Notes On Darlie Lynn Routier

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I first heard the story of a Texas woman named Darlie Lynn Routier (who was accused and convicted of killing her sons) when I was a teen. For years, I believed strongly she was guilty as sin, I'd have been the last man to come to her defense. I am not so sure these days. There are several factors that actually point to the possibility of her innocence, which I had not been aware of initially. One thing is, Darlie's OWN wounds the night of the slayings were not superficial, one to her throat was life threatening. Other factors can be easily looked up, if you're so inclined. However, let me back up a bit. One of the most "damning" pieces of evidence against Darlie (arguably the one that most led to her conviction) was simply her demeanor AFTER the crime. In celebration of one of her slain son's birthdays, she put balloons & sprayed silly string on his grave. Most saw this as calloused. I see it differently after all these years. Naturally, if her son had still been alive, she'd have thrown him a party on his birthday. Clearly she felt that even though he was gone, his birthday still deserved to be remembered. I think, possibly, the jury took what was actually an act of love (the birthday party) & horribly misconstrued it.