Darlie Routier Trial: 1997

At Routier's trial six months later, police and paramedics painstakingly presented their theory that the woman who seemed the doting mother of two, indulged boys actually was their cunning murderer. FBI special agent Al Brantley also pointed out that an intruder bent on harming an adult simply wouldn't attack vulnerable children first. He believed that "someone who knew these children very well murdered them."

Testimony from staff members at Baylor Hospital where the boys' bodies were taken and where Routier was treated for her wounds, buttressed that conclusion. No one at Baylor saw Routier cry, even when she encountered Damon's nude, mangled body. She never asked about her children.

Coroner Janice Townsend-Parchman testified that Routier's superficial neck wounds appeared inflicted in a slow, hesitant manner, most likely by Routier herself. The deep, multiple wounds on the boys, however, showed the attack on them was personal. An evidence expert testified that the sons' blood on Routier's nightshirt was literally sprayed onto her while she was executing upswing motions, such as stabbing and slicing.

Darlie Routier with her husband Darrin and two sons Damon (left) and Devon. (AP/Wide World Photos)

A parade of Darlie Routier's acquaintances revealed the Routiers' dark side. Things apparently weren't happy at the two-story, brick home on Eagle Drive with the Jaguar parked out front, the 27-foot cabin cruiser nearby, and the kids playing happily in the yard. Witnesses testified about the Routiers' marital discord, punctuated by ugly public fights and mutual cheating. Others painted Routier as an impatient, angry mother who often left her children unsupervised. At Devon's fifth birthday party, she shoved a piece of cake in his face when he squirted her with a watergun. She opted for size EE breast implants. Friends called her "Shop-Till-You-Drop Darlie." Routier also suffered postpartum depression after her third son's birth.

Witnesses testified about the couple's financial crises. Business had dropped at their company, which tested circuit boards for computer manufacturers. Bills were mounting. Their bank recently denied the Routiers a $5,000 loan.

Possibly the most damaging testimony came in the form of a video. Rowlett police had secretly taped a post-mortum, graveside birthday party Routier had thrown for Devon just days after his death. As the minister began a somber eulogy, Routier lightheartedly sprayed a can of silly string over the grave. Laughing and chewing bubble gum, she sang "Happy Birthday."

Expert defense witnesses, however, characterized Routier's bizarre actions as normal for many who are severely traumatized. Forensic Psychologist Dr. Lisa Clayton also supported Routier's story of the murders. She said Routier exhibited the typical blackouts and distorted memory of people who experience a profound trauma and are forced to give clear descriptions of it soon after the event.

Bexor County medical examiner Dr. Vincent DiMaio skillfully shed doubt on statements that Darlie's wounds were self-inflicted. He said her throat slash came within two millimeters of the carotid artery. Bruises on her arms could indicate she fended off an attacker.

Others who took the stand in Routier's defense were mostly character witnesses. They portrayed Routier as a doting mom, saying she was devastated by her sons' deaths and grieved appropriately.

Unfortunately for Routier's defense, however, the defendant herself took the stand, despite her lawyers' objections. After she told her version of the crime and insisting she was a good mother, Prosecutor Greg Davis tore into her story with a vengeance. He reduced Routier to a sobbing, stuttering, stammering woman.

Jurors deliberated only four hours before returning a guilty verdict. Three days later, Routier was sentenced to death. The young mother had no tears.

In the years since Darlie's conviction, renewed media attention—including an investigation by the television news program 20/20—has raised questions about her guilt. Among the media findings: Jurors received a trial transcript with 33,000 errors and omissions; jurors never saw photographs of Routier's arm bruises; and an unidentified bloody fingerprint was found on the Routiers' kitchen counter after the murder.

Routier's supporters are fighting for a new trial.