Deep in the Heart of...Injustice - Part I; The Case

Imagine falling asleep on the couch, at the end of a normal day, while your two oldest boys sleep on the floor watching TV. Now imagine, if you can, waking in the middle of a real-life nightmare, and your two sons lay dying. According to Darlie Routier, that was what happened to her during the early morning hours of June 6, 1996. The police, however, saw her as the murderer. Her story is a horrifying one, and there are still, more than a decade later, many issues needing to be resolved. As she sits on death row, I’m sure Darlie has to wonder if a resolution will ever come.  This is the case of TX v. ROUTIER.
I’m going to do my best to help, along with others, to get her story out as I research the details. For those of you who don’t know about the case, I will start with a basic outline to give you an idea. From there, we will look at the investigation and facts, from both sides. By the end, I hope both sides will come together for justice. Let’s get started on the story behind the mystery.
Around 2:30am the morning of June 6, 1996, Darlie called the Rowlett Police Department screaming that an intruder had just stabbed her and her two boys. Her boys, Devon, 6, and Damon, 5, were dying. According to Darlie, she was sleeping on the couch in the downstairs family room while her boys slept on the floor in front of the television. She was woke by her son and saw a man in a baseball cap standing near the couch. According to Darlie, the stranger left through the kitchen and utility room and out through the garage. He left behind a bloody butcher knife from the kitchen.
Darlie’s husband, Darin Routier, was sleeping upstairs with the couples’ 8-month-old son. He woke to Darlie’s screams and ran down the stairs to the family room to find the blood-soaked bodies of his two oldest sons and his wife. The attack left one child not breathing, and the other struggling for air. They had both been savagely attacked. Darlie, herself, had been stabbed and her throat slashed. When the chaos would finally come to an end, both children would be dead.
The investigators didn’t take much time in deciding that Darlie Routier had murdered her own children and inflicted her own wounds. The State, along with the help of the media, painted her as a “self-absorbed, materialistic, cold-blooded housewife” who murdered her children because they were in the way of her “lifestyle”, but those who know her say different. The State claims her wounds are self-inflicted and superficial, but medical personnel seem to dispute this. The police said there was no evidence of an intruder, but as you’ll learn, there were prints and DNA, some not belonging to anyone in the house.
Let’s also remember that this happened within 2 years of Susan Smith’s cruel and heinous acts. She really did kill her children, and eventually admitted to it. Could the public outcry from this case affect the way Darlie Routier’s case was handled? Could it have caused the State to go into this case with blinders on?
The State does have a tape of “The Silly String Graveside Party”, as it has come to be known, that shown in part, would make a mother cringe. However, the rest of the tape was not admissible because the State obtained it illegally, but was that really the reason? I don’t believe so, but you can decide as we go.
These are just the highlights of the many serious issues involved in this case. As we go through all the facts, I hope you will feel as I do; Darlie Routier MUST receive a new trial if justice is to truly be served. This case has become huge in the world of capital punishment, but persuading your view on the death penalty is not my objective. My hope is that both sides, whether for or against capital punishment, come together for a new and fair trial. Even proponents of capital punishment should want to be positive they are executing the right person.
Stay tuned for the next post.  We will begin going through each sides' evidence, and how it was dealt with.  It gets very...suspicious.

Don't be Cruel

I didn't really plan on writing about animals, but as I watched my cats play this morning, I was once again aggravated by the circumstances which brought me the second cat, "Stitch".  I never wanted more than one cat, but I am a huge sucker.  Especially for babies.
It was about 3 months ago, and I was Christmas shopping.  Luckily, my husband was a huge help.  He walked my cart out to the car, loaded everything in and went to put the cart in the corral.  Suddenly I heard him say: "Hey, look.  A free tackle box".  I turned around and saw what appeared to be a brand new tackle box sitting in a parking spot.  "Surely not", I thought to myself, as I approached to pick it up.  As I bent down, I saw movement and knew it wasn't a tackle box.  It was a very small animal carrier, with two kittens inside.  They were so cute, and so young.  I was sunddenly infuriated.
One by one, people started stopping to se what was going on.  These kittens were so sweet and lovable, I had to do something.  My husband and I both knew we were going to end up with another cat.  However, already having a cat at home, "Echo", I couldn't just take them home without them being checked for sickness.  I was also told I only got to keep one, which I understood.  Luckily, our animal shelter is a no-kill shelter (without valid reason), so off we went.
I filled out all the necessary paperwork, they checked and spayed the cats, and in less than a week we had our new addition.  They also assured me they would have no trouble finding a home for the other kitten.  Both kittens got a clean bill of health and were as lovable as they could be.
"Stitch" took instantly to her new forever-home.  As the months have gone by, she and "Echo" have become best of friends.  They provide all-day comedy for me.
For some reason, as I watch them play this morning, I am taken back to that parking lot.  "Stitch" is so healthy, playful and lovable that it breaks my heart to think about what could have happened.  I do realize these kittens weren't "mistreated".  They were healthy and friendly, so they had to be cared for.  What I don't understand is how someone can take a totally defenseless animal, put them in a box and just dump it somewhere?  I don't care that they were taken to a very busy store where it was guaranteed they'd be found.  There's no guarantee WHO will find them, and some people are very cruel to animals.  I understand not everyone can keep and animal, for whatever reason, but there are other alternatives.  Shelters are not usually a great option, but if that's all there is, use it.  Don't risk dumping an animal for it to possible wind up in a worse situation.  These kittens were lucky, but I have seen animals not so lucky.  At least at the shelter they get food, shelter and a hope at adoption.  Dumped in the elements, who knows?
If you're an animal lover, and your shelter offers it, volunteer for the foster program.  It's a great way to do your part.  Check with your local shelter.

Take me out to the Ballgame

This is my first post, so I will try to keep it light and funny until I get into the flow.  It's almost baseball season again, and I can't wait.  However, I have to wonder if my husband will take me to anymore games.  I'll take you back to last year.
We were planning our July wedding, and due to circumstances, the honeymoon needed to be put off until this year.  I had never been to a Major League Baseball game, and I am a serious Chicago Cubs fan.  That was what I wanted for our trip.  My very first MLB game, and it was at Wrigley Field.  It was the first weekend in August, and they were playing the Cincinnatti Reds.
My husband is a die-hard Reds fan, so the last weekend in August we went to Great American Ball Park.  They were hosting the Cubs.  Here's the story.
Preparing to head to Chicago, we start asking friends who had been before.  All we got were warnings of  "be careful", "don't ask directions", and "people aren't nice".  We were also told that my husband would probably not want to wear his Cincinnatti Reds' attire.  To our surprise, we had a fantastic time.  MOST of Chicago was great.  We walked in to Wrigley Field, with him in his Cincinnatti red (I had to buy my Cubbie blue when we got there).  We took our seats, and enjoyed a great game.  Everyone was friendly, and he was treated just fine.  Yes, the Cubs lost.  Still a great time.
A few weeks later, we head to Cincinnatti for two games.  We plan on a very nice time.  Cincinnatti has a decent reputation and it is pretty.  However, let me tell you about THEIR baseball fans.  I'm in by Cubbie blue, my husband in his Cincinnatti red.  Before we even got into the park, I had been insulted multiple times.  One man (he appeared to be about 60) even told me to break a leg, literally.  He said he wasn't treated nice at Wrigley Field.  You know what?!  Get over it!  You don't treat a fellow human being like that just becuase someone wasn't nice to you in the past.  GROW UP!
Now I understand fans.  I will be the first one to yell at that Cubs' batter who stands and watches that perfect pitch glide over the plate.  In the heat of the moment, we get a little verbal.  It's all good.  Do not wish harm to another just becuase they're a fan of the opposing team.  I think my husband was a little disappointed to be a Reds fan at that moment.
Here's the dilemma: We both agree that Wrigley Field was an experience we both want to share again.  Chicago is a great city.  Cincinnatti, however, is a different story.  I love my husband, but if we go, we have to go when they are NOT playing the Cubs.  I hate that!
I absolutely love the Cubs, but I would never treat a fellow human like dirt over a sport.  Of course I want my boys in blue to win, but my life will go on the same tomorrow regardless.  Do sports really have to make us act like barbarians?