Poll: Did Darlie Routier murder her children?

[Jeana (DP)]

I know I'm very late in getting to this topic, but I just spent quite a while reading the past 9 pages. (Of course, I have lots more threads to go in here too) But... can anyone recommend a book about the case? One that wasn't written by a Darlie supporter - a book that is fairly straightforward. I saw several books mentioned in the last 9 pages, but it sounded like they weren't true to the facts.

Also, I had a question for Jeana... you mentioned about the boys being exhumed and having their hands removed - did I read that correctly?? When did that happen? I've never really gotten in depth with this case, that is why I haven't heard that before. Also, what was your relationship to Darlie's mother? Friend? Neighbor? Sorry for so many questions, I'm just very curious.

Thank you!

The exhumation and "rehydration" of the hands really wasn't very well publicized. Once Darlie went to death row, very few people (save supporters) were blabbing to the press and let's face it, this isn't the sort of thing they want to go around advertising.

I have no relationship to Darlie's mother. I had some e-mail correspondence with her. I know one of the prosecutors though and lived about two minutes from where the murders were in 1996.

 

[Dani_T]

I know I'm very late in getting to this topic, but I just spent quite a while reading the past 9 pages. (Of course, I have lots more threads to go in here too) But... can anyone recommend a book about the case? One that wasn't written by a Darlie supporter - a book that is fairly straightforward. I saw several books mentioned in the last 9 pages, but it sounded like they weren't true to the facts.

Well, any of the books have mistakes in them (which drove me crazy) and they all have some sort of take on Darlie's innocence of guilt. So the best place to look is the transcripts. But that is a big job so for an overview-

Precious Angels - Barabara Davis is fairly decent. She thought Darlie was guilty and does a pretty good job of presenting the evidence. But she has now turned tail and proclaim's Darlie innocence. Doesn't change her book though. Also fairly hard to get!

Hush little babies- Don Davis. Probably a bit more of a balanced view but all the little mistakes in his drove me batty.

Media Tried Justice Denied- Chris W. Brown is only decent for the photos. He has a lot of the crime scene photos in the book. The 'text' part of the book is just full of media articles about the crime and his inspid little comments about what the journalists have written. Full of all sorts of mistakes- the least of which is that he can't spell or use grammar for the life of him.

There is one other one by another woman called 'Flesh & Blood' but I haven't read it so can't recommend it.

Hope that helps. We;d all be happy to answer any question you might have as you read!

 

[deanws]

OMGosh Jeana..........that song is so inappropriate.

 

[vanillasky]

Jeana - thank you so much!


Dani - thank you also for the book recommendations, I really appreciate it!

 

[beesy]

Hi there, you've got a lot of reading and catching up to do, don't ya? When I first came on I tried to read all of the posts too, but just gave up and started my own threads.
Flesh and Blood by Patricia Springer is good. Seems to match pretty well with other things I've read or heard. In a saga such as this, it's hard to get every detail right, but hers seems the closest to testimony and other documents. It's also well-written, for a true crime book, of course. Springer has written other true crime books too. Her book is the one I most often use for research.
As Dani said Chris Brown's Media Tried, Justice Denied is full of BEEEP! He is FOR Darlie all the way. He complains mostly about the press getting things wrong which in no way reflects upon the police work. He fusses about photos too: there are several where you can see things and then the next pix show the item removed. This to him is a sign of a set-up. Everybody knows that a photo is 1st taken as the scene was found. Then they move things to check for hidden blood, fingerprints, things like that. That's all that was going on when the pix were different, but he creates some grand conspiracy theory. In fact, many Darlie supporters don't really like him because some of his theories are just weird and he is too.
Barbara Davis' Precious Angels is decent. It reads more like a bodice-ripper beach book than non-fiction. She has the 911 Op. name wrong so it makes you wonder what else is wrong
Don Davis' Hush Little Babies is ok. He's on the fence so tends to throw some Darlie lies in there. He said there was a deer hair on the bloody sock. I don't know where he got that because I've never seen it anywhere else.

 

[Mary456]

Beesy: "Barbara Davis' Precious Angels is decent. It reads more like a bodice-ripper beach book than non-fiction."

Of the two authors who attended the trial, Don Davis and Barbara Davis, I think Barbara's book is the better of the two. She made some mistakes - they both did - but they were pretty insignificant in the scheme of things. Don Davis was very cut and dried, while Barbara picked up on the body language of the witnesses. Observations that the jurors obviously picked up on, too.

Beesy: "Hush Little Babies is ok. He's on the fence so tends to throw some Darlie lies in there. He said there was a deer hair on the bloody sock. I don't know where he got that because I've never seen it anywhere else."

I hate to tell ya this, Beesy, but there was a hair from the deer family on the sock. It's in Linch's testimony.

 

[beesy]

Beesy: "Barbara Davis' Precious Angels is decent. It reads more like a bodice-ripper beach book than non-fiction."

Of the two authors who attended the trial, Don Davis and Barbara Davis, I think Barbara's book is the better of the two. She made some mistakes - they both did - but they were pretty insignificant in the scheme of things. Don Davis was very cut and dried, while Barbara picked up on the body language of the witnesses. Observations that the jurors obviously picked up on, too.

ok things like describing a romantic interlude on the sofa while the boys were on the floor sleeping, seemed a little needless to me. And I'm sure I'm wrong, but Darlie didn't have any semen anywhere, so obviously that was just a little made up tale.
Beesy: "Hush Little Babies is ok. He's on the fence so tends to throw some Darlie lies in there. He said there was a deer hair on the bloody sock. I don't know where he got that because I've never seen it anywhere else."

I hate to tell ya this, Beesy, but there was a hair from the deer family on the sock. It's in Linch's testimony.

Yeah sure you hate to tell me, you love it and you know it
Fine, great, wonderful, I'll be leaving now. Had tons of fun:woohoo:

 

[Mary456]

Yeah sure you hate to tell me, you love it and you know it
[/color]Fine, great, wonderful, I'll be leaving now. Had tons of fun:woohoo:

Good grief, Beesy, calm down and take a deep breath! I'm not trying to be a pain in the neck but, honestly, it's the truth. There really was a hair from the deer family found on the sock.

I'm sure you can imagine what the Darlies did with that little tidbit. First, there was a month-long debate about whether a deer had been in the alley during the last hundred years. The deer didn't testify, so we just let it drop.

Not to be outdone, the Darlies concluded that the real killer was a frustrated hunter who missed his shot and took it out on the boys. We all agreed that as soon as he's caught, old bucko's gonna find himself in an anger-management class. :crazy:

 

[Dani_T]

I'm sure you can imagine what the Darlies did with that little tidbit. First, there was a month-long debate about whether a deer had been in the alley during the last hundred years. The deer didn't testify, so we just let it drop.

Not to be outdone, the Darlies concluded that the real killer was a frustrated hunter who missed his shot and took it out on the boys. We all agreed that as soon as he's caught, old bucko's gonna find himself in an anger-management class. :crazy:

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

 

[beesy]

Good grief, Beesy, calm down and take a deep breath! I'm not trying to be a pain in the neck but, honestly, it's the truth. There really was a hair from the deer family found on the sock.

I'm sure you can imagine what the Darlies did with that little tidbit. First, there was a month-long debate about whether a deer had been in the alley during the last hundred years. The deer didn't testify, so we just let it drop.

Not to be outdone, the Darlies concluded that the real killer was a frustrated hunter who missed his shot and took it out on the boys. We all agreed that as soon as he's caught, old bucko's gonna find himself in an anger-management class. :crazy:

Well, we still have deer in the city here. It wouldn't be crazy to find a deer hair on a sock around here. Was there a human limb hair on the sock as well? Don says both. I know in the mid-80's that area was still considered "the country". They talk about that in Evidence of Love, remember? Don't know about the mid-90s though. What does LE say? Lynch's testimony you said? Do you know around abouts in the transcripts that is? Maybe somebody threw an old deer head into the trash....

 

[beesy]

Not to be outdone, the Darlies concluded that the real killer was a frustrated hunter who missed his shot and took it out on the boys. We all agreed that as soon as he's caught, old bucko's gonna find himself in an anger-management class. :crazy:

Ok I found the part about the deer family hair and the human limb hair. That doesn't really prove anything does it? Don't the Darlies acknowledge
that the sock is Darin's? Granted it's strange, but the sock was found near a sewer and a trash can. I bet they're saying the intruder had the deer hair on him, aren't they? And what does LE say? And what was that about blood being found on the top bunk? Did I read that right? This case just gets deeper and deeper......and more annoying. I know you've been thru all this mess, but I'd like some input as I have none!

 

[Jeana (DP)]

Well, we still have deer in the city here. It wouldn't be crazy to find a deer hair on a sock around here. Was there a human limb hair on the sock as well? Don says both. I know in the mid-80's that area was still considered "the country". They talk about that in Evidence of Love, remember? Don't know about the mid-90s though. What does LE say? Lynch's testimony you said? Do you know around abouts in the transcripts that is? Maybe somebody threw an old deer head into the trash....

I don't remember seeing any deer in the area in the 1990s, but I don't think they vacuum the city. Its entirely possible the wind blew a hair into the alley. Stranger things have happened. It honestly could have come from anywhere.

 

[Mullins]

Ditto that----A hair can blow in / be carried in from literally anywhere. It was not a closed environment.

I don't remember seeing any deer in the area in the 1990s, but I don't think they vacuum the city. Its entirely possible the wind blew a hair into the alley. Stranger things have happened. It honestly could have come from anywhere.

 

[beesy]

Ditto that----A hair can blow in / be carried in from literally anywhere. It was not a closed environment.

Yes, especially when it was found on a sock right beside a sewer and a trash can. Trash trucks go everywhere and could have anything on them :sick:

 

[beesy]

And what was that about blood being found on the top bunk? Did I read that right? This case just gets deeper and deeper......and more annoying. I know you've been thru all this mess, but I'd like some input as I have none!:crazy:

 

[Mary456]

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

I don't remember seeing any deer in the area in the 1990s, but I don't think they vacuum the city.

The Darlies better get on that right quick. Could add a real punch to the Habeas Corpus appeal :dance:

 

[Mary456]

And what was that about blood being found on the top bunk? Did I read that right? This case just gets deeper and deeper......and more annoying. I know you've been thru all this mess, but I'd like some input as I have none!:crazy:

Some old, dried blood was found on the blanket of the bottom bunk bed. Darin testified that one night, about two years before, Damon was sleeping on the top bunk & accidentally kicked the railing off, which hit Devon in the head. He bled, and they put a band-aid on it.

Linch lifted up the sheets to see if there was any blood underneath, and there wasn't. It was old blood which had nothing to do with the murders.

 

[beesy]

Some old, dried blood was found on the blanket of the bottom bunk bed. Darin testified that one night, about two years before, Damon was sleeping on the top bunk & accidentally kicked the railing off, which hit Devon in the head. He bled, and they put a band-aid on it.

Linch lifted up the sheets to see if there was any blood underneath, and there wasn't. It was old blood which had nothing to do with the murders.

Ok, thanks! Figured it was unrelated, but this is case is so strange, you never know

 

[Goody]

Of the two authors who attended the trial, Don Davis and Barbara Davis, I think Barbara's book is the better of the two. She made some mistakes - they both did - but they were pretty insignificant in the scheme of things. Don Davis was very cut and dried, while Barbara picked up on the body language of the witnesses. Observations that the jurors obviously picked up on, too.

Patricia Springer attended the trial, too, didn's she? The last part of her book covered a lot of on the scene (court room) observations. I've also heard that she had a close personal relationship with one of the detectives.

 

[beesy]

Patricia Springer attended the trial, too, didn's she? The last part of her book covered a lot of on the scene (court room) observations. I've also heard that she had a close personal relationship with one of the detectives.

I'm not sure. Springer thanks the court reporter in her acknowledgments. She says in the beginning of the book that she personally interviewed many many people directly involved in the case. She does describe things like Darin and Dana nearly "snuggling" in court and the expressions on Darlie's face throughout much of the testimony