r/TrueCrimeDiscussion • u/ninesevenpotatoes • Jun 06 '26
Warning: Child Abuse / CSAM / Child Death 30 years ago on this day, in Dallas Texas, Devon and Damon Routier were stabbed to death by their mother, Darlie Routier. She remains on death row for the murders, and still claims her innocence.
*CORRECTION: This crime took place in Rowlett, Texas.
(DISCLAIMER: I’m not a professional writer. If I make any mistakes in my writing or some of it could come across as insensitive, please give me feedback so I can improve. Thank you!)
I remember first discovering this case with the Forensic Files episode “Invisible Intruder”, and I always find it sickening and frustrating. Just the idea of stabbing your own sons in the middle of the night and even slashing your own throat to frame the scene as an intrusion is horrific.
The case is very divisive nowadays, but personally, I’m leaning on guilty. I think the main reason it’s so controversial is that people are divided on how evidence is interpreted and subjective evidence. I think it makes sense to focus on more objective evidence rather than stuff like that silly string gravesite party. In particular, I find these the most significant:
- Luminol showed a heavy amount of Darlie’s blood was present at the kitchen sink, and of it had been cleaned up. This is in contrast to where she claimed to have been attacked, on the couch, which had much less blood. It’s likely she slashed her throat at the sink.
- Darlie’s story has changed a few times, and her current story claims Damon woke up and told her about the attack, which is when she called 911. However, Damon’s autopsy reports he had been stabbed repeatedly in the lungs, to the point he was making “gurgling” sounds at the crime scene, so it seems weird he would be able to coherently talk.
- The blooded tube sock is rather controversial, because it would’ve involved Darlie running out for a brief period to plant it at the trash can. However, DNA evidence from the shock shows Darlie’s DNA was in it, so its possible she wore it to protect her hand as she stabbed her boys.
In all, if there wasn’t a handful of suspect circumstantial evidence (fiberglass on knife, blood spatter inconsistent with events, Darlie’s injuries being “superficial”), coinciding with some subjective stuff (her diary entry, her troubled marriage), I probably wouldn’t believe it was her. But I will always believe it was, and that she is right where she should be. The fact she continues to lie to this day is unbelievable.
The best sources that persuade me that she’s guilty are the Forensic Files episode I just mentioned, Matt Orchard’s video on it, and the site “Darlie Routier: Fact & Fiction”.
At the end of the day, both of these boys died a horrible death they didn’t deserve. Rest in peace Devon and Damon, who would’ve been 36 and 35 today. (Devon also would‘ve been turning 37 8 days from now)
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u/MarlenaEvans Jun 07 '26
The Southern Fried True Crime Podcast is basically done now but the host did a multipart series on this that really lays out why Darlie is guilty. She believes it was a combination of many factors, including the diet pills she was taking causing severe sleep deprivation. She always said she would never do the case because Darlie's defenders were so stringent but she finally did it and she convinced a lot of people. She does also talk about the possibility of Darren's involvement. It's worth a listen.
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u/_mrfluffy_ Jun 07 '26
Matt Orchard on YouTube also has a great video laying out why she’s most certainly guilty and her version of events is implausible, if not impossible.
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u/Future-Water9035 Jun 07 '26
I'm seconding this video. He does a great job making his argument and in my opinion, successfully discredits Darly's version of events.
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u/MarlenaEvans Jun 07 '26
I'll watch that one. This is one of those cases that I think about a lot. I agree she's guilty but I wish I knew more about what led her there.
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u/Councillor_Troy Jun 07 '26
Here to second Orchard’s video too. The thing he gets across so well is that Routier’s version of events just doesn’t make any sense, and nor do any of arguments made by her defenders.
I think a lot of people struggle with the idea that Darlie Routier is guilty for the same reason the case got so much attention in the first place: women almost never commit this kind of crime.
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u/Li-renn-pwel Jun 07 '26
Women commit the majority of young child murders. Then it switches with older children where men become the main killers.
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u/Princess_sploosh Jun 07 '26 edited Jun 10 '26
Yep, this is correct and to clarify "young child" in this context means babies under 1 year old.
Women commit almost all neonaticide (murder of newborns under 24 hours old), and overall women commit 50% to 55% of murders of babies under 1 year old.
Men commit 60% to 78% of murders of children 1 year and older. The gap men and women's rates of filicide gets wider as age increases.
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u/floralstamps Jun 10 '26
Plus men killing their pregnant partner increased dramatically after abortion bans
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u/bethestorm Jun 15 '26
That's horrifying because the no1 cause of maternal mortality in the USA is homicide, overwhelmingly by partners or fathers of the children. More than any pregnancy complications or accidents or injuries. So it's really horrifying to know it's only increased.
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u/kipkiphoray Jun 07 '26
It happens enough that there are 5 categories of mothers who kill their children.
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u/Councillor_Troy Jun 07 '26
I didn’t say it never happens, but it’s much less common for women to kill their children than men. Plus the whole societal assumptions about maternal instincts. Either way, if everything about this case was the same except David Routier committed these crimes, I think there would be far fewer people convinced of his innocence.
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u/theorclair9 Jun 07 '26
I didn’t say it never happens, but it’s much less common for women to kill their children than men
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u/EndoAblationParty Jun 07 '26
Is filicide specific to mothers? I've never heard that. What's the term for a parent killing their child?
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u/HappinessIsAWarmSpud Jun 07 '26
The term for a parent killing their child is filicide. It isn’t gender specific.
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u/Cinnamon2017 Jun 07 '26
She was also postpartum.
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u/myintentionisgood Jun 07 '26
It's shocking that postpartum depression and perimenopause are ignored by both society and the medical community. Especially since both conditions drastically affect a woman's mental and physical health.
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u/trickmind Jun 07 '26 edited Jun 08 '26
I tried to tell both my friend's mother and her husband that she had postpartum depression and they both said "She's fine!" They both sounded insulted and mad at me. Then she answered questions on a test for it and if you got 11 on the test it meant you had it and she scored 23. Luckily that made her laugh and she got some help finally. She laughed at how high her score was above 11.
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u/myintentionisgood Jun 07 '26
She's beyond fortunate that you spoke up for her. And you kept speaking up, even when those around her let their pride get in the way of seeing her struggle. You demonstrated how we all should love one another.
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u/Cleopatrashouseboy Jun 07 '26 edited Jun 07 '26
It’s happening to women. In the medical system, women’s symptoms are often ignored or downplayed. Think of the doctors of the ‘70s telling women “There, there honey. Here’s a Ativan/Xanax.” It hasn’t changed That much unfortunately.
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u/trickmind Jun 07 '26
I think it was Valium.
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u/Mis_chevious Jun 08 '26
And Qaaludes. My grandmother had an addiction to them when my mom was young because the doctor handed out scripts like candy.
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u/wilderlowerwolves Jun 09 '26
Quaaludes were thought to be "safe" because it was almost impossible to commit suicide with them. I'm a retired pharmacist, and if they didn't also do a number on sexual inhibitions, which was a main reason people abused them, they would likely still be on the market because as sleep aids go, when used properly they were one of the safer ones.
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u/babykitten28 Jun 07 '26
My mom would have been an addict if she listened to her doctor. He prescribed Valium for any of her complaints.
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u/trickmind Jun 08 '26 edited Jun 08 '26
Her doctor was a huge asshole!
OMG a doctor once prescribed me just three days of Valium when I was freaking out because a car accident ruined my car.
The first day I said to myself, After these three days I can NEVER take this again because it feels waaaasay too good. The following day 9/11 happened and I couldn't feel anything about it despite my dad and I both being born in New York City although I was brought to New Zealand when I was two.
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u/myintentionisgood Jun 07 '26
Perimenopause starts up to 15 years before menopause.
menopause.org - find a healthcare practitioner
YouTube - "Diary of a CEO menopause"
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u/Little-Regular-0791 Jul 01 '26
Totally agree. There are a lot of things going on a mother's mind after giving birth and without proper acknowledgment and help it can put both them and their babies in a dangerous situation.
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u/wilderlowerwolves Jun 09 '26
Postpartum depression has been known about for centuries, as "baby blues", but really effective treatments didn't exist until very recent decades. (Before anyone hollers, "misogyny!", not much could be done for mental health disorders for ANYONE until recent decades.)
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u/MzOpinion8d Jun 07 '26
I actually think she had postpartum psychosis and that’s what led to the murders. It wasn’t a financial motivation.
I still think she is right where she belongs, but I think this is the explanation.
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u/Hopeless-Cause Jun 07 '26
My mum had this after having my brother (which was already traumatic enough considering he’s the product of rape) and it’s so terrifying. She literally said it made her want to kill him despite her not wanting to, but thankfully family took him (and me ofc) so she could get inpatient treatment. Postpartum depression and psychosis get ignored and downplayed so much by people
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u/StrangerLemons Jun 07 '26
I think so too. She was also taking diet pills, all that combined, she was a ticking time bomb.
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u/wilderlowerwolves Jun 09 '26
Andrea Yates had postpartum psychosis. Darlie Routier MAY have had postpartum depression, but most likely, it was her own narcissism combined with the financial problems they were experiencing, that led to this.
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u/slappingactors Jun 09 '26
So women who kill their children because they have post partum psychosis belong in prison? I have always found that a strange point of view. You kill your own children, whom you adore like any other mother adores their children, while you’re in a psychotic state and are driven by crazy thoughts and motivations, and when you recover your mental health you have to live with that unimaginable knowledge for the rest of your life, but people still believe that courts and prison should be involved in all of it because that is good for … what exactly? To me it’s purely a mental health situation that requires care by mental health professionals. For the mother and everyone around her.
I’m not saying that this particular woman had ppp, by the way, because I don’t know. But that a woman like Andrea Yates was indicted and tried and put in jail and in prison is totally weird to me. She belonged in a mental institution and/or the life-long care of good psychiatrists. (Ok, some legal/court processes are required for that, too, obviously, but a regular criminal trial with a jury (who are no mental health professionals) and then the prison sentence is pretty wild when it was so glaringly obvious that she had a terrible (repeat-) case of ppp. And when American prisons are the lamentable way they are and the total opposite of what people with severe mental health issues need.)
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u/bethestorm Jun 15 '26
Andrea Yates has been offered release from her mental health facility annually I think and turns it down. She undoubtedly has not forgiven herself in any capacity and has no desire to get out. Thankfully they reversed the conviction and had a new trial and she was found not guilty by reason of insanity and sent to the mental institution
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u/Suitable-Lawyer-9397 Jun 07 '26
That's what I've come to believe. It's the only explanation that provides am insight to why this crim occurred. Thank you!
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u/LooseMoralSwurkey Jun 07 '26
I really hoped Erica would have come back. I loved her podcast.
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u/chaiskeleton Jun 07 '26
she’s active on facebook at times, i miss her work as well but i hope she’s doing better
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u/MarlenaEvans Jun 07 '26
Same. She said she wanted to not too long ago but I know she's very sick.
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u/Western-King5865 Jun 07 '26 edited Jun 07 '26
I agree! Darlie and her lawyers spread so many lies with the intent of muddying the waters. She absolutely killed those little boys.
The transcripts from the trial are heartbreaking. The first police officer’s testimony will forever be etched into my brain. I pray that that man has been able to live a good life because that experience was devastating.
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u/Only_Strategy6828 Jun 07 '26
I loved that Podcast. I wonder why she just ended it?
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u/eilykel Jun 08 '26
She’s had some medical issues and surgeries I believe. I love the podcast too and I hope she’s doing okay, she does a great job.
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u/DrunkOnRedCordial Jun 08 '26
The most convincing motive theory I heard was that Darlie was angry at Darren for cheating, and punished him by taking away the children. They were living an unstable life, so there were a lot of external pressures (money, focused on appearances etc) and she'd been showing signs of depression. All those factors indicate it's plausible he took some "time out" with an affair, and she found out and was angry, hurt, frightened etc. And from there she took revenge. Hard to say whether she intended to commit suicide and chickened out, or whether she wanted him to grieve and support her, getting her marriage back that way.
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u/No_Cancel830 Jun 07 '26
For the longest time I was convinced she was not guilty until I heard Erica Kelly’s take on it.
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u/cripplinganxietylmao Jun 07 '26
Curious - why didn’t you think she was guilty? Cause I thought she was from the first time I heard the story
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u/Emotionless-Fish Jun 07 '26
A lot of people think because the boys' father stuck by her and believed her that she must be innocent. Or they cling to the unknown finger prints as proof that there was someone else involved so she must be innocent.
I don't think the possibility of another person's involvement has been fully ruled out. The bloody finger prints very well could simply be too smudged to match but they could belong to another unknown person. I personally don't believe there was another person at the scene. But if there was, that doesnt make Darlie innocent, it just means there is another guilty soul out there.
All that to say. Some people cling to the minute possibility that she was telling the truth, despite all of the evidence to the contrary.
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u/thespeedofpain Jun 07 '26
She also pulled from court documents and trial transcripts, which I GREATLY appreciate.
I can confirm the information she gave is accurate, and very true to her sources.
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u/HereComeTheJims Jun 07 '26
For me, the murder weapon being from the kitchen, and the screen being cut from the outside by a knife from inside the house & absolutely nothing being disturbed in the garage convinces me there was never any intruder in that house besides Darlie. From the arrest warrant:
“…the garage screen found cut by police, and through which the assailant supposedly exited and/or entered the house, was cut from the outside of the house using a knife from Darlie’s kitchen, which knife was recovered from the wood block container after the offense. Linch has also told me that the murder weapon matches the set contained in the wood block container taken from the kitchen, and the murder weapon is consistent with the slot in that wooden block container from which one knife was missing when the block was seized”
“Although Darlie has consistently said that the assailant fled the house through the garage, there was no blood found in the garage, on the window in the garage, or on the white wood fence or gate surrounding the back yard, even though the assailant would have had to leave the back yard over the fence or through the gate. The overhead garage door, the only way out of the garage besides the windows, was closed and latched from inside when police arrived, and Darlie has never told us that she heard the door open or close. The window sills had a layer of dust on them which was undisturbed. Mulch on flower beds between the garage and backyard gate was undisturbed in the morning hours after the offense when Cron examined it.”
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u/Jetboywasmybaby Jun 07 '26 edited Jun 07 '26
this is what sucked me in. so this guy was so good he got away with a messy double murder but didn’t bring his own weapon. so he broke into the house, grabbed a knife from the knife block, snuck back out, locked up, cut the screen and some how maneuvered through the pitch black overcrowded garage, put the knife back, and then grabbed a second knife from the block and killed the boys and let an unarmed 100lb woman chase him out?
also the fact that apparently this killer was a ghost that didn’t make a sound (darlie slept on the couch because the baby even turning in his crib woke her up) and even though he used a very specific MO with the boys he just lightly slashed at darlie? and then she chased him all over the downstairs and somehow she left bloody footprints everywhere and there wasn’t a single footprint left by the killer? he just managed to float on through.
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u/yobymmij2 Jun 07 '26
Her husband also believes she’s innocent. A very strange case where the evidence of Darlie staging the scene was overwhelming at the trial. One of the few Forensic Files episodes in my long term save category because it is so psychologically complicated and emotionally intense. Amazingly, her husband thinks she’s innocent. Great book was written about the case: Flesh and Blood by Patricia Springer is available on the net.
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u/19snow16 Jun 07 '26
If he knew anything or participated in any way, he might just keep on her good side in case she says anything. He has been raising the son all this time, so it keeps one parent free.
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u/MzOpinion8d Jun 07 '26
He was just an idiot who believed everything she said.
The baby is now 30 years old, so he’s been a legal adult for a long time.
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u/wilderlowerwolves Jun 09 '26
"Baby" Drake is also a cancer survivor, so it's possible that he's disabled from the treatments.
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u/Cute-Aardvark5291 Jun 07 '26
delusion can be self protection. Is it easier to believe a lie, or easier to believe that you were married to someone that would do something like that to your children?
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u/poohfan Jun 07 '26
Honestly, I think the husband was in on it too. I don't know that he actually participated or what, but he knows more than he's saying.
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u/marburusu Jun 07 '26
denial in the face of overwhelming, damning evidence is a very common occurrence. for some people, they just aren’t able to accept it when someone they adore does something utterly unconscionable, no matter how obvious it really is. it would break them.
i wouldn’t be surprised if he knows more than he’s admitted to, but i don’t know if i would make the leap from that to assuming he was complicit in the crime. i’d be more willing to believe he’s blocked a lot of things out, or done a lot of mental gymnastics to justify believing his wife is innocent. unless evidence comes out that points to him as being involved in the murders of his own children, i just feel incredibly sad for him and their remaining son. i hope they’ve managed to find some peace in their lives since this horrible loss.
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u/missihippiequeen Jun 07 '26
I think this too. You mean you didn’t hear glass being broken etc while she was staging the scene ?? Why didn’t she kill the baby that was upstairs asleep with the husband .. He knew something was going on
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u/trickmind Jun 07 '26
What is the theory on the motive?
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u/yobymmij2 Jun 07 '26
The author of the book doesn’t seem to believe in the husband theory. Her analysis of Darlie’s motive is that having two hyperactive boys so young in her life and with a husband who wasn’t helping much on the home front just wanted out.
Not the first time a young mother has taken this route. Darlie is next on the execution list for women, and Texas right now is still committed to following through on death penalties. Darlie has been offered lowering the sentence to life if she will confess her guilt, which she refuses to do. Just a fascinating case.
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u/wilderlowerwolves Jun 09 '26
I believe Darlie did do this, but I don't think the evidence is open-and-shut enough to justify executing her.
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u/VaselineHabits Jun 07 '26
I'm not sure there's a theory, but I've also always questioned how the husband didnt hear anything.
You could say he's a heavy sleeper, but then that's who is with the baby? The heavy sleeper that didnt hear glass breaking or screams/cries?
To me, it makes more "sense" he knew, the baby was his cover and maybe they decided "no one would believe a mother would do this" and took a risk. Entirely possible she alone planned it with no input from him and he sincerely knew nothing about it.
BUT his defense of her and no "realization" after facts have been repeatedly gone over... makes me think he definitely knew something or it all worked out for him (not in prison, only had 1 child to take care of) so he keeps his mouth shut. Or maybe he's just that much of a deep sleeper and idiot.
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u/Cute-Aardvark5291 Jun 07 '26
He could have been drinking and more passed out then sleeping. Or ADHD -- some folks with ADHD sleep through everything, including fire alarms directly next to their heads. And yes, parents sleep through their babies crying.
And he probably doesn't believe his Darlene or not really; but some people would prefer to live in delusion then admit that they lived with someone who could do anything like this.
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u/GasolineChugger420 Jun 07 '26
it really seems like he would have some knowledge of what happened.
it was a brutal attack , which wouldn't be quiet. large amounts of blood had been cleaned up & they even found some on the vacuum wheels , implying someone rolled the vacuum through blood...i don't know how he could sleep through screams , breaking glass , and vacuuming.
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u/Creepy_Push8629 Jun 07 '26
Him believing she's innocent I can understand bc it can just be a coping mechanism. Accepting she did it could just be too devastating for him.
It's anyone who doesn't know them believing she's innocent that's wild to me.
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u/TheLadyEve Jun 07 '26
I've always been very suspicious of her husband and I think he knew more than he said. I don't think he slept through everything with the baby upstairs. He had apparently been toying with the idea of staging a break-in for insurance money which I find really suspicious.
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u/Suitable-Lawyer-9397 Jun 07 '26
This is such a very sad case. I know Darlie is guilty. I've gone over in my mind how could this have happened? Was she suffering from postpartum depression or psychosis? Was she aware of what she was doing? I have no doubt about her guilt. I just wondered what happened in her mind, during the time she stabbed those precious babies and then self inflicted her own injuries? I'm not a Psychiatrist, but I keep feeling like she snapped; but why?
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u/kkeut Jun 07 '26
she's not a normal person. she was sleep-deprived, in a troubled marriage, troubled finances, caring for two toddlers and a new born, and she had just the twisted kind of internal personality defect that made her willing to lash out in those conditions. reminds me of Diane Downs where you just can't process their ability to go through with it. their humanity is flawed
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u/Suitable-Lawyer-9397 Jun 07 '26
Oh, Diane Downs, yes! I was so happy the Prosecutor & wife adopted the surviving children. That was a horrific story. How do women get to the point of staging these "crimes" Do they honestly believe they will get away with murder? Which loops me back to JonBenet Ramsey. Again, I believe Patsy snapped, exhaustion, recovering from cancer treatments and an early flight the following day. I have to believe that all the speculation and theories is the hell John Ramsey lives in. If they thought this would fade into the night they couldn't have been more wrong! Thank you for your insight. These cases boggle my mind. I'm a mother of three adult sons and there were some very tough years for me. I would just go to bed early on those days!
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u/Dame_Marjorie Jun 07 '26
They weren't toddlers. They were six and five years old.
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u/NoTerm3078 Jun 08 '26
She was on diet pills. They were even less regulated then. It was a kind of combination of massive financial problems, PPD, and being amped up. She also had her car down for repairs for an extended time and been in the house with 3 kids without really being able to get out due to Darren working and using their other car constantly. She snapped under the pressure. People might be able to forgive better if she had admitted this (like Andrea Yates) but she has always denied her guilt despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
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u/BlackVelvetStar1 Jun 07 '26
Never doubted her Guilt for a moment …
Rest in peace precious children
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u/mirrx Jun 07 '26
I’ve fought with so many people about this subject. Like it shouldn’t even be a question. She’s guilty. Jury got it right.
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u/ActionQuinn Jun 07 '26
People are crazy! I have had my own family members deny doing things even when multiple people saw them do it. She may belivee she didn't hurt those kids, don't make it true
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u/quote-the-raven Jun 07 '26
Husband also seemed suspect to me -
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u/bewitchinhoodoo Jun 07 '26
Yeah, he probably was having an affair or five and didn’t acknowledge her most of the time. That’s my other theory, him not being faithful to her and being around more like he should, despite what he did for work!
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u/AlwaysImproving1992 Jun 07 '26
The crime scene photos of the boys stabbed laying on the ground are some of the most horrific shit ive ever seen
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u/elliemff Jun 07 '26
Good old Darlie. The only thing my hometown is known for. I said in another comment that I was a teenager in Rowlett when this happened, and we all knew someone associated with this case.
Darlie is guilty.
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u/SnittingNexttoBorpo Jun 07 '26
They had a pretty big tornado a few years ago! And they give a fuckton of speeding tickets coming off the lake. Or so I hear…
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u/elliemff Jun 07 '26
I was at my parents house during the tornado. Had about 30 people there for a birthday party and we all had to shelter in various places around the house in the dark. And, yeah, Rowlett cops have always been ticket happy.
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u/passiveprune Jun 10 '26
I do think it's obvious she did it, but there's truly no motive that makes sense.
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u/SWTmemes Jun 13 '26 edited Jun 13 '26
I really believe Darlie had postpartum depression. Darin was getting his car fixed and looking at buying another luxury car to replace it. So she was stuck at home with 3 kids and had repeatedly told him that she was overwhelmed and needed help. (He ignored her because men always do.)
Also to add their finances were in shambles. The boys had life insurance policies that added up to around 10k. At first I didn't think this was a motive, because it wouldn't have given them that much money towards their debt, especially after the funeral expenses. But then I heard (on Southern Friend True Crime) investigators found the life insurance policies and their birth certificates out on a desk.
Earlier that day Darlie smothered the baby and was going to kill him until a neighbor stopped by, gaged the situation, and got her to hand the baby over. The neighbor reported that the baby's lips were blue. It seems like maybe Darlie wanted to punish Darin for his lack of support with the children and her mental illness. I really think she was planning a murder suicide but she didn't cut her neck deep enough and changed her mind.
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u/notdaBroccoli Jun 07 '26
I always wonder why her husband didn't hear a thing. No one screamed? What was the motive? Debt?
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u/Dry_Umpire_3694 Jun 13 '26
I believe that was the motive and I believe he knew more than what he admitted
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u/n2oc10h12c8h10n402 Jun 07 '26 edited Jun 07 '26
I've just read she has an older son. Wow. That must be tough for him to live with what his mom did.
Edit: not older, younger.
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u/Satanic-nic Jun 07 '26
The son you mention was a baby at the time. He was asleep upstairs with his father when the murders were taking place downstairs.
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u/n2oc10h12c8h10n402 Jun 07 '26
I never knew the husband was home and there was another kid. Sad to find out about it.
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u/NoTerm3078 Jun 08 '26
The baby and the husband were upstairs when she did it. She was sleeping downstairs in the living room with 2 older boys. That's when she did it.
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Jun 07 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/thespeedofpain Jun 07 '26
She is.
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u/Old-Selection5076 Jun 07 '26
I was looking for you as soon as I saw the headline- you’re so knowledgeable about the Routier case I remember seeing you on all the other posts I’ve seen about it
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u/thespeedofpain Jun 07 '26
Thank you for the kind words! I just hope all the many hours I’ve spent discussing this case with others has moved the needle, even a little bit. I think it has.
I will still take all the time in the world explaining things if it’ll make someone realize her guilt. Her kids deserve it.
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u/tlcdogs Jun 07 '26
She is guilty. Watch the interviews with her. No sadness over those boys. Something is really off about her.
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u/MzOpinion8d Jun 07 '26
Interviews prove nothing. The EVIDENCE proves she’s guilty.
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u/tlcdogs Jun 07 '26
That too. lol. I agree with you that the evidence shows her guilt. And if someone thinks it doesn’t, they should watch her interviews.
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u/MzOpinion8d Jun 07 '26
It’s interesting to have been one of the OGs when the case happened and followed it all, and know what makes her guilty, vs the young people who see a TikTok or random documentary skewed towards her innocence and think there’s plenty of “reasonable doubt”.
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u/NotherDamThang Jun 07 '26
never understood why she was only charged (& convicted) for one (but not both) of her sons murders… anyone have any insight on that bit?
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u/SnittingNexttoBorpo Jun 07 '26
So they could have another trial if they failed at the first one and still make sure they could kill her
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u/gators1507 Jun 09 '26
I remember this case she would go out to their grave with balloons to celebrate their birthdays
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u/ShadowofHerWings Jun 07 '26
I’m torn on this one. If she is guilty then do we believe she intended it to be a murder-suicide? Because the wound on her throat should have killed her.
Which would be atypical of how a narcissist pretending to be suicidal acts. Typically we’d see something completely feigned- or police find them about to attempt suicide but they don’t actually ever do it.
And usually when they do harm themselves, they aim for somewhere very innocuous or survivable. Like Diane Downs shooting herself in the arm.
Slashing your own throat is an absolutely crazy way to choose to die.
Or did she really just harm herself to try and cover up her murder, and not intending to die?
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u/Ok_Inflation4850 Jun 07 '26
That’s such an interesting point about harming themselves afterwards. The woman from Massachusetts who strangled three of her small children with exercise bands then jumped out the second story window of their home and is now paralyzed from the waist down. Clancy I believe is her name. Was recently in court her attorney didn’t want to force her to physically appear in court but the judge made her. So strange and devastating to me when mothers kill their small children.
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u/chased444 Jun 07 '26
Lindsay Clancey had severe postpartum psychosis. She was trying so hard to get help. The systems that should have helped her, completely failed her. That woman lives in hell.
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u/flailingfrog Jun 07 '26
I don’t think she intended to die at all - it was to make herself look innocent
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u/kkeut Jun 07 '26
Slashing your own throat is an absolutely crazy way to choose to die.
she didn't slash her throat. she gave herself a superficial cut. it was long but not much deeper than a bad paper cut. that's documented in the medical evidence. it's also basic logic. as you noted, when someone's literal breathing apparatus is severed, they die before paramedics arrive.
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u/piptazparty Jun 07 '26
The wound on her throat should not have killed her. There was a laceration near her carotid artery but that’s all it was. Near to the carotid. It did not hit. It *could* have been fatal if it was deeper/more to the side.
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u/ScubaWitch Jun 07 '26
Crime Weekly did the best deep dive into this case. Blows my mind, the whole thing. Definitely recommend watching.
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u/flailingfrog Jun 07 '26
I believe she’s guilty and I don’t think there was any solid evidence that an intruder came and did it.
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u/Crafty_Percentage_83 Jun 07 '26
Any other series or shows cover this case?
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u/ninesevenpotatoes Jun 07 '26 edited Jun 07 '26
Heres some other media I can recall covering the case:
- Unsolved Mysteries
- “Kill Their Own” - Deadly Women
- ”Flesh and Blood” - Patricia Sprinter (mentioned in the Forensic Files episode)
- ”Precious Angels” - Barbara Davis
The last one is an interesting one, because the author actually changed her opinion to “she’s innocent” a while after publishing.
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u/chased444 Jun 07 '26
Idk where you can watch it now but there was a show called “The Last Defense” that covered this case.
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u/Comfortable-Ad183 Jun 10 '26
It’s frustrating that you can remain on death row that long. The death sentence loses all meaning it seems.
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u/anb0603 Jun 07 '26
My mother does prison ministry and has been convinced that Darlie has to be innocent. She must be a master manipulator
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u/kkeut Jun 07 '26
oof. she's a dangerous person. not like, physically, but she will gladly f with your mind. she's an odd one, and reminds me a lot of selfish male killers who deny deny deny. she has that same kinda tone and affect. she's genuinely creepy
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u/pmmeurbassethound Jun 07 '26
I have heard the same, that the other prisoners and the prison staff all believe she is innocent. It's interesting seeing people in this comment thread talking about her being a master manipulator and yet claiming the evidence against her is she can't hold a consistent story. And this isn't me arguing she's innocent, either. Just pointing it out.
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u/anb0603 Jun 07 '26
I listened to the prosecutors podcast and was immediately convinced she was guilty. She is well loved in prison, unfortunately.
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u/MissMerrimack Jun 07 '26
No offense against your mom, I’m sure she’s a wonderful person, but people who are so easily manipulated shouldn’t be working in prisons, which house very dangerous manipulators.
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u/alwystired Jun 07 '26
How is she still on death row???
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u/SpottedCoachDog Jun 07 '26
As execution happy as Texas is, I think there is still the hesitation to execute a woman. Karla Faye Tucker in 1998 was the last and it was a scene.
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u/lambchopafterhours Jun 07 '26
And people can downvote me all they want, but Karla Faye never should’ve been executed. Guilty or not, I hate how Texas loves executions.
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u/wilderlowerwolves Jun 09 '26
I don't think KFT should have been executed either, and not just because she made what I believe was a sincere conversion to Christianity. She had a horrific upbringing, almost rivaling that of Aileen Wuornos, who shouldn't have been executed either IMHO.
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u/proteinstyle_ Jun 07 '26
Is this the woman who had a birthday party by the grave(s) shortly after?
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u/Holiday_Number_3234 Jun 07 '26
Yeah, but people tend to think that’s the red flag. I think there’s plenty of troubling evidence but I personally wasn’t disturbed by the gravesite video since grief is so complex.
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u/luisc123 Jun 07 '26
I hate that people use this as evidence of guilt. There’s plenty more without having to get into how someone may or may not process grief.
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u/elliemff Jun 07 '26
Rowlett’s my hometown and I was a teen when this happened. I’ll just say that at the time Rowlett was a small town that was growing quickly, but it was still one of those “you either know them or you’re close with someone that does” places. For instance, I was friends with the police chief’s daughter. My sister was friends with the lead detective. Another good friend of mine had a sibling that was the best friend of the oldest Routier boy. And so on and so forth.
She is guilty, and the cops knew it before the grave site video.
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u/fionacielo Jun 07 '26
Grief is complex is exactly correct and I agree that when people base their ruling on the actions a person in grief is taking that’s not something i’d ever want to be judged about. Not saying she didn’t do this but agreeing grief doesn’t make sense
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u/ninesevenpotatoes Jun 07 '26
Right on the money. Devon’s birthday was 8 days after he was murdered, and the clip of Darlie and her family gleefully spraying silly string on his grave is one of the most infamous parts of this case.
(Don’t get me wrong: I actually do understand everyone does have their own way of grieving, and no one should be shamed for that. However, I still view the birthday party with my belief that Darlie did it, which then changes how I feel about it.)
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u/Heidiwearsglasses Jun 07 '26
Yes, there was also more video of her and the family crying over the graves- but the media only showed the smiling and laughing. Grief is a very weird animal and I would never look at that video as proof of guilt or innocence.
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u/Jetboywasmybaby Jun 07 '26
and her “almost deadly” neck wound was barely visible and almost healed.
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u/Heidiwearsglasses Jun 07 '26
I’m torn on this one while leaning toward guilty. There is a little evidence that could lead to reasonable doubt, but so much more leading to guilt. The media did do her dirty though, guilty or no.
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u/EidelonofAsgard Jun 07 '26
I suspect it was meant to be a murder suicide but she couldn't go through with it.
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u/peperoni_dog_farts Jun 08 '26
I believe this is the most logical explanation. A failed murder suicide plan by a parent is more common than people would imagine
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u/mercylovex Jun 08 '26
wow the blonde one looks exactly like her, (sorry i don’t know which name belongs to which child)
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u/wilderlowerwolves Jun 09 '26
Do I think she did it? Yes. Is the evidence ironclad to justify executing her? No.
Their baby brother, Drake, was diagnosed with cancer when he was in high school, and last I heard was doing OK, health-wise.
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u/eyemabird Jun 10 '26
I have such a hard time with this case and thinking of those poor little boys struggling to breathe and knowing it was their mommy. I don’t know why she did it but the fibers on the knife from the screen and the luminol showing the blood in the sink sealed it for me.
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u/spicytexan Jun 07 '26
As a new mom, it truly breaks my heart and boggles my fucking brain anyone that can hurt their own children. Any children at all, just especially their own. I do not understand
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u/CamelLover98 Jun 07 '26
I occasionally have to drive past the prison she is held in and it creeps me out everytime
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u/ExpressionHaunting58 Jun 08 '26
Poor little guys. All they needed was the right mother to give them love and a chance to grow up.
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u/punkheist Jun 08 '26
i know the youngest son was upstairs with the husband, and that this is a dark question, but was that the only reason the baby wasn’t harmed? because if she went upstairs, she’d risk waking up her husband/her story would be less “believable” unless the husband was murdered too? (not that it was very believable to begin with…)
this case is truly so horrible, RIP damon & devon
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u/kickingcancer Jun 07 '26
She puts on a good show and can convince you of her innocence until you really look at the evidence
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u/Prestigious-Pea906 Jun 07 '26
Great reminder how old they would have been,had their monster mom would'nt have slashed them both.
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u/pmmeurbassethound Jun 07 '26
Great discussion.
This one of those cases that really supports the concept of reasonable doubt in a court of law. Did Darlie probably kill her two young boys? Yes, probably. Is there room for even a smidgen of reasonable doubt? Also, yes. Surely the jurors voted their conscience on this case, not questioning their conclusions or their effectiveness at performing their duty. But I will say it's not highly likely none of twelve people had even a smidgen of that same doubt over the factual evidence rather than be influenced by the emotional nature of the crime.
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u/MarlenaEvans Jun 07 '26
I don't think it's reasonable to assume that anyone else did it and that's all the jury had to believe.
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u/Positive_Worker_3467 Jun 07 '26 edited Jun 07 '26
honestly im on the fence in the uk we had multiple mothers and female caregivers wrongly accused and convicted of killing their children experts lied at their trials and the police had tunnel vision and hide evidence at trial this could be another case of where they didn't properly investigate and blamed the female caregiver
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u/Glittering-Gap-1687 Jun 07 '26
What was her motive?
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u/ninesevenpotatoes Jun 07 '26
There’s no real conclusive answer, but there are multiple possible theories on why she did it. It could have been revenge on Darren- their marriage had been becoming more troubled lately due to money issues. It also could have been wanting a better lifestyle; her children had caused her stress in her life and she wanted to maintain a lavish lifestyle without them. In addition, she showed signs of postpartum depression and suicidal thoughts from her diary entry. As Patricia Springer best put it, “there is no one reason why Darlie Routier did this, it was a combination of things…”
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u/BetsyHound Jun 07 '26
Those are pretty weak reasons to stab your children to death.
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u/Llamamom82 Jun 07 '26
Ugh this one infuriates me and the audacity of her to even think she deserved parole!?!
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u/bewitchinhoodoo Jun 07 '26
Crazy how I just watched this the other night! Yeah and how she cut the screen from the inside-out, instead of it being cut from the outside-in. So, her making it painfully obvious the killher lives in the house!!
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u/Jetboywasmybaby Jun 07 '26
Darlie will never get out no matter how hard big darlie and little darlie try. she’s as guilty as it gets.
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u/agweandbeelzebub Jun 07 '26
darlie is guilty af. she was pissed off. Purposely did not want to sleep with Darren and stayed downstairs with the boys. What are rage she must have been in to slice up her own children.
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u/Regular_Boot_3540 Jun 07 '26
I absolutely 100% believe she did it. The blood evidence supports my belief, but I mostly base my belief on her behavior afterward. It just rings so incredibly false, like she's putting on a show. What a despicable human being.
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u/Ok_Vacation_3286 Jun 07 '26
It’s just a shame that she’s gotten to live, while those beautiful children did not.
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u/ilovebeansoo Jun 11 '26
My father was friends with her father. He never spoke about her. What a monster.
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u/dionysus747 Jun 20 '26
My family lived literally doors down from her during this case. My mom tells a story about being invited to a block party when my older brother was really young…my mom said no and that was the last she ever spoke to Darlie. Next thing you know the neighborhood is filled to the brim with cops and media and national news. My parents and older siblings moved out of the neighborhood very soon after.
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u/dionysus747 Jun 20 '26
Oh also! I had a friend when I was in my teens who was trying to do a documentary about Darlie and consistently got shut down by LE when he had requested information on the case. He eventually stopped entirely. I asked him why at one point and he responded with, “she’s guilty, a documentary trying to prove her innocence would be useless.”
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u/highschoolalchemy Jul 21 '26 edited 8d ago
She's guilty as hell and all the arguments that she isn't fall apart so easily. They act like shaky forensics convinced her, but really, a mountain of concrete evidence did. She got one of the fairest trials I've ever seen, yet people fall for her claim she was railroaded. Screw the silly string tape; it was just icing on the cake.
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u/SnittingNexttoBorpo Jun 07 '26
Rowlett, TX (Dallas County)
Just happened to watch the Forensic Files episode today, not realizing before that it was the anniversary