Planned?

[britgirl]

Hi everyone. I was just wondering, for those who believe Darlie is guilty- do you think she premeditated the murders, or was it spur of the moment? Did she decide to kill her boys- or did she just snap?

(For the record, I'm undecided on her guilt- I'm leaning towards her having committed the murders, but I'm not 100% convinced).

 

[sue1017]

Planned?

The jury is still out! :behindbar

I do think she did it and she is where she belongs.

MOO,

S

 

[Goody]

Hi everyone. I was just wondering, for those who believe Darlie is guilty- do you think she premeditated the murders, or was it spur of the moment? Did she decide to kill her boys- or did she just snap?

(For the record, I'm undecided on her guilt- I'm leaning towards her having committed the murders, but I'm not 100% convinced).

From everything I have studied in this case so far, it appears that both theories have holes in them and both have some interesting supporting evidence/information. I don't think we know enough yet to make an educated judgement on that though. Like the poster before me said, "the jury is still out."

 

[AussieAussie]

I am going with safe ground and saying 'a bit of both'. I bet she thought a lot about how much easier life would be without the 2 boys and had thought of ways of achieving that. On that night though I reckon she did it spur of the moment, woke up and looked around and felt the silence and loneliness of downstairs and figured it would be so easy to just stab them, she probably figured that if she stab hard enough they wouldn't even wake up. Hence the vicious terrible injuries they sustained.

I would still like to believe that a mother could never do this to her children but the way she spoke after the silly string party is not a mother grieving any sort of loss. Even the interview with her on death row sounds more grieving than she did 8 days after their murder. Sadly her grief is now for herself not her poor defenseless little boys.

One of my sons is 6 years old and I look at him and think how could she have?????? If there was an intruder in my house that had hurt my son, slit throat or not he wouldn't have got out of there without some damage from me!

Jayne

 

[Jeana (DP)]

I think she planned it, but by no more than hours.

 

[cami]

Hi everyone. I was just wondering, for those who believe Darlie is guilty- do you think she premeditated the murders, or was it spur of the moment? Did she decide to kill her boys- or did she just snap?

(For the record, I'm undecided on her guilt- I'm leaning towards her having committed the murders, but I'm not 100% convinced).

I won't let myself believe she planned it. NOt for any length of time anyway. maybe she did by a couple of hours as Jeana thinks but the jury is still out for me on this one.

 

[Jules]

I won't let myself believe she planned it. NOt for any length of time anyway. maybe she did by a couple of hours as Jeana thinks but the jury is still out for me on this one.

I think she thought about it, but never too seriously, until right before it happened. I think she thought "my life would be so much easier and I'd have so much more money if it weren't for these kids" type of thing, but something set her off the night she carried it out.

 

[Jeana (DP)]

I think she thought about it, but never too seriously, until right before it happened. I think she thought "my life would be so much easier and I'd have so much more money if it weren't for these kids" type of thing, but something set her off the night she carried it out.

The fight with Darin set her off. I'm sure she told him plenty of times she wanted a "divorce" or "separation," however, IMO that night he told her he did too and that started it.

 

[beesy]

The fight with Darin set her off. I'm sure she told him plenty of times she wanted a "divorce" or "separation," however, IMO that night he told her he did too and that started it.

I agree. I think Darlie had been thinking about how her life would be better without Damon and Devon. She was already used to the idea of them not being around because she had thought about it so often, not planned it, just thought about life without them. Everybody says "well why didn't she kill Drake and Darin", because I don't think she wanted them out of her life.
I even think that night during the fight with Darin, she said something about killing the boys, but it was more just an attention seeking thing. Darin might have shot back with "go ahead, you don't have the nerve, you're full of BS", etc. Maybe she took him up on his dare. More of an "I'll show him" thingy. Maybe that's why Darin helped her cover it up and supports her now. He feels guilty because he feels he helped bring it on. She probably helps him feel like that too. She might have said "you made me do this". I've had this theory in my head for awhile. It sounds like Darlie, doesn't it?

 

[Jules]

The fight with Darin set her off. I'm sure she told him plenty of times she wanted a "divorce" or "separation," however, IMO that night he told her he did too and that started it.

Thanks Jeana - forgot that part... :doh: :blowkiss:

 

[texaslb218]

It also might be that she told Darin that he would just be better off without her and the boys (oh poor me kind of thing). It could have been in the back of her small mind that she would do them and herself. Of course, she would never have the personal strength to harm herself. I don't count her little cuts as very harmful. IMO only

 

[deanws]

I think she planned it, but by no more than hours.

I am wondering about a few things. Why do you think she did it? Killing the boys wouldn't solve the cash flow problems they were having, at least not immediately. The funeral expenses were more than the insurance payout. If she did it for the "MOM" burn out factor,
that doesn't make sense either because she still had the baby to take care of. That only leaves the "attention" sympathy factor, or getting even with Darin. If it was to get even with Darin, WHY is he protecting her!?!? I had heard that she may be covering for some dirty business deals he made. Even still, I am just wondering WHAT her point was! What did she have to gain?

 

[beesy]

I am wondering about a few things. Why do you think she did it? Killing the boys wouldn't solve the cash flow problems they were having, at least not immediately. The funeral expenses were more than the insurance payout. If she did it for the "MOM" burn out factor,
that doesn't make sense either because she still had the baby to take care of. That only leaves the "attention" sympathy factor, or getting even with Darin. If it was to get even with Darin, WHY is he protecting her!?!? I had heard that she may be covering for some dirty business deals he made. Even still, I am just wondering WHAT her point was! What did she have to gain?

I'm not really sure anybody will ever know the motive. How can we? We don't think the way Darlie or Darin think. I doubt Darlie even knows why she did it. She is very selfish and I think it just all piled up. Things that make a "normal" person upset, started throwing her over the edge. She gained nothing, but she shed a couple of things. I think she liked babies, but once they became boys, she didn't know what to do with them. They took too much time, etc. She probably still wanted Drake and Darin. She just figured she'd be believed and they could move on with their lives.

 

[HeartofTexas]

While I agree with what many posters have said, and in particular Beesy, I still tend to think that it wasn't planned in the real sense. Jeana is probably right on the "no more than a few hours". I think if Darlie had actually planned things then Drake would have also been killed that night. There was no monetary advantage to killing the boys, since the funerals no doubt cost more than the worth of the insurance policies, so the advantage for Darlie had to be either her freedom or hurting Darin. If it was her freedom, then Drake would also need to be killed. However, in order to kill Drake, she would have to risk waking Darin... and she didn't want to do that. I think if Darin had caught her in the act of killing any of the boys, he would have stopped her.

 

[deanws]

While I agree with what many posters have said, and in particular Beesy, I still tend to think that it wasn't planned in the real sense. Jeana is probably right on the "no more than a few hours". I think if Darlie had actually planned things then Drake would have also been killed that night. There was no monetary advantage to killing the boys, since the funerals no doubt cost more than the worth of the insurance policies, so the advantage for Darlie had to be either her freedom or hurting Darin. If it was her freedom, then Drake would also need to be killed. However, in order to kill Drake, she would have to risk waking Darin... and she didn't want to do that. I think if Darin had caught her in the act of killing any of the boys, he would have stopped her.

So you believe that if she did it, Darin is not a part of it? If this is so, do you believe he knows now? None of this crime makes sense to me, so I am still trying to figure it out. Unlike the Peterson crime, this one has no clear motive as far as I can tell. Like you said, if freedom was the key, there was still the baby!?!?! Of course, she wasn't the brightest crayon in the box to begin with.:waitasec:

 

[Goody]

So you believe that if she did it, Darin is not a part of it? If this is so, do you believe he knows now? None of this crime makes sense to me, so I am still trying to figure it out. Unlike the Peterson crime, this one has no clear motive as far as I can tell. Like you said, if freedom was the key, there was still the baby!?!?! Of course, she wasn't the brightest crayon in the box to begin with.:waitasec:

She's not that dumb either. She is just self involved. So is he. Imo, of course. I think she had a lot to gain with the deaths. Look at it this way, you have a young mother who is not very energetic struggling with two very active little boys and one baby. Darlie liked quiet things, pretty things. She liked to put things somewhere and find them in the same spot when she came back. Babies and small animals are easy to control, 5 and 6 year old boys are not. Seems like the most strenuous thing they did was take the family to the amusement park and the zoo.

She could put the baby down for a nap and not be bothered for awhile,and even then all she had to do was change and feed him and her personal time was not that invaded. He plays quietly while she does her own thing. With Damon and Devon, it was a whole different ball game. They were always wanting something, always needing something, always getting into something, always breaking something, always messing something up....(at least my boys were) For a very materialistic person, that can be a major interruption and inconvenience. I am sure she thought how much easier life would be if they only had one child, maybe she even thought they would raise the next one differently so she would have more control over him. And this happened at a time when Texas murders were often depicted in the movie of the week. I saw one article about how Texas was a hotbed for Hollywood true crime. It was no secret that Darlie had aspirations to become a star. They even had their own karoke machine so Darlie could sing to the family. Maybe she thought great tragedy would be a vehicle to fame and fortune. Or maybe all of these thoughts were tumbling around together with her focus landing on one or the other at different times.

Then you have her general health which was questionable to say the least. She had been taking the notorious Phenfen for longer than recommended. She only had about 20 pounds to lose so she shouldn't have been taking it at all. It was interferring with her sleep, which is why the baby was waking her when he rolled over in his crib. I imagine she liked sleeping downstairs because she could count on Darin getting up with the baby if Darin was the one sleeping in the room with him.(Anybody else know that trick? heheheeh)

So now you have a grumpy Darlie on a hot night on edge from the pressures of not having enough money to pay for all the things she had coming up (not to mention the family bills) on strong diet pills that had been aggravating her sleep for the last few months (she'd been taking them since March), trapped in the house all day without the ability to go for a drive to let off some steam, and two little boys that had driven her bonkers all day with their antics....when they emptied the hot tub that really ticked her off.....and Darin not doing much about any of it. There was plenty of reason for Darlie to plan it in the preceding weeks and there was plenty of reason for her to just fly off the handle and lash out at the boys, probably Devon. She has always said he was a Daddy's boy, that Damon tended to stay close to Mommie. I think that was true and I think their wounds reflect it. I also think that Devon was the most active little boy, that Damon was much quieter and easier to be around.

The key in determining premeditation and the timing of its origin lies in the things that were different on that day or that time period. And there are things that stand out.

1. The suicide attempt/threat in May, approx one month previous
2. The hiring of the maid after going without one for several months.
3. Bringing all of her jewelry downstairs to show to the maid, supposedly with the hope the maid might buy some or know someone who might want it.
4. Leaving the jewelry downstairs along with her wallet, credit cards, etc on the counter in plain sight rather than return them to their place upstairs.
5. Sleeping downstairs with the boys after telling Devon that he could not have an overnight guest because of the hot tub incident.
6. Sending Dana home.
7. Applying for a small loan and being turned down because of income debt ratio. (They were already over their limits in debt or darned close to it.)

These things definitely make you scratch your head when considering how much planning might have gone on.

 

[Goody]

If it was her freedom, then Drake would also need to be killed. However, in order to kill Drake, she would have to risk waking Darin... and she didn't want to do that. I think if Darin had caught her in the act of killing any of the boys, he would have stopped her.

Let's put it this way, if she was the one with the knife, Darin had to know it before she was arrested. If he was the one with the knife, she had to know it all along. So how likely could it be that either of them are innocent?

 

[Dani_T]

While I agree with what many posters have said, and in particular Beesy, I still tend to think that it wasn't planned in the real sense. Jeana is probably right on the "no more than a few hours". I think if Darlie had actually planned things then Drake would have also been killed that night. There was no monetary advantage to killing the boys, since the funerals no doubt cost more than the worth of the insurance policies, so the advantage for Darlie had to be either her freedom or hurting Darin. If it was her freedom, then Drake would also need to be killed. However, in order to kill Drake, she would have to risk waking Darin... and she didn't want to do that. I think if Darin had caught her in the act of killing any of the boys, he would have stopped her.

I'm not sure I agree. I don't know how planned the attacks were but I don't think Drake was a necessary victim of her freedom. He may have represented a 'fresh start' to Darlie. And when you think about it what scenario could she have concoted where all three boys were killed and she surivived and yet was not implicated? She would have had to have done it during the day and no one is going to believe an intruder would break into the house in broad daylight, committ three murders and then get away unnoticed. Otherwise she would have had to have concotted a reason why Drake would stay downstairs at night and that is impossible since sleeping away from him was her own excuse.

Even if Drake did not represent a clean slate and she wanted to kill him also she may have decided to murder the two boys and then later down the track kill Drake in a separate incident (perhaps to make it look like cot death or something).

I just don't see any feasible scenario, not matter how much time went into the planning, where she could have made it look like someone else murdered all three boys and attacked her. Even if she wanted to claim an intruder went upstairs after or before attacking them downstairs and killed Drake then what about Darin? No intruder would have left him lying alive in that bed. She had no way of getting to ALL of the boys with an intruder or other person scenario.

 

[Dani_T]

Let's put it this way, if she was the one with the knife, Darin had to know it before she was arrested.

Not necessarily. I imagine it would take a lot to convince a husband that his own wife had stabbed their two kids to death. Whilst he may have known it on a subconcious level he would't have necessarily realised it. His contradicting stories seem to me to be a scramble to help Darlie but I'm not sure they were a sign that he knew she was guilty and wanted her to be free so she could come back home and take care of the only son she didn't murder.

 

[Goody]

Not necessarily. I imagine it would take a lot to convince a husband that his own wife had stabbed their two kids to death. Whilst he may have known it on a subconcious level he would't have necessarily realised it. His contradicting stories seem to me to be a scramble to help Darlie but I'm not sure they were a sign that he knew she was guilty and wanted her to be free so she could come back home and take care of the only son she didn't murder.

I don't think Darin is a complicated man at all. I think he lies just to be lying sometimes. Mostly because he has never really been held accountable before and feels he can just wave off most of it. And for the most part he is right. It has not caught up with him to any great degree yet.

If he went back to look at the screen as he says he did, what does that tell you? It tells me he was suspicious of her at that point already or that he wanted to see something else. Or that he wanted to make himself appear not guilty.

Most importantly he talks about these children's brutal deaths, often smiling and without any semblance of negative emotion. It is like he is describing what the Empire State Building looks like on a sunny spring day. Something has sure desensitized him to the brutality of it all. I've seen people describe their pet's death more seriously than he talks about his own sons' vicious wounds. And he has never made any effort at all to even find the real killer. He's been out and about all these years. If he truly believed Darlie to be innocent, you'd think he would be investigating himself or trying to raise money to pay for a private investigation. We get none of this from Darin.

I think he just wants to do what he can to free Darlie and keep himself out of jail. If she is executed, he will breathe a sigh of relief. That is the only way he is going to be free.