Darlie Routier

Darlie Lynn Routier is an American woman from Rowlett, Texas, who was convicted in 1997 of murdering her five-year-old son, Damon, during a 1996 stabbing attack in her home.

Darlie Lynn Routier is an American woman from Rowlett, Texas, who was convicted in 1997 of murdering her five-year-old son, Damon, during a 1996 stabbing attack in her home. She was sentenced to death and remains on death row, while also having faced capital murder charges related to the death of her six-year-old son, Devon. Routier has consistently maintained her innocence and claimed that an intruder attacked the family.

Background

Darlie Lynn Peck Routier was born in 1970 and lived in Rowlett, a suburb of Dallas, Texas. The case drew broad attention because it involved the deaths of two young children in a family home.

The 1996 stabbing deaths

On June 6, 1996, Routier called 911 and said an unknown man had stabbed her and her two sons in the family’s home. Her sons, Damon and Devon, died from their injuries, while Routier survived with knife wounds.

Trial and conviction

Routier was arrested days after the killings and later tried in 1997. A jury convicted her of Damon’s murder and sentenced her to death, while the broader case remained the subject of public debate.

Appeals and public attention

Routier has remained on death row and continued to pursue appeals. The case has attracted sustained media coverage because Routier has maintained that an intruder was responsible and supporters have questioned the conviction.