Vanessa Potkin, director of special litigation at the Innocence Project, which is representing Lucio, joins Amna Nawaz to discuss. Cooper spoke of some of the items being tested, but did not go into great detail. After this look at Darlie Routier, read about Nannie Doss, who spent decades murdering relatives and husbands. But this is really a blood case in various locations that has not been identified being Darlies or one of the boys., Asked if any results so far are ground-breaking, Cooper responded: Theres a couple things I am excited about. Routier's husband believes that she is innocent. Cameras then captured Routier and company chewing gum, laughing, singing, and spraying silly string over the graves. Body language experts, look at her body language. I hope we soon hear that the Innocence Project has found enough evidence to exonerate!! And so that was used against her. She knows her daughter did this. Darlie Routier and her sons Devon, Damon, and Drake. I think this woman is innocent. It was like a large mens athletic sock. DARLIE Routier has spent the last 23 years on death row. Attorneys for Routier, including Smith and J. Stephen Cooper of Dallas, Richard Burr of Houston and Jane Pucher and Vanessa Potkin of the Innocence Project, all agreed to the procedure as outlined by the judge. Did you see the doubts and understand that it does not make sence from the beginning to the end. Forensic analysis showed evidence that was inconsistent with what Darlie Routier had told the police and suspicion began to form around her. 50 years ago: March 1, 1973 Shes guilty. In June 1996, newspaper headlines nationwide read, Mother Accused of Stabbing Sons to Death, Faking Intruder Story. The Dallas media with their cameras and bright spotlights were lined up in front of the stately brick home of Darlie, 26, and Darin Routier, 28, a Rowlett couple married for eight years, with three young children. An attorney representing Darlie Routier, a former Altoona woman facing the death penalty in Texas for the murder of her two young children 25 years ago, said he is Some of the evidence could have been presented if her defense attorneys had just reached out to the right medical experts. Lucio was convicted of murder in 2008 and sentenced to death. Being that she is not listed as one of their clients, but reading that they are asking for more testing in the documents, I took that to mean they would get the results and look at her case to see if they might take it. Prosecutors said Routier's behavior showed a lack of grief and remorse. And so the fact is, is that we're two days away from sending a woman to an execution based on a crime that never even occurred. "That's enough to make you pause and say, 'Well, whose fingerprint is it?'". And so we need to sort out how this hearing will take place. I dont care if they were done over again. The Dallas County district attorney's office said that "multiple items of evidence" have been tested this year after court orders from November and December 2017, and that DNA testing is ongoing. I hope the great Innocent Projekt will succeed soon. Those buyers do exist. Hasnt DNA testing already been done on much of this evidence? Damon died on the ambulance ride to the hospital. If it hadnt been for that crazy Silly String, Darlie Lynn Routier might be a free woman today. Cooper is looking for a new trial, preferably in Dallas County, for the Rowlett mother who maintains an unidentified intruder savagely stabbed her young sons to death and stabbed and injured her in June 1996. Cooper said they are currently on the third round of DNA testing. Her fans say necklace was embedded, had to be surgically removed but it simply fell off when bandage removed. On September 20, 1988, Tara Calico left her home in New Mexico to go on a bike ride she took, In November 1981, actress Natalie Wood mysteriously drowned off the coast of Southern California during a boating trip with her, In July 2014, 52 year old Lynn Messer mysteriously disappeared from her familys 260-acre farm in Bloomsdale, Missouri. How we can build a clean and renewable future. Nothing new, she's still guilty and DNA confirms it. When you heard that stay had been granted, essentially halting the execution for the time being, what was your reaction? Her defense team, including attorney, Douglas Mulder, argued that the bloody sock found down the street from the Routier house containing DNA proves that Darlie couldnt have committed the murders. She was such a light sleeper that she would wake up when Drake turned over in his crib yet she slept through all that? The Dallas Morning NewsDarlie Routier in 2018. Get the latest breaking news from North Texas and beyond. Her mother had the opportunity a few years ago to go on Dr. Phil? The infamous address joins homes like 410 Dogwood Drive in Wylie, where Candy Montgomery was accused and acquitted of violently slaying her best friend Betty Gore in 1980, and 942 Beachcomber Lane in Clear Lake, where Andrea Yates drowned her five children pejoratively known as murder houses. The jury thought she was defensive and argumentative. No court has ever considered the new evidence, the new scientific, the new medical evidence supporting her innocence claim. If the California lab, after comparing the many blood samples to the DNA profiles of the Routier family, determines that a foreign eligible profile has turned up, that sample is to be sent to Acadiana Criminalistics Laboratory in Iberia Parish, La., to determine if it matches the profile of anyone in the national DNA database. After its June 1997 sale to a private couple, it sold to a single woman in an off market transaction in 2001, and to a private couple on MLS in 2006. So, you became involved in the case quite recently. This seemingly idyllic Colonial-style home may have majestic rooftop dormers and picture-perfect porch pillars, but it is the family home where convicted murderer Darlie Routier killed her two sons, 5, and 6. We are very confident that, given the compelling evidence of her innocence, if this case was tried today, she would be acquitted. Its just degraded over time., As for evidence proving the intruder defense, Cooper said, We dont have that yet but were still working.. Her defense team, including attorney, Douglas The home is owned by Opendoor Property Trust and listed by Redfin agent Carolina Dusenbery. It's unclear whether testing or federal database checks were done on the bloody fingerprintthat was found on a table near the body of one of the boys. Update 1/19: The Darlene Routier home has been temporarily taken off the market. The sock was not mentioned in Shes been granted 3 court orders for additional DNA testing to be done on her case to prove her innocence. "Frankly, the DA's office has been cooperative in allowing [the defense] to expand to anything that might be possible," Cooper said. The Associated PressDevon (left) and Damon Routier in 1995. I believe it was her but they all seemed to be putting so much faith in the DNA testing that was supposedly going to exonerate her (at least according to the few shows I watched on it) and then just nothing. DNA evidence in her case is being tested this year, some of it for the first time. YouTubeDarlie Routier and her sons Devon, Damon, and Drake. The jury found Darlie guilty of capital murder and was sentenced to death on February 4, 1997. Her knife used to cut screen, jewelry wasn't taken at sink where clean up occurred, she named 2 men in her jail letters & freaked out on the stand when asked about it, blood under the glass & vacuum, no cuts on her feet, wine glass was latched wouldn't have been knocked down, Domain didn't bark, motion lites not on, she called media herself to film that grave scene. However, holes soon began to appear in Routiers intruder story. Aimee Lamoureux is a writer based in New York City. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, Stand with us in our mission to discover and uncover the story of North Texas, Dallas County DA's office says testing is being done on items in Darlie Routier case, DART president says Dallas might not get most of $111 million promised by transit agency, Fairfield Lake State Park developer considering plan to sell water to North Texas, About half-million North Texans lose extra food benefits, Frisco trustee goes to conservative radio to defend transgender harassment accusation, Texas lawmakers zero-in on safety during first public education committee hearing, TikTok to impose 60-minute time limit for users younger than 18, New apartment community in the works for Forney, Reata stock soars on FDA approval for ultra-rare disease drug after 15 years, Delta pilots approve contract with 34% raises, setting stage for other airlines, Hot List: 16 great restaurants to visit in Dallas-Fort Worth in March 2023, Marriott fires back at Michael Irvins request for expedited evidence in $100M lawsuit, Mall owner backs out of plans for paid parking at D-FW shopping center, NFL owners ask Jerry Jones to broker deal with Dan Snyder on Commanders sale, report says, Mexicos democracy is in danger, and we could all pay the price. Earlier this year, The Last Defense, a seven-part documentary series aired on ABC, drew new attention to Routier's case and examined what led to her conviction. In 2007, Melissa Lucio was the mother of 12 children, pregnant with twins and struggling to provide for them. She claimed that an intruder had broken into her home and stabbed her two sons, Devon and Damon, as well as herself. Its situated on a large 0.214-acre curving corner lot in the established Dalrock neighborhood. However, a private investigator working on Routiers appeal found no evidence he had taken the scam any further. Following the success of Darins circuit board testing company, the Routiers purchased a Jaguar, a boat, lavish vacations, and a newly constructed home replete with a fountain in the front yard and an enclosed spa gazebo in the back. She still has at least one more appeal after this is all over with. "We've got more reason to look at additional items that were not tested before, so we're just working through that list we've had for several years," Cooper said. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, http://www.darlieroutierfactandfiction.com/. She was lucky she didn't kill herself. In letters sent to the court and entered into Routier's case file, peoplehave pleaded with Dallas County Judge Gracie Lewis to run tests of the fingerprint in the hope that it may point to the person they think is the real killer. Those who believe Routier is innocent often cite the lack of DNA evidence and the fact that a bloody sock, presumably belonging to the supposed intruder, was found in the alleyway behind the family home (among other pieces of evidence). This story is the fifth in a series, Unrequited Innocence, that looks at cases where people were sentenced to die and have not been exonerated despite significant evidence of innocence. But how do you know what youre going to do when you lose two children? However, its not ground-breaking as I believe you are using the term.. The video showing her with the silly string at the grave was edited. Texas Monthly reported post-trial that Darin admitted he had been considering an insurance scam shortly before the murders. Once competitors, Opendoor announced in late November a partnership with Redfin in select U.S. markets. There are some issues that need to be resolved. She was found guilty of murdering 5-year-old Damon but never tried in the death of her 6-year-old son Devon. Proving just how damning that video was for Darlies defense. DNA After searching, All rights reserved. Amna Nawaz serves as co-anchor of PBS NewsHour. The defense said it was the family's way of trying to cope with sorrow. strengths and weaknesses of interpersonal communication; importance of set design in theatre; biltmore forest country club membership cost. Well, The Innocence Project became involved in Melissa's case just 100 days ago, so relatively recently, after her execution date was set. The silly string was the final straw. The pattern of blood drops in the kitchen seemed to come from someone who had been standing still, not running after an attacker, as Routier had claimed she had done. Agreed! As of 2022, the results of these tests are still pending.Routier's case has been the subject of multiple books and television shows. She was charged with capital murder days later. Webrenato's palm beach happy hour Uncovering hot babes since 1919. Police discovered that a window screen had been cut in the garage, a possible entry point for the intruder. Joining me now to discuss Melissa Lucio's case is Vanessa Potkin, director of special litigation at The Innocence Project, which is representing Lucio. She doesn't fool me! Those kids didnt get a FAIR life. Kee said prosecutors never proved her daughter guilty. How do you know how youre going to act?. "They never could explain the sock, and they never could explain her wounds," she said. After 20 Years, Death Row Inmate Darlie Routier Waits For DNA Testing Routier received a death sentence for one of her sons, Damons, death in 1996. You're trying to stop an execution. Prosecutors theorized the motive for Darlie to kill her two sons was financial, though it was widely reported at the time that the boys life insurance policies were $10,000, not enough to cover funeral expenses. DPS referred questions about the testing to the district attorney's office. Yet, since her conviction, many have raised questions about her confession being coerced, her trauma as a survivor of sexual and domestic abuse and how that may have played into that confession, and the use of junk science and misleading evidence at her trial. Too many loose ends for a decent prosecutor to ever think about trying this woman. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get our public service journalism emailed directly to you. The garage screen was cut from the inside and the kitchen knife had screen shavings on it. Mariah is in my heart today and always. Less than a half-hour after they arrived at the house, authorities doubted Routiers version of events. What comes next after Texas school shooting? Built with the Largo WordPress Theme from the Institute for Nonprofit News. Texas law requires that sellers disclose when they are aware that an unnatural death has taken place on the property. What's next for abortion rights in America? The district attorney's office has a conflict of interest. As a woman and mother my intuition tells me, she is innocent. Vanessa, welcome to the "NewsHour." Today's breaking news and more in your inbox. When the testing is complete, the Dallas County District Attorneys Office plans to review the findings, after which Routiers petition to overturn the verdict first filed in 2005 will finally move forward. I want to begin with that news this afternoon. Responding to Darlie Lynn Routiers frantic 911 call from her Dallas County home in 1996, police found her two sons, Devon Routier, 6, and Damon Routier, 5, dying of stab wounds. That is really hurting. The primary suite features a fireplace and a balcony. And if you just think about that, there are six women on Texas' death row. Once you're convicted, it's extraordinarily difficult to overturn a wrongful conviction. Somebody came in, they broke in and just stabbed me and my children! she screamed during the 911 call. They continued to go back to the silly-string video and made the claim that this is not how a grieving mother is supposed to act. She found the bloody knife on the ground, put it on the counter, and then realized that she and her boys had been stabbed. It still wasnt right. One of Darlie Routiers attorneys, Richard R. Smith of Dallas, said the judges order was welcome news. Forget the graveside party. How climate change and forest management make wildfires harder to contain, Disparity in police response: Black Lives Matter protests and Capitol riot. Which items to be tested are new and which are being repeated? Citing the lack of defense forensic evidence, Assistant District Attorney Greg Davis told the jurors in closing argument, It speaks volumes to you sometimes what you dont see and hear.. And circumstances which are proving she must be innocent. They never could explain her wounds, '' she said Accused of Stabbing sons to death court ever... Shortcuts, http: //www.darlieroutierfactandfiction.com/ from North Texas and beyond update 1/19: the Darlene Routier home been. 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