On June 6, 1996, at 2:31am, 911 dispatchers in Rowlett, Texas, received a call from 5801 Eagle Drive, the Routier home. Routier told the operator that her home had been broken into and that an intruder had stabbed her children, Devon aged 6 and Damon aged 5 and attacked her.
Routier was convicted of murdering Damon and on February 4, 1997, was sentenced to death by lethal injection.
During June 2011, Darin filed for divorce. He said that the decision to divorce was mutual and "very difficult" and that he still believes his wife is innocent. He said that they decided to divorce to end the "limbo" that they had been in since her arrest and conviction.
During 2008 Routier was granted the right to new DNA tests. Her appeals were remanded to the state level for improved DNA testing. On January 29, 2014, Chief Judge of the Western District Fred Biery granted a request from prosecution and defense for her case for further DNA tests vital to the defense to be performed on a bloody fingerprint found in the house, a bloody sock and her nightshirt.
