Darlie Routier

At 2:30am in June of 1996, Darlie Routier placed a frantic call to 911. A rough story starts to emerge: an intruder broke into the Routier home, attacked Darlie and her two sons Damon and Devon, and then fled into the night.. Almost immediately, cops have only one suspect. But the Routier family? They know that investigators have it all wrong. Today’s story is an  episode that examines what it really means to be innocent until proven guilty.

Today’s episode contains references to violence against children, depression, suicidal ideation, and incarceration. Please take care while listening.

A full transcript of this episode is available here.

Additional Resources and Action Items:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

Innocence Project

Key Research Mentioned:

Texas Monthly: Maybe Darlie Didn’t Do It, by Skip Hollandsworth

The Darlie Routier Case, maintained by Darlie’s supporters. Provides access to all the documents from this case including trial transcripts, photos, descriptions of all the people most important to this case, old newspaper clippings etc. 

Sources Used:

Video: Darlier Routier sprays silly string at her sons grave, video clip from Women on Death Row with Susanna Reid posted by the Daily Mail 

YouTube: Darlie Routier – the 911 Call, uploaded by Free Darlie Routier

Darlie Routier Case: Jury Trial Transcripts

Darlie’s Last Defense: Crime Scene- Inside, Floorplan of the Routier’s house and crime scene photos

ABC News 20/20 S41 E34: Last Defence

Buzzfeed News: Why are We Obsessed with Mothers Accused of Murder?, by Alessa Dominguez

Jezebel: “Burgers and fries and cherry pies: Remorseful juror wants Darlie Routier sent home to her son” by Kathy Cruz

AP News: Altoona native’s murder conviciton, appeal featured series, by Phil Ray

Chron: Lubbock man divorcing woman on death row for killing son, by Betsy Blaney

Fort Worth Weekly: A Tragedy of Errors, by Margared Allyson

Dallas Morning News: Darlier Routier convicted of murdering son, verdict brings tears, rage from family members, by Wayne Carter

Texas Observer: A Bloody Injustice, by Dave Mann

Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward, by the Committee on Identifying the Needs of the Forensic Science Community and the National Research Council

Soapboxie: Darlier Routier: Wrongfully Convicted of Murdering her Children by JustinCase976 *

Jezebel: Some legal experts see sex bias in capital murder trial of Darlier Routier, by Kathy Cruz

Death Row USA Winter 2020, by the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.

ACLU: Inadequate Representation

Lethal Indifference by the Texas Defender Service 

Mayo Clinic: Postpartum depression

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Depression Among Women

Vox: There’s a nearly 40 percent chance you’ll get away with murder in America, by German Lopez

Wikipedia: Mountain View Unit*

Wikipedia: Darlie Routier*

Altoona Mirror: Virus slows Routier case, by Phil Ray

The End of Policing, by Alex Vitale

Area Vibes: Rowlett, TX Crime, statistics released from the FBI

Hood County News: Routier Revisited, by Kathy Cruz

Business Insider: How to Survive Life in Solitary Confinement, by Erin Fuchs

The Texas Tribune: A judge told Texas to put some inmates in air conditioning. Lawyers say prison officials are violating that order, by Jolie Mccullough

New York Post: Susan Smith, convicted of killing her young sons, could be freed in 2024, by Gabrielle Fonrouge

The New York Times: A Woman’s False Accusation Pains Many Blacks by Don Terry 

The Dallas Morning News: How the case against Darlie Routier unfolded, by DallasNews.com Staff

Death Penalty Information Center: Time on Death Row

Pew Research Center: What the data says (and doesn’t say about crime in the United States, by John Gramlich

Gallup: Perceptions of Increased U.S. Cime at Highest Since 1993, by Justin McCarthy

*Indicates a source that is speculative and/or otherwise unofficial. These sources are used for gathering general information related to the story and are then independently verified by our team. We want to give credit to these sources for pointing us in the right direction of more official sources and/or being the first source to present us with information. With any source, it’s always important to fact-check the information.