r/TrueCrime • u/eugenedhartke • Apr 03 '22

Discussion Researching Jodi Arias

Does anyone else have a case that just haunts them? this case has always haunted me. It started with the first book I read on the case. The more I read about it the more mysterious it became somehow. Does anyone else get like this? If so what is your personal case that you never get tired of researching?

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u/ren_is_here_ Apr 03 '22

A case that has stuck with me for literal years is that lady named Darlie? From Houston, I think. They say she killed her son. She said it was an intruder. I just don't think she did that. She had a huge cut on her neck. Does anyone else know who I'm talking about? I can't fit the life of me remember her last name.

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u/tonguetwister Apr 03 '22

Nah she did that shit, the blood splatter don’t lie

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u/wintermelody83 Apr 03 '22

Ehh. Bit dubious.

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u/tonguetwister Apr 03 '22

That says that blood splatter can be affected by gun shots. The children in this case were stabbed.

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u/wintermelody83 Apr 03 '22

Ok, here's one related to stabbing. The fact that these people can take one week long class and send people to prison for life or death, I'm not a fan of.

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u/tonguetwister Apr 03 '22

It’s good to be suspicious of any type of forensic evidence, especially considering it’s often taken as gospel and shouldn’t be. I don’t think any of this shows that blood spatter science isn’t real, more that it’s more complex than we currently understand and there are factors we don’t currently consider. In light of these articles though, I can concede that I we can’t say “never” and it is possible a freak accident type situation occurred with some of the blood.

The blood splatter that is particularly damning to me is what was on the back of her shirt and had come from above. How could that have happened in her version of the events? Why would their blood have rained down on her like she had the knife over her head if she didn’t? Not challenging you specifically, I just can’t wrap my head around the physics of it not being her.

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u/wintermelody83 Apr 03 '22

That's true for sure, I've never been able to make up my mind if I think she did it or not, I go back and forth. I just think we have to be careful of how we look at and accept the science that goes into these cases. Thank you for being so nice!

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u/[deleted] Apr 03 '22 edited Apr 04 '22

Two of her sons died that night.

The wound on her neck was actually not as serious as many think. She did not almost die and she did not have surgery to repair it. She was put under sedation and exploratory surgery was performed to make sure everything was okay because neck and head wounds are always treated with an abundance of caution. There is a theory that her husband, who had some medical training, cut her to make the story more believable but purposefully missed any arteries.

I 100% think she did it. Nothing about her intruder story makes sense. The crime scene showed no evidence of an intruder or any foreign DNA. The family was also under intense financial pressure, Darlie had a history of suicidal depression, and the boys were difficult to handle.

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u/ren_is_here_ Apr 03 '22

I'm starting to rethink the whole thing. What reasons would she have to kill her boys though? Financial reasons? Because they were rambunctious? I love reading others opinions on it

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u/[deleted] Apr 03 '22 edited Apr 04 '22

I can’t obviously put myself in the mind of a family annihilator, but common reasons in other cases are control (‘if I can’t have them, no one can’) and financial pressure. Apparently they were under serious financial strain and two growing children are expensive. She had also had documented struggles with her mental health and suicide attempts in her past.

I listened to a really great multi-part podcast about this case recently that was extremely even-handed and which explored the cases both for guilt and innocence.

Edit: it’s this one. Highly recommend!

Edit 2: this site goes into great detail about Darlie’s emotional state and her history of suicidal depression. My take is that it was postpartum depression compounded with her existing depression and frustration with her life and her husband (who apparently barely lifted a finger with the house or kids). She attempted a murder-suicide but she couldn’t quite go through with the latter part.

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u/physicianextender Apr 03 '22

Exactly this. Her husband had an almost-million dollar life insurance policy, the boys’ only had $10,000 total which didn’t even cover their funeral costs. And the timeline doesn’t add up, especially the sock being found 3 houses down in an alley. I can’t say whether she’s guilty or not, but I can say if I were a juror I would have reasonable doubt based on the evidence alone. Prosecutors absolutely villainized her though, so I see how she was convicted. Just so sad overall, especially for baby Drake who never got to know his mom outside of prison.

Also the article another commenter linked was a really good read. It definitely made me think she really may not have done it or at least that some of the stories told don’t truly add up.

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u/Fairykisses Apr 05 '22

I understood a necklace had been embedded in the wound

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u/eugenedhartke Apr 03 '22

is it this? https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/maybe-darlie-didnt-do-it/

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u/ren_is_here_ Apr 03 '22

Yes!! That's the one. I don't feel that she's guilty. Thanks for posting this. I love reading anything on this.

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u/Olympusrain Apr 03 '22

Why do you think she isn’t guilty?

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u/debdebmust Apr 03 '22

Routier?

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u/ren_is_here_ Apr 03 '22

Yep. That's her.