Rlabu44, Okay so here I go... This is difficult so let's see how this turns out. I just finished answering Cami on many questions. Screen Fibers and Knife Evidence... Not really sure how I feel since I believe there was no disturbance ouside the window and dust was accumulated on the window sill? Been along time since I have looked this one up? Knife, actually this one I have always given to you guys because I truly don't believe the cops planted this evidence, however, I never did like Cron very much and didn't trust his rush to judgement! I have always believed if there was an intruder it was for money for an insurance payoff, however, the problem was always all the jewelry sitting on the counter that didn't add up??? That is unless the intruder freaked and left??? still haven't quite bought that one... LOL I have never bought into Darlie's story about sleeping downstairs because the baby kept her awake, why sleep downstairs with 2 young kids watching TV then?? No sense if the baby wakes you up crying why wouldn't 2 scream young babies?? What about the black car seen in the neighborhood and the attempted break-in in the neighborhood????? How about the cop's son that owned the black car???? The sock has always been stuck in my gut because that doesn't add up to me??? It is just one of those cases I have stuck with all these years and I can't get it to add up in my own mind since I follow all these case and see innocence when people are convicted!!! I know you understand where I am coming from in a sense. Take Care and thanks for the Chat!!! God Bless and Peace!!!:waitasec::angel::twocents:
Bolded by me.
annkitty, thanks for your reasoned response. In reading, it seems to me that your head is telling you one thing in this case, but that your heart is holding out for another outcome. Maybe that's why this case is so easy for me: I tend to be a "just the facts, ma'am" kind of guy, and all of the facts, to me, point only in Darlie's direction.
To reply to the sections I bolded, I know a lot of people take Cron's statements as proof that the police locked in on Darlie and never looked for an intruder. Here's my take on it. At my job, I talk to lots of children, many times when they are in trouble for something. After all these years, I can tell pretty quickly when the story doesn't make sense. Other observers might not see why I am so certain that the child is lying, but after a few pointed questions, the discrepancies become clear. What I am trying to say (probably uneloquently) is that when we have lots of experience at something, you develop an innate "hinky meter". The officers didn't end the investigation at that point, but it certainly prodded them to look in that direction. I would be clamoring for Cron's head if the police still didn't follow the evidence to where it led in this case. They did, and there was no evidence of any intruder to pursue.
Now, on to the sock. For many sleuths who have studied this case, that is the one piece that doesn't fit neatly in any scenario. There are certainly explanations for how Darlie left it there, as well as others have theorized how an intruder could have used it. But unlike TV/movie scripts, in real life not every clue always gets wrapped up neatly by the detective at the end. It's like a jigsaw puzzle where you can't make two pieces fit, no matter how hard you try. Even with those two holes in the puzzle, I can still look at it and know clearly what the picture shows, and that IMO is the case here.
We would be in grave trouble in this country if we had to account for every single piece of evidence before we could get a conviction. Murderers could walk free unless we could find out exactly where they purchased the gun. Molesters couldn't be held accountable if the child victim couldn't remember the dates of each incident. Scary thoughts.
In most cases, including the Routier case, it is the totality of all of the evidence that generally tips the scale to meet the
beyond a reasonable doubt standard. That allows for the few loose ends, and is why we don't have to prove guilt beyond every glimmer of doubt.
Anyway, that is my thinking on those items. I am enjoying this dialogue with you, and I appreciate your willingness to consider all angles. Have a great day!