. Now, you will hear on that tape also, how the focus of Darlie Routier turned very quickly from her two children, who were dying there in her presence, to herself, to the activities of the Police Department personnel who were on the scene, and to the condition of the crime scene. You'll hear her, only five minutes into that tape, say, "this knife was laying over there, and I already picked it up. God, I bet we could have gotten the prints, maybe, maybe." You will hear that being said as her two children are dying and bleeding to death, right there in front of her.
Now, finally, ladies and gentlemen, in this trial, you will hear about the police investigation, the extensive police investigation. And you will see the physical and the scientific evidence that was conducted, and that was preserved and collected out there at that scene.
You will see a lot of things, unfortunately, that are going to be very graphic. And I'm just going to apologize in advance for that. There is just no way around it. Some of these things are going to be very difficult for you to look at and to listen to. But the bottom line and the reason why we're going to have to show you those things, is because those things show us, and they'll show you, exactly what happened out there that
night. And for that reason, you're going to have to view it, and you're going to have to listen to it. Now, among the things that you will see through that evidence will be that both boys, both Devon and Damon were stabbed with a knife that came from the defendant's own kitchen; a large butcher knife that was kept in her kitchen. You will also see in that evidence, that both boys' injuries were deep stab wounds to the trunk area. And that they were totally inconsistent with the superficial wound that this defendant received on June the 6th, 1996.
That evidence will also show you, that neither the defendant, nor any intruder ever ran through that kitchen and utility room to the garage after the boys' attack, as the defendant claimed. That never happened. You will also see that no intruder ever threw a knife down on that utility room floor as he fled that residence, as the defendant claimed. And you will also see in that evidence that no intruder ever left out of that garage through a window, where a screen had been cut, that evening after the boys' attack. That never happened either, as this defendant claimed it happened that night.
And finally, the evidence in this case will show you, beyond any reasonable doubt, that this defendant staged the crime scene before the police got there, to make it appear like an intruder had come in, and
that she had had a struggle with that intruder. You will also see, that there is blood on her T-shirt that she was wearing at the time. That her own son's blood is on her T-shirt, and that it was deposited while she was stabbing them to death on June the 6th, 1996.
And, finally, you will hear that that screen that was cut on that garage window, the place where this intruder supposedly came into the house to attack the boys, and supposedly left out of the house, as she chased him unarmed. You will see, that the screen is made up of two things: It's made up of fiberglass rods that are also connected with a rubber polymer, a black rubbery substance. And you'll hear that a knife was found inside the defendant's residence, in her kitchen, still in a butcher block, and that knife was examined. And those two very same substances, both the fiberglass rods found in the window screen, and the black rubber material, was found on the blade of that knife.
At the conclusion of this case, when all of the testimony is in, I'm going to come before you, and I'm going to ask you to find this defendant guilty, because the evidence we're going to show you through this trial, shows beyond any reasonable doubt that she is, in fact, guilty of the capital murder of five-year-old Damon
Christian Routier.
Thank you.
In Part 3--The Defense Opening Statement
Part 1
I agree with you that 12 years is too long for someone to sit on death row. She should not still be there.
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Thanks for highlighting this story. I do believe she needs another trial with ALL of the evidence presented, not just a part of it.
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All of the evidence was presented. There were no photo's or video's that were withheld. Those are the claims of every supporter and they simply are not true.
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Good article. Lets wait and see how the case goes now she has her new trial. I must say I cant make my mind up however i do believe Darin is more involved. RIP boys
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You know what really ticks me off about this case? Darlie did NOT get a fair trial at all. Is there chance she did it? Of course there is. But, in my mind and all the facts, there is a very good chance she DIDN'T do it. These investigators and Judge Francis (who disgusts me to all ends) are incompetent. For them to look at the facts, not follow up on anything, and to ignore evidence is very, very wrong. Let us hope she gets a FAIR trial this next time, and we will find out the real truth.
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Puleeze; she got a fair trial - didn't you follow the whole smear - I did. She changed her story about 6 times. Then she claimed in a letter during the trial she knew who did it. For crying out loud read all of it. You can't be that lame to believe she is innocent. Did you hear the testimony of the baby sitter telling how she wrapped Drake, the baby in a wool blanket and carried him down stairs and shoved him into her (baby sitter's)arms and he was blue in the face trying to breathe when the sitter upwrapped. You've got to put it all together - not just scraps you read from another dufus that believes she is innocent. What about the jewelry - none taken, along with the money, none taken. There were the children's insurance papers on the end table where she had been going over them that night. It wasn't a lot of money, but it was enough to bury them. They observed her at the funeral - no grief, no tears. And don't give me 'everybody shows their grief differently' CRAP. If you love someone, you are going to show grief sometime. She only cried when she was arrested. That was grief for herself. She certainly showed us she could greave like everybody else then.
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I've been following this case for a while now... and let me tell you what I believe. Pat how can you be so ingronant like you got all the facts. First of all, Darlie Routier did in fact greive at her sons mormorial. They didn't present that part at court. you want to know what they presented at court?? Darlie Routier and her family celebrating Devon Routier, one of her dead sons, birthday party afterwards. What's wrong with that? I personally wouldn't have, but hey doesn't mean the lady is guilty. Did you hear about the finger prints? What she planted those too? Yeah, years after she was convicted, they found some finger prints smeared in the blood and it didn't match any of the Routiers. The investgators just ran through the crime scene. And did you hear about that the bias court clerk tampering with the court transcript of the case. If you were being attacked and you're children have been staved to death do you think you going to remember if the intruder ran, skipped, or walked away?? come on the thinks she changed in her "six stories" weren't even that major. It's like asking did you eat your grits, eggs, toast, or bacon first this morning. Don't be stupid. I'm not certain on most cases, but I do believe Darlie Routier is inocent. Best believe there are other facts known besides the ones listed in this article that proves she DID NOT murder her beloved Devon or Damon. May she be set free.
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She is GUILTY!!! I cannot believe how many people have forgotten about those boys and are so concerned for the person who killed them. All of the evidence points to her! It's funny how people will ignore solid forensic evidence because one little fingerprint was found which could have been one of the boys. And, in all of that carnage, two little boys are viciously murdered, their mother gets a totally different kind of wound, there is no real property damage and the only thing that is found that some people want to focus on is one fingerprint? Come on. Look at all of the other evidence. I always think about their dog...why didn't it bark? It barked for every other reason. I also find it wierd that Darlie wasn't worried about Darin and Drake...for all she knew this "intruder" went upstairs first and murdered them...I mean she supposedly didn't hear her two boys getting murdered in front of her (yeah right!). So she surely wouldn't have heard anything upstairs...she knew Darin and Drake were safe and that's why she wasn't concerned about them. Look at the way that screen was cut. What man, hellbent on murder, makes a careful cut like that? Someone with rage viciously stabbed those two innocent boys, yet they were careful about the screen? Darlie would have been careful because she was trying to be quiet. Also, they had an alarm system. Why wasn't it on? So, the alarm is off, the dog doesn't bark, the window is open and to top it off this "intruder" is able to murder two boys without anyone hearing it...YEAH RIGHT!!! Oh, and he is able to cut the adult...and she doesn't wake up...oh, but when she does, she chases him and actually scares him off...whatever!!! Why would she scare him? She doesn't have a weapon...he does. Why doesn't he plunge the knife into her too? Why are people rushing to defend this woman? She belongs on death row...it's really too good for her though. And her bruises? How come they weren't seen at the hospital the night of the murders? Oh, and now were supposed to believe she slept through getting those bruises on her arms? Or she got those bruises when she was supposedly fighting this man? Yeah right...where is the knife when he is bruising up her arms? What did he do, put it down to hold her arms? See, it just doesn't make sense. Darlie said the guy threw the knife down in the kitchen...so he obviously had the knife in his hands before that and if she was that close to him to get grabbed by the arms, why wouldn't he just stab her? She didn't get those bruises that night...at no point does it make sense. I know some people are going to defend Darlie and disagree with what I've said...but that's fine because I disagree with those who think she is innocent. I think the evidence of her guilt is overwhelming.
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Gina,
Actually, the 'birthday party' was held before the memorial. And I think Pat and Angela are pretty much on the money. Darlie is very guilty.
You are also wrong about the fingerprints. The prints are not identifiable, NOT unidentified. Big difference.
The botched transcripts... yes, heard it. Heard it a thousand times. Have you heard that the transcripts were corrected with the back-up audio tapes and is now certified correct?
Yes, I am quite confident that my memory would be considerably clearer than Darlie's. And hers would be clearer too if someone had actually come into that house. And on the contrary, her story changes are major, not minor. Very major. For instance, find Darlie's first hand written statement to the police. She never mentions wetting towels. But when the police released her house back to her and she saw they had cut her kitchen sink out, she changed her story to fit the evidence. Which she has actually done 16 times. All 16 accounts can be found online.
So you ALSO have the evidence that's going to set her free. I wish you, her mother and all of the other supporters who keep saying this would turn the evidence in already! Seriously. If this is true, what are you waiting for?
Darlie is guilty. I'm sorry to say it because it sucks to think a mother could do this. But she did.
And the bruises? Please. watch the silly string tape just 8 days after the murders. No signs of those horrible, black bruises.
Sorry. Pat and Angela got it right.
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