CHILD KILLER OR VICTIM?
DARLIE ROUTIER, a former housewife and ex-cheerleader from Dallas, is one of the longest serving female death row inmates in America. She was convicted of murdering her two young sons in a brutal attack 24 years ago, but claims she had no part in it.
In this fascinating documentary filmed at Gatesville prison, Texas, Susanna Reid has one hour to interview 50-year-old Darlie, who has been sentenced to death by lethal injection for killing one of her sons, and remains accused of murdering the other.
For decades, Darlie has refused a route off Death Row in exchange for admitting guilt.
Susanna investigates, wondering if this could be a great miscarriage of justice or whether Darlie is an evil killer. Following the story from the beginning, Susanna revisits that fateful night, when Darlie says an intruder broke in.
She tells how she was having a slumber party downstairs with Devon, six, and Damon, five, while her husband Darin slept upstairs with their eight-month-old baby Drake.
We hear the 911 call as Darlie screams that her “babies are dying” after a man has stabbed her children as well as stabbing her.
Darlie had her throat slashed during a frenzied knife attack. But then we hear that a week later, Darlie was happy and laughing as she threw a graveside birthday party for Devon.
Soon people started to question whether she had committed the crime, slit her own throat and faked the crime scene.
“Devon and Damon were my heart, they were what made me happy,” insists Darlie. “People judge but they don’t know the full story.”