Was Darin Routier involved in away with the murder or cover up of their boys?

[Dani_T]

I do think it's possible that they both planned and/or participated in the crime, and I wonder if the baby was an intended victim, too. Then, perhaps, when Darlie began bleeding like crazy from the neck wound she called 911 earlier than planned to get medical attention for herself. Then maybe Darin had to hurry the cleaning up and the baby was spared.

I think it unlikely that Darin and Darlie both committed the murders (although Darin may have helped cover them up). But I'm not sure if we can put Drake into the scenario simply because how would they explain his death? They either would have had to have brought him down into the living room and somehow explain why he was sleeping down there or else they would have had to explain how he was attacked in the bedroom but Darin was spared.

My current theory is that Darlie acted alone (not sure about Darin's cover-up but leaning towards him not being involved on a conscious or deliberate level) and her intention was never to hurt herself until she accidentally received a wound during the attacks (probably the forearm wound) and then realised that she wasn't going to be able to distance herself from the attacks ... so changed her plan at the last minute and self-inflicted the wounds. She may have planned to have disposed of the jewellery (conveniently left beforehand on the counter) to give the intruders a motive and then have gone up to the bedroom (giving herself an alibi for when the intruder broke in) leaving the boys alone downstairs and explaining why they were killed. But when she received the wound realised she was tied to the crime scene and needed to think fast about explaining what had gone wrong.

Just something I have been tossing around the last few months. What does everyone think?

 

[Goody]

My current theory is that Darlie acted alone (not sure about Darin's cover-up but leaning towards him not being involved on a conscious or deliberate level) and her intention was never to hurt herself until she accidentally received a wound during the attacks (probably the forearm wound) and then realised that she wasn't going to be able to distance herself from the attacks ... so changed her plan at the last minute and self-inflicted the wounds. She may have planned to have disposed of the jewellery (conveniently left beforehand on the counter) to give the intruders a motive and then have gone up to the bedroom (giving herself an alibi for when the intruder broke in) leaving the boys alone downstairs and explaining why they were killed. But when she received the wound realised she was tied to the crime scene and needed to think fast about explaining what had gone wrong.

Just something I have been tossing around the last few months. What does everyone think?

I think some of your theory could be plausible, but she most certainly would have been planning to cut her throat because it is so extreme. Hard to believe that she suddenly thought of that at the last minute.

I have often thought that the jewelry was placed where it was purposely to support the intruder story. Interesting that they didn't have their intruder actually take the jewelry. It seemed just too coincidental to me that she brings the jewelry downstairs that day to show Basia's mother, who claims to know a lot about jewelry but obviously doesn't have the money to buy it anymore since she is working for Darlie as a housekeeper. Surely Darlie knew that. Why would she expect that the older woman would even be interested? I find this activity suspicious.

Then if one concludes that Darlie was thinking ahead of time about how to stage the scene, using family and friends as potential witnesses to support her claims, the next questions is....would she do all this alone? Possible but I don't think it is much of a stretch to see those two (D&D) in on it together. They were practically joined at the hip. The marriage just wasn't in enough jeopardy and she had not lived with the pressure of losing her husband to divorce or another woman, etc. and she wasn't psychotic......it seems to me that she either had to just lose it suddenly without planning anything, then killed the only witness (Damon) to cover up what she'd done (if she acted alone) or the two of them planned it together and Darin didn't have the guts to do the dirty work.

The big question might be why. I don't think they did it for the insurance money. Reasons might have been more emotional and fanciful. Emotional because the boys were becoming a constant irritant. That night they had emptied out half the water in the hot tub and gotten into a lot of trouble. (Both parents say the other was the one upset, but it is obvious they were both really ticked about it.) There were rumors about the kids being locked out of the house while Darin was at work (she wouldn't be the first mother to do this) and that the kids were all over the neighborhood unsupervised. It could be that Darlie realized she was losing control and couldn't tolerate that. Maybe she thought she could wipe the slate clean and start over with Drake. She wouldn't be the first to think children are easily replaced (Diane Downs, Susan Smith).

Darlie's dreams of being a "star" someday might have caused both her and Darin to speculate about how much money could be made off of one's story after they went thru a tragic event. Texas was and is a hotbed for TV's true crime producers. It is out there, true, but sometimes people get warped ideas that seem very real and very attainable until it happens and then they realize how insane it was. Darin did a lot of bragging about how much money they would make off their story. I wish the state had pursued that more. In one of the books, the guy who gave him the tattoo of Darlie and the boys was quoted. It has always stood out in my mind.

Also, remember the stories about the boys breaking into the garage window to crawl in after popsickles in the freezer in the garage? It was the reason the screen frame was bent a little. Well, I've always wondered why the kids didn't just sneak into the garage from inside the house. It would have been easy enough since the door to the garage in the utility room is out of sight basically .....unless they were locked out. There is no walk-thru door in the garage and the only other entrances to the house were the front door and the glass sliding door, which was only a couple of feet from the garage window. They were probably locked out, hot and thirsty, so they popped the screen off and went in through the window. That Devon must have been a free spirited kid.

 

[Jeana (DP)]

Excellent post Goody!! Didn't Darin say to someone "This is the biggest thing this town has ever seen" or something to that effect?

 

[Goody]

Excellent post Goody!! Didn't Darin say to someone "This is the biggest thing this town has ever seen" or something to that effect?

I think he said something to that effect to the tattoo artist. He also said they were going to cut the middle man out and have Darlie write the book herself. You see, they truly were entrepeaneurs. They were not afraid at all to take financial risks, but I don't see them as good planners either. I think they ran pretty much by the seat of their pants, whether operating a computer business or planning a murder.

The "plan" for them might be just a few highlights, maybe with a few details figuring the rest would just fall in place or they'd deal with it as it came up. One thing that really stands out to me in their stories is that BOTH of them are placed with alibis so they don't have to give details of the actual murders. Darin is upstairs and didn't see or hear anything, so he can't be tripped up with his story. Darlie was slept thru it (later turned into traumatic amnesia) so she can't be tripped up with her story. I don't think that is a coincidence.

 

[stlouischili]

I think you've come close to hitting the nail on the head regarding motive, Goody. I've always thought that the most likely motive for Darlie was attention.
Bravo!

There are many types of attention she could have gotten from this. Perhaps Darlie (and maybe Darin) thought that the previously suicidal, wounded, grieving mother scenario she attempted to create would make them stahs! (And maybe make them rich, too). Or perhaps she just wanted to be the center of attention to Darin and her friends and family. It could be both, or something no one has figured out yet.

 

[Goody]

I think you've come close to hitting the nail on the head regarding motive, Goody. I've always thought that the most likely motive for Darlie was attention.
Bravo!

I know a lot of people think that, but I don't, St Louis. I just think they were so spoiled and self centered that they couldn't really plan in any detail and didn't as a general rule. I would say they were very poor planners.

Motive is a tough one in this case because they did a pretty good job of keeping us at arm's length away from the truth. The crime scene doesn't give us a play by play the way it does in some cases and no one has turned state's evidence. So we are in the dark about what actually happened to bring on the attack.

We have Darlie distraught, nervous, emotionally uptight, on diet pills for much longer than recommended (she shouldn't have been on them at all as she didn't have enough weight to lose in the first place)....so she had a lot of side effects to deal with and a lot going on with her period. It is easy to see how she could have snapped, but if she snapped and Darin comes in as an innocent bystander, how do we get from horror stricken to "Let me save Darlie" in a matter of minutes? Then he has to do a complete turn around and be focused on selling books, making money off the crime, and kicking up his heels in general in the days that follow as if he doesn't have a care in the world.

Plus he sends very confusing signals. He presents himself as a loyal husband who will defend Darlie to the death, then tells people things that make her look guilty. He says the police rushed to judgment unfairly against her, yet he hugged the detective after every single meeting, even the night of her arrest (according to Patricia Springer). He says he is convinced she is innocent, then says he doesn't want them to "trade her for me." So there is an awful lot about Darin that we don't know.

Conclusion: I think the motive was either self preservation or money, meaning Darlie either snapped and drew Darin into it somehow after at least Devon's death, or they hapharzardly planned it, thinking they would make big bucks off it via books, movies, etc. The reason I think these motives are at least possible if not plausible is that I have not been able to rule them out. But for the life of me, I cannot figure out which one is the right one.

 

[IrishMist]

***WARNING! TOTAL ARMCHAIR PSYCHOLOGY AHEAD!!***

Ok. Darlie was suicidal weeks before the murders.

One aspect of suicide is wanting the pain to stop. There are extra reasons, which may differ from person to person, but it comes down to making the pain STOP.

When you get to that point, but don't do it, there are reasons for that, too.
What were they for Darlie? Probably pure self preservation. Not for her family, or what it would do to them... more likely she couldn't do that to herself.

But the feelings around suicide don't just *poof* go away.
The state of mind that you are in doesn't just appear out of nowhere, and doesn't just disappear into nothing.

We know she had a histionic personality. Remember when she cried rape when she wanted attention at a party?

And I think that's the key to all of this.

Now, remember, Darin has been with Darlie since her mid-teens. He was used to her behavior, and long ago bought into her dramatics. Probably why they stayed together so long. Their neurosis fit with each other.

Whereas someone else would have seen through her rape story, or figured it out later and dumped her, he didn't. He bought into it, for his own neurotic reasons.

After years of this subtle manipulation, I believe Darlie had him Wrapped.
I think she killed those babies, and he walked into the mess. And when he walked in, it was still about her...
In other words, I don't think his first actions were to help the boys... I think he had to spend time restraining her. (Hence the bruises)

Once he got her back to earth, I think she manipulated him into helping cover for her. And it wouldn't be hard, she knew how to press his buttons. She knew.
Her reason to begin with?
I posted in here somewhere...
I think she saw others as objects, not people.
I don't think she was equipped to deal with problems.
Post partum depression, diet pills, financial problems, emotional problems, youth, talk of divorce...
Put all of that into a jar, and shake it up.

What made her snap that night? I don't know, and have a hard time imagining.

But I think when all was said and done, they flew by the seat of their pants.
Came up with the basic intruder story, and didn't think of the details that would trip them up. In her previous story of crying rape- who questioned all that closely? They assumed they'd be believed.

At any rate, I think the whole night was one big emotional explosion.

I don't think there was one single rational thought floating around anywhere.

 

[Jeana (DP)]

Ya'll are good - VERY good!!!

I don't think that Darlie ever really considered suicide. She cares way too much about herself. I think it was just another attempt to turn everyone's attention back to her.

 

[cami]

WOW Irishmist. Fabulous post.

 

[IrishMist]

Ya'll are good - VERY good!!!

I don't think that Darlie ever really considered suicide. She cares way too much about herself. I think it was just another attempt to turn everyone's attention back to her.

Do you mean that it was all for show, or do you mean that she never would have followed through?

And thank you for the compliment :blushing:

 

[ProbableCauz]

***WARNING! TOTAL ARMCHAIR PSYCHOLOGY AHEAD!!***




Whereas someone else would have seen through her rape story, or figured it out later and dumped her, he didn't. He bought into it, for his own neurotic reasons.

After years of this subtle manipulation, I believe Darlie had him Wrapped.
I think she killed those babies, and he walked into the mess. And when he walked in, it was still about her...
In other words, I don't think his first actions were to help the boys... I think he had to spend time restraining her. (Hence the bruises)



I don't think there was one single rational thought floating around anywhere.

I think you hit the nail directly on the head. Darin was co-dependent, Darlie cried wolf again but this time the cry was deadly. She certainly had no intention of dying. The reason why I say that is if she had wanted to die she would have just killed herself, left the boys alone and hoped and prayed that Darin either rescued her before she actually died, or just died with the notion that Darin would live with the guilt behind her suicide and live miserably the remainder of his life. I agree that the entire act was all about Darlie, even one of the poems she wrote in memory of the boys is entitled "We love you Mommy"

 

[IrishMist]

I think you hit the nail directly on the head. Darin was co-dependent, Darlie cried wolf again but this time the cry was deadly. She certainly had no intention of dying. The reason why I say that is if she had wanted to die she would have just killed herself, left the boys alone and hoped and prayed that Darin either rescued her before she actually died, or just died with the notion that Darin would live with the guilt behind her suicide and live miserably the remainder of his life. I agree that the entire act was all about Darlie, even one of the poems she wrote in memory of the boys is entitled "We love you Mommy"

That's a good point, PC. I'd forgotten about that poem. The one thing I don't doubt in all of this is that it's "All Darlie, All The Time."

 

[Dani_T]

I think some of your theory could be plausible, but she most certainly would have been planning to cut her throat because it is so extreme. Hard to believe that she suddenly thought of that at the last minute.

Sorry for delay in responding- have been away for a week

Hmmm - afraid I disagree with you on that one Goody. I don't think she necessarily would have had to plan to cut her throat rather than doing it as a last minute cover up. If she was bleeding from a minor wound she would have known her cover was blown. She was tied to the scene and she had to explain how the hell her two boys were savagely stabbed numerous times and how she had survived. She would have known that if she wanted to appear a victim (which she now HAD to) that a small cut on her arm wasn't going to do the trick. She needed to make it more convincing.

I've said it numerous times and I still stick by this: forget everything you know about this case, about her wounds and the seriousness of them for just a moment. Pretend you are in her shoes- you NEED to look convicing as a victim. The attack on the boys was savage. Brutal. What is the least frightening, painful and intimidating way of self-inflicting a wound which LOOKS serious? Imitating the wounds on the boys? That means plunging the butchers knife into some place on your torso deep enough to make it look serious but at the same time missing vital organs (some of which you don't even know the exact location of). It also means coming to grips with the reality of having to shove a knife into your body.

Or...

Running the knife lightly across your neck... enough to lay it open and have it bleed profusely but certainly not like the wounds you see in the movies where the neck is literally split open from ear to ear. Darlie didn't have a medical background, or the advantage of hindsight as we do. It is highly likely she would not have realised how close to the surface the artery is. To me it is FAR easier to contemplate slicing skin superficially than stabbing yourself with a big butcher's knife (which you not only have to plunge in but also pull out).

As superficial and materialistic as Darlie was I don't see her planning to cut her throat. If she had time to plan it out how she was going to injure herself then I think she would have worked her way around the problem and perhaps used a different murder weapon.

The more I think about it the more comvinced I am that she never intended to have to play the part of the injured victim. It just makes more sense: why she called 911 before Damon was dead, why there seems to have been a clean up but then she suddenly stops bothering about the clean up, why the jewellery is still sitting there on the counter, even why she had to 'find' the knife.

The big question might be why. I don't think they did it for the insurance money. Reasons might have been more emotional and fanciful. Emotional because the boys were becoming a constant irritant. That night they had emptied out half the water in the hot tub and gotten into a lot of trouble. (Both parents say the other was the one upset, but it is obvious they were both really ticked about it.) There were rumors about the kids being locked out of the house while Darin was at work (she wouldn't be the first mother to do this) and that the kids were all over the neighborhood unsupervised. It could be that Darlie realized she was losing control and couldn't tolerate that. Maybe she thought she could wipe the slate clean and start over with Drake. She wouldn't be the first to think children are easily replaced (Diane Downs, Susan Smith).

Yep- I agree. I've said before that I think Darke represented a new start for Darlie. A new baby who could still be moulded, who wasn't as independent and caused as much trouble, a child who could be left alone and wouldn't come running after her demanding attention (she could just shut the door on his crying) etc.

I was really sad this week at one point because I was staying with a friend out of town and her nephews came over. The eldest is 5 1/2 and the younger one is just over 4. The scary thing is that the eldest looks JUST LIKE Devon and the younger one really does look like Damon (particularly the eyes). I was watching them play and just felt so so sad that poor little Devon and Damon were robbed of that- and by the one person who should have died protecting them

 

[Goody]

Hmmm - afraid I disagree with you on that one Goody. I don't think she necessarily would have had to plan to cut her throat rather than doing it as a last minute cover up. If she was bleeding from a minor wound she would have known her cover was blown. She was tied to the scene and she had to explain how the hell her two boys were savagely stabbed numerous times and how she had survived. She would have known that if she wanted to appear a victim (which she now HAD to) that a small cut on her arm wasn't going to do the trick. She needed to make it more convincing.

I understand that, but it took me months to get used to the idea that a beautiful young woman COULD muster up the courage to consider the option of cutting her own throat in an effort to cover up a crime, let alone that she did. So using that as a gauge, I am thinking that she would have needed time to get used to the idea before she had the guts to do it. I think she had to have weighed her options in the weeks prior to the murders, debating how safe it would be to cut here or stab there. I suppose what you suggest is possible, since we are all not alike, and I know Darlie is gutsy (willing to take risks, i.e. entrepeaneur skills), but still she was also quite vain and not one to throw herself under the wheels of a bus to save anyone. I have a hard time accepting that she thought it up at the last minute, debated it a bit, then accepted it in such a short time.

 

[Goody]

I was really sad this week at one point because I was staying with a friend out of town and her nephews came over. The eldest is 5 1/2 and the younger one is just over 4. The scary thing is that the eldest looks JUST LIKE Devon and the younger one really does look like Damon (particularly the eyes). I was watching them play and just felt so so sad that poor little Devon and Damon were robbed of that- and by the one person who should have died protecting them

I know. My two youngest remind me of Devon and Damon, too, about 20 years ago, esp my youngest of Damon. It is sad when the reality of the crime hits you like that.

The same with that young Riley Fox. Those big eyes could have been my granddaughter's or my daughter's. In fact, all the girls in my family had big...huge...eyes as children. I can't imagine anyone wanting to put a light like that out.

 

[stlouischili]

With all the mentions of Drake representing a new start, I was reminded of something.

My memory is fuzzy on this, but didn't someone testify that a few days or weeks before the murders, she found baby Drake crying becuse Darlie had him wrapped head to toe in blankets.He was supposedly completely covered, including his head and face, and he was crying because, the lady thought, he was having trouble breathing in all the covers.

Am I remembering correctly? Was the lady later found to be a nut or something?

This has always colored my theories on what happened.

 

[Dani_T]

but still she was also quite vain

Which is why I think that if she had pre-planned it she wouldn't have cut her throat. If she had time to think about it she would have worked out a way to kill the boys without marring herself in that way - or in fact marring herself at all.

If she was planning the events long enough before hand to carefully consider cutting her throat then why would she have even gone down the road of making herself into a victim. For someone so vain why would she go down the road of having to put herself in the middle of the scene rather than killing the boys, leaving dubious evidence of an intruder then hightailing it up to bed and pretending she was up there earlier than she was.

I agree that it wasn't an instananeous moment of passion kind of crime - but because of that I just don't see her planning to cut her neck. For me it is much easier to believe it was a last minute 'must do' decision. But I know we disagree on that

and not one to throw herself under the wheels of a bus to save anyone.

Except herself of course

 

[Dani_T]

With all the mentions of Drake representing a new start, I was reminded of something.

My memory is fuzzy on this, but didn't someone testify that a few days or weeks before the murders, she found baby Drake crying becuse Darlie had him wrapped head to toe in blankets.He was supposedly completely covered, including his head and face, and he was crying because, the lady thought, he was having trouble breathing in all the covers.

Am I remembering correctly? Was the lady later found to be a nut or something?

This has always colored my theories on what happened.

Yeah it was Halina (the occassional housekeeper). Here is the testimony- sorry it is a bit long
3 A. Yes, I asked for the second time,
4 where was the baby?
5 Q. Then what happened?


6 A. It was silent again.
7 Q. Okay. And then what happened?
8 A. And when I asked for the third time,
9 Rebecca pointed her finger toward Darlie's lap.
10 Q. Okay. Did you look at her lap at that
11 time?
12 A. Yes.
13 Q. Describe what you saw.
14 A. Well, yeah, I thought she was holding
15 a bundle of laundry.
16 Q. Okay. She had a blanket in her lap?
17 A. Yes.
18 Q. And what is the next thing that
19 happened?
20 A. I told Darlie, "Give me the baby."
21 Q. Okay. What did Darlie do?
22 A. Nothing.
23 Q. Then what happened?
24 A. For the second time, I repeated my
25 question, my request.
Sandra M. Halsey, CSR, Official Court Reporter
2446


1 Q. And what happened?
2 A. She told me that the baby liked it
3 this way.
4 Q. Okay. Then what happened?
5 A. And then I asked please -- asked,
6 "Please, give me the baby."
7 Q. What happened next?
8 A. And she handed me this baby.
9 Q. How did she hand you the baby?
10 A. In a strange manner, not the way I
11 expected a mother to hand in the baby.
12 Q. Okay. How was that? Show the Judge.
13 A. She was holding the baby here, on the
14 lap. And she gave me this way.
15 Q. Then what did she do?


16 A. Darlie went upstairs.
17 Q. How did she go upstairs?
18 A. Very quickly.
19 Q. Okay. And what did you do?
20 A. Very slowly, I started to uncover the
21 baby.
22 Q. Was the baby's face covered?
23 A. Yes.
24 Q. Okay. And describe the baby once you
25 uncovered his face?
Sandra M. Halsey, CSR, Official Court Reporter
2447


1 A. The face was very perspired, very red,
2 and the lips were light blue.
3 Q. What did the baby do once you
4 uncovered it?
5 A. Very slowly, I uncovered the face, and
6 then the baby started to catch the breath.
7 Q. Okay. And then what happened?
8 A. And then, still, when I was uncovering
9 the baby slowly, the baby started to cry.
10 Q. Okay. Were you able to settle the
11 baby down eventually?
12 A. Yes.
13 Q. Okay. Later that morning in that same
14 room, did you see the baby by the glass table?
15 A. Yes.
16 Q. Okay. Were Darlie and Rebecca in the
17 room again?
18 A. Yes.
19 Q. Okay. Did you see something that
20 caused you some concern at that time?
21 A. Yes.
22 Q. And what was that?
23 A. I finished my laundry and I was coming
24 toward the couch, to sit on the couch. And I saw that
25 the baby was falling towards the table.
Sandra M. Halsey, CSR, Official Court Reporter
2448


1 Q. Falling towards the table?
2 A. Yes, towards the table.
3 Q. And what did you do?
4 A. I shouted, "Oh, my God." And very
5 quickly, I caught the baby.
6 Q. Did you catch the baby?
7 A. Yes.
8 Q. And what did Darlie and the girl,
9 Rebecca, do?
10 A. They started to laugh.
11 Q. What did you say?
12 A. I told them, "It is not funny."
13 Q. Okay. Later on that day, did you come
14 across the baby again in the laundry room?
15 A. Yes.
16 Q. And what time of the day was that?
17 A. It was right after she gave the
18 children lunch.
19 Q. Okay. And what was the baby doing
20 when you came upon it?
21 A. She (sic) was in the laundry room, the
22 baby was in the laundry room.
23 Q. Was any adult near it at that time?
24 A. No.
25 Q. And what did you do?
Sandra M. Halsey, CSR, Official Court Reporter
2449


1 A. I picked up the baby in my arms.
2 Q. Okay. Then what happened?
3 A. Then I called Rebecca.
4 Q. Where was Rebecca?
5 A. Darlie and Rebecca were upstairs.
6 Q. And did Rebecca come to you then?


7 A. Yes, she came, she picked up the baby
8 and she went upstairs.
9 Q. What did you tell her?
10 A. I told her -- I told her not to leave
11 the baby in this way.
12 Q. Okay. A little while later, did you
13 come into the kitchen again and find the baby in a high
14 chair?
15 A. Yes.
16 Q. And did you become alarmed at that
17 time?
18 A. Yes. I was folding the laundry and I
19 heard the cry of the baby.
20 Q. Did you find the baby in the high
21 chair at that time?
22 A. Yes.
23 Q. And how was the baby positioned in the
24 high chair?
25 A. The baby slipped down from the seat of
Sandra M. Halsey, CSR, Official Court Reporter
2450


1 the chair.
2 Q. It slipped out from the seat?
3 A. Yes.
4 Q. And what was the baby doing?
5 A. It was crying.
6 Q. And where was Darlie and the girl,
7 Rebecca?
8 A. Upstairs. Upstairs.
9
10 THE COURT: Wait till they ask you the
11 question, ma'am.
12
13 BY MR. TOBY L. SHOOK:
14 Q. Okay. What did you do?
15 A. I shouted. I called very loudly for
16 Rebecca to come downstairs.
17 Q. And did Rebecca come downstairs?
18 A. Yes.
19 Q. And what did you tell her?
20 A. I told them not to leave baby in this
21 situation anymore.
22 Q. Was Darlie present at that time?
23 A. No.
24 Q. Was she still upstairs?
25 A. Yes.

 

[Goody]

Which is why I think that if she had pre-planned it she wouldn't have cut her throat. If she had time to think about it she would have worked out a way to kill the boys without marring herself in that way - or in fact marring herself at all.

If she was planning the events long enough before hand to carefully consider cutting her throat then why would she have even gone down the road of making herself into a victim. For someone so vain why would she go down the road of having to put herself in the middle of the scene rather than killing the boys, leaving dubious evidence of an intruder then hightailing it up to bed and pretending she was up there earlier than she was.

I agree that it wasn't an instananeous moment of passion kind of crime - but because of that I just don't see her planning to cut her neck. For me it is much easier to believe it was a last minute 'must do' decision. But I know we disagree on that




Except herself of course

I think we have to be careful assuming someone would not do something because it isn't logical. There are defendants who plan very carefully and there are those who plan very sloppily. Either situation is possible. Darlie could have decided, as you say, at the last minute, or she might have thought very carefully about how she could cut her throat without seriously injuring herself. Or it might simply be a suggestion from Darin in the little time they had (since he'd had so many years of first aid training). It is just one of those details we can't know. However, if it ever comes to light exactly WHY the kids were killed, we can probably pretty much figure it out.

The one thing I would like to note is that the angle of that cut is said to be found often in self inflicted neck wounds with a knife.

All I can say is if she did it at the last minute, she sure was gutsy.

 

[IrishMist]

I think we have to be careful assuming someone would not do something because it isn't logical. There are defendants who plan very carefully and there are those who plan very sloppily. Either situation is possible. Darlie could have decided, as you say, at the last minute, or she might have thought very carefully about how she could cut her throat without seriously injuring herself. Or it might simply be a suggestion from Darin in the little time they had (since he'd had so many years of first aid training). It is just one of those details we can't know. However, if it ever comes to light exactly WHY the kids were killed, we can probably pretty much figure it out.

The one thing I would like to note is that the angle of that cut is said to be found often in self inflicted neck wounds with a knife.

All I can say is if she did it at the last minute, she sure was gutsy.

I don't know about gutsy... I think more along the lines of a spur of the moment thing. Emotions riding high.
I think it would be harder to do if it was plannned out in advance. Part of you would be dreading it... This case doesn't strike me as premeditated.

<<However, if it ever comes to light exactly WHY the kids were killed, we can probably pretty much figure it out. >>

You're dead on there, Goody. I think that would explain the whole case.