A Killer in My House

Prologue

In the early morning hours of June 6, 1996, a 9-1-1 operator in Rowlett, Texas received a frantic call for help. Darlie Routier, a 26-year-old wife and mother of three young boys, reported that a knife-wielding intruder had broken into her house, attacking her and her two of her young sons. All three were sleeping in the family room on the first floor of their home. A third son, eight-month-old Drake and Darlie's husband, Darin, were asleep in the master bedroom upstairs.

By the time the police arrived six-year-old Devon, was dead. Damon, age 5, died before reaching the hospital. The mother’s wounds, according to all medical reports, were superficial. Darlie told police officers that she had fought with an intruder. He was wearing a black shirt, dark pants and a ball cap. 

She chased the suspect across the kitchen, at which point he escaped through the garage. Based on Darlie's account of what happened police conducted a thorough search of the crime scene and neighborhood. It quickly became apparent that there was no evidence of a stranger entering or leaving the house that night. As time passed, the investigation focused on the adults who lived in the home instead of an unknown assailant.  

Eventually, the evidence overwhelmingly pointed in one direction: to the mother of Devon and Damon. Darlie Routier was arrested on June 18th for the murder of her two little boys.

On February 1st, 1997, after a month-long trial, a court found Darlie Lynn Routier guilty of probably the worst of human crimes: killing her two children in cold-blood. Motive is still a mystery, but the prosecution painted her as a materialistic young woman who, sensing her lavish lifestyle crumbling, killed her two young sons Damon and Devon in a mad attempt to resuscitate her and her husband's lifestyle.

As of 2016, she remains on Texas's death row, appealing her conviction.

Over the years, people have formed an opinion of Darlie’s guilt or innocence based on a variety of media: Facebook, TV shows, true crime books, and supporter websites. Unfortunately, this often leads to confusion. A common complaint is, When I read Darlie’s website, I’m convinced she’s innocent. Then I read an opposing view, and am convinced she’s guilty. 

There is a cure for this confusion, but it requires one to look at the entire case from all angels.

However, this is not an easy task; it encompasses a view that does not shine any bias on guilt or innocence.

It is, however, essential for a full understanding of how the jurors came to their verdict of guilty resulting in her sentenced to death.

Darlie now sits on death row in Dallas, where she awaits death through lethal injection. The evidence against Darlie was damaging and, in retrospect, her defending counsel had little hope for her acquittal. In this book, you will see both sides - the Prosecution and the Defenses versions of what actually happened in the early morning of June 6th, 1996.

Unless otherwise noted, all information gathered came from the court transcripts, actual police reports and witness statements.

Did the jury get it right? Is she factually guilty? That is not my goal to prove here. My only goal is to present the facts.

As in most high-profile cases, Darlie Routier has garnered her share of supporters and advisories over the years. Sadly, many of them have misled the public with half-truths, innuendo, and outright lies.

However, recent findings in her case have cast a doubt over her guilt or at least over the legalities that brought her to death row.

As we go through this book, we will look at each piece of evidence and see how it points either to or away from Darlie as the killer of her two young boys.

I hope that at the conclusion of this book you will have a better understanding of the facts and not the myths that is Darlie Routier’s story.

It is time to put the myths to rest and find the true killer in Darlie Routier’s house, even if it is Darlie herself.

Let us start with Darlie and Darin’s account of what happened in Rowlett in 1996.

This statement was written back in 1997 and used in this book to create her and Darin’s timeline of the events on June 6th, 1996.

June 6th, 1996

The boys were asleep on the floor with their pillows and blankets. Darin brought me a pillow and blanket from upstairs. Around 1:00 a.m. Darin and I decided to go to sleep. Darin turned off all the lights but the T.V. was on. Darin told me that he loved me and would see me in the morning and I told him I loved him too. I asked him to make sure the door was locked on his way upstairs — he said he already checked it and it was — five minutes later I fell asleep. Next thing I remember — Damon runs into my right shoulder and says mommy. I sat straight up and saw a blur of a man between my couch and kitchen bar.

I stood up and Damon walked behind me. I heard glass breaking. When I got to the entrance of the kitchen, I saw man going into my utility room.  I took a couple of steps and remembered lights were off went back and turned lights on, I started to walk through kitchen and noticed blood on my nightgown, about to my chest, halfway across the kitchen I saw knife laying on utility room floor, instinctively I went over and picked up knife, doesn’t seem like there was much blood on the knife, I went back through the kitchen and put knife on kitchen bar. Damon was still standing by living room wall. I walked into living room and saw Devon’s eyes open and wounds on his chest, Devon wasn’t moving and I started screaming, I went to Damon and began checking him and saw stab wounds through his shirt, I was hysterical but I was trying to think. I told Damon to lay on his belly and I told him to hang on and be strong — Damon said O-K mommy. I ran into hallway to our entrance, turned on the lights and kept screaming. Darin, my husband, came out of our bedroom — he only had his pants and glasses on. Darin ran down the stairs and we ran together into the hallway. Darin went to the left, into family room and over to Devon, the table by Devon was completely knocked over. I went to the right to kitchen and grabbed phone to call 911.

I went to second drawer and got towels. I could see Darin starting to perform CPR on Devon. I went to sink and about that time 911 lady came on. I was screaming and got towels wet (when I turned around I could see my neck slit in mirror behind wine rack and said this to the 911 lady) I was screaming. I ran over to Damon pulled up his shirt and layed (sic) a towel on his back, I ran over to Darin and could see blood coming out of Devon’s wound when Darin blew into Devon’s mouth, I didn’t know what to do so I held a towel on Devon’s wound. I was still on the phone while I did all this. I was soaked with blood by this time and very dizzy — I ran to front door to scream for my neighbor, Karen (she is a nurse), and I remember the bolt on the door not being turned and locked. I ran back and got another towel to put on my neck. I was screaming and running back and fourth (sic) and still on the phone. I stopped by the kitchen bar in living room where there was my vacuum, I felt so dizzy and I held myself up on the vacuum. An officer came in and stood by my son Damon, I hung up the phone and dropped to the floor. I screamed for my husband to check on Drake (our baby) Darin did & came back and said he was O-K, Darin then went out front door to get neighbors. a second officer arrives and I tell both officers a man went out the utility room, the officers proceeded to go into kitchen into utility room. Darin came back in and said both our babies were dead, I fell down again and kept screaming who would do this, I was so dizzy and hysterical. Two paramedics came — one went to Devon, the other to Damon. I grabbed Damon’s shirt and the paramedic wouldn’t tell me he was dead, then he took Damon out of the house. Two paramedics came to me and I stood up and then I passed out.

Next thing I remember I’m on the front porch and Karen is by my side, I thought I was dying and I made her promise to find the man that killed my babies and she did. Karen then went into house. So many people were running in and out of the house and I felt so dizzy. I remember one paramedic telling me my necklace was stuck in my throat and he couldn’t remove it. then my husband asked me where my panties were and I realized they were gone. Next thing I’m in the ambulance and I couldn’t breathe and they put oxygen on me. Then I remember being in the ER and someone taking off my necklace and that’s when I began to feel the pain, it hurt so bad, I begged them to make the pain stop and finally they said they had to operate and they put me under.

Next thing I remember waking up a crying and screaming my babies were dead, there were two officers asking me questions about my husband and the man I saw. I told them all I could remember. I don’t remember any of the days I was in the hospital except the last day (Saturday) The nurse came in and gave me a shower and kept telling me how bad my arms looked and did I remember anything, and I told her I couldn’t remember but thought I struggled or fought the man. then I got to hold my baby and they quit giving me shots of pain medicine and gave me pills instead. Two officers were there and said they were going to take Darin and I into the P.D. before the boy"s viewing so they could get statements from us. My husband and I didn’t think anything of it. The officers got us to the P.D. around 5:00 p.m., separated us and made us talk about what happened. We were supposed to be at the viewing at 6:00 p.m. and it was about 6:30 when Detective Patterson asked me to give a written statement. I was very upset and crying and told him we were late to be with our little boys and couldn’t we do this another day. Patterson told me it was very important to do it then. Finally about 8:00 p.m. they drove my husband and I to the funeral home. I was very heavily medicated and really don’t remember much, I walked into the room with my husband and saw my babies holding hands in the casket and fell a little and laid on the casket, I kept screaming and crying, I couldn’t stop. My boys looked so beautiful and innocent but they were cold when I kissed them. I fixed their hair and I just wanted to die. People started coming into the room and after about thirty minutes I almost passed out so someone sat me on the couch and helped me. I didn’t want to leave but my husband said we had to. I don’t remember where we slept that night. The next day we had the funeral. I don’t remember much except everyone kept telling me my babies were in heaven and I got angry because they were too little to be in heaven. There were so many people but I just wanted to be left alone. We sent balloons in the air with Devon and Damon’s name and had a plane fly over the funeral for them. I don’t remember much else except we wanted to put flowers at our home around the fountain from the funeral and (Detective) Patterson said ‘no.’ but everyone took flowers and we all drove over there and did it anyway. We handed them to the officers and the officers put them around the fountain. Someone took us home. I remember laying there, I was too scared to sit by a window or use the restroom or take a shower by myself — someone had to be with me and everyone kept giving me pills, I just didn’t want to be without my boys. I held my son Drake, in my arms and kept a picture of Devon and Damon every step I took. Sometime that week the detectives wanted Darin and I to come in a give hair samples and fingerprints. We got there at 2:00 p.m. and they ended up keeping us until 9:30 p.m. I was crying and didn’t have my pills, I kept throwing up and Patterson would help me go to the restroom because I kept getting sick but I was scared to be left alone. Patterson asked me about my tatoo and wanted to see it. I showed him. Patterson told me they found this man’s fingerprints and it was only a matter of time. Friday, June 14th, was my son Devon’s birthday. We went to the grave around 12:30 or 1:00 p.m. and had a prayer service. Around 5 or 5:30 p.m. we met the detectives in a grocery store parking lot in Rowlett to sign a release for blood from the night of the incident. Patterson told us they had over 100 leads and they put cameras on our house and they found flesh under my fingernails from the samples they took at the hospital. Later we found this was all a lie. We proceeded from the store to the boy’s grave where we had a birthday party for Devon with all his friends. My little sister bought silly string because my little boys loved it and always played with it. Inside I felt like I was dying but it was my son’s birthday and I was only thinking of him. I wasn’t celebrating his death, I was honoring his life, yet I have been persecuted for this. It’s absurd.

On the 18-19 they (the detectives) called us and told us they had a retired policeman who was going to help us. So around 7:00 p.m. we went to the Rowlett P.D. They put me in a room with a man named Bill Parker and for two hours they tried to brainwash me that I blacked out in my sleep and did this crime and only imagined the man. I told him he was crazy and he told me I was under arrest — after he told me this I became hysterical and he tried to calm me down and after another hour of him trying to get me to confess to something I know I didn’t do, I told him I wanted to do hypnosis, but they wouldn’t allow me to have anyone I knew there while I did it so I said forget it and then I want my lawyer. They arrested me while they smoked their cigars and gave their news reports — they were so proud of themselves — they make me sick."

Statement of Darin Routier

Taken by Officer Chris Frosch at the Rowlett PD – 4.45 pm, June 8, 1996

Page 1

We were watching TV in the Roman Room (Living Room SW Corner of House) watching

[illegible] movie on HBO (Satellite). Baby Drake had fallen asleep about 10-10:30. I took

him up to bed in parents room. Put blanket on him and turned out lights. I went down stairs to

talk to Darlie. We talked about the boys not being able to start base-ball yet because we were

so busy with the baby right now. We talked about the business, bills, and how Darlie was

having a hard time with taking care of the baby’s (all) today. Darlie said she wanted to sleep

on the couch because she would sleep better because the baby would keep her awake. The

boys were asleep with pillows and blankets on the floor. Devon was asleep face up in front of

TV and Damon was asleep between couch and coffee table by the couch mom was. So I went

upstairs to get her a blanket and pillow and came back downstairs to cover her up. We talked

a little more

Page 2

about her going to Cancun with some friends across the street and I gave her a kiss

goodnight. Told her to dream about me and went upstairs around 1:00am.I went and turned

on TV in our room and watched for 10 to 15 min. and took my glasses off and turned TV off.

I could not go to sleep for a while but finally I fell asleep. Uncontisly (sic) I heard a noise and

then Darlie screaming loud. She was yelling Devon! Devon!! Oh my God Devon! I woke up

quickly and grabbed my glasses on the night stand and ran downstairs as fast as I could.

Going into the Living Room (Roman) I ran over to Devon laying on the floor where he was

when I saw him last and nealed (sic) down over him

Page 3

to see if he was hurt and then looked at the coffee table to see it tipped over on him. When I

looked again at his chest there were two holes in his chest with blood and muscle piecing

(sic) out. I slapped his face to get him to say or look at me. No response. I started CPR and

when I blew into his mouth air came out of his chest. I blew 5 or 6 times and held my hand

over the holes on his chest. Then when that didn’t work I blew into one of the holes in his

chest. I looked over at Darlie and she was on the phone calling 911. I ran over to Damon

laying on floor in hallway between wall and side of couch. He had no pulse but I could not

see any injuries. Police came in and I told them that my babys were stabbed and she told

them that he went out of the garage. I ran upstairs to put my pants on. I looked over and

Drake was crying and I felt [illegible] he was ok.

Page 4

I noticed my wallet left on the floor and all I could think to do was to go [redacted] holler

for help. I needed someone to help [illegible] and [illegible] the paramedics when they

arrived. I went downstairs ran out the house and ran across the street to [redacted] and

[redacted] door. I banged 5-6 times as hard as I could until [redacted] comes to the doors 1st

and when I told them that Devon and Damon were stabbed they were in shock and ran over

with me to the house and that was when they were putting Damon on a stretcher. I knew that

Devon was dead before I ran across street and Damon had no pulse but the paramedic carried

him out in a blanket out the front door. I ran out yelling that we have to find

Page 5

who did this and [redacted] told me that Darlie was cut too! I never knew that she was hurt

yet she had blood all over her from the neck down to the bottom of her nightshirt. She was

standing in the door way with the paramedics said she needed to go to the hospital. So we

helped her onto the stretcher and she said "Darin you have to promise me we will find this

man! He killed our babys." I walked back into house pushed my way through the police and

saw the knife on the bar in kitchen w/blood all over it. [illegible] went to garage and door

[illegible] to look at the window that the police had said he entered and I went out of the

house and walked across the street and neighbors were there to

Page 6

comfort me and ask me about what happened. I sat for a minute on a curb and walked over to

the ambulance where Damon was and asked paramedic was he alive and they said no. I was

in shock. [redacted] told me to with Darlie in the ambulance. So I got in and they threw me

outand said they needed to work. So then they asked me questions (fire dept) (SS# + address

+ name) and I asked what hospital and no one knew. So found out where Darlie went (Baylor

Dallas) and drove over to the hospital. At hospital I was questioned by Det. Frosch for hours.

Chapter One

Darlie and Darin

The beginning of a Nightmare

Darlie-First Grade

Darlie was born in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on January 4th, 1970, the first-born child of Darlie and Larry Peck. At seven years old, her parents divorced and the domestic security she knew ended. A year later, her mother remarried a man named Dennis Stahl.

Darlie and her siblings two natural and two stepsisters got along well and helped each other through the difficult transition of hometowns and schools. The toughest part of their young lives had to endure their parents' constant squabbling and sometimes violent fighting. Eventually, the Stahl's marriage faded and Darlie's mother was once again in search of a new spouse and her girls were without a father figure. As Darlie entered her teens, the family moved to Lubbock, Texas.

Darlie at prom 1987

Darlie, despite her new surroundings, emerged from a shy cocoon into a blossoming, sometimes (according to classmates) over-showy teenager. Boys were attracted to her, including one named Darin Routier.

She had met Darin in a Western Sizzlin' where her mother, Mama Darlie worked and so did Darin as a cook and a kitchen helper. The mother found him to be a bright, talkative good-looking boy with ambitious plans for his future; he would be, she figured, a good catch for her oldest daughter. Playing matchmaker, she introduced the two kids and by all reports, it was love at first sight for both of them.

The dark-haired tall boy with wavy hair flipped for the bubbly fifteen-year-old girl with the frosted hair. 

She was different than anybody I had ever met, Darin recalled, a trendsetter on her own path.