DaveM
10-26-2007, 11:55 PM
Given past experience, I may get blasted for the following. So be it--blast away. It concerns a good friend, and some of you know I'll walk through hell for a friend.
I believe I have mentioned my acquaintance with Darlie Routier several times over the years. Darlie is currently on Death Row after being convicted of murdering one of her sons in 1996 (two of her three boys were killed--she was only charged with one crime). Her family maintains a webpage at www.fordarlieroutier.org--not the most professional job on the web, but it tells the tale reasonably well.
You see, Darlie is innocent. Considerable evidence exists to support that. There are witnesses who were not heard at her original trial. Unidentified fingerprints inside the house. DNA material which cannot be matched to anyone who is known to have been inside the house. And a bloody sock which was found 75 away from the house in an alley--a distance which could not have been covered by anyone inside the house while still giving them time to get back inside at the moment Darlie called 911. Some things I am not at liberty to discuss in detail--rest assured, there is a stack of evidence proving that not only did Darlie Routier NOT commit the crime for which she is on Death Row, she COULDN'T have committed it.
I have known Darlie since 1999. Some of you know I have been acquainted with other Death Row prisoners as well. And of course I'm familiar with the cliche about "everyone in prison being innocent". I am, however, quite convinced that the state of Texas screwed up in this case. Court proceedings now pending will almost certainly demonstrate that, despite more than a decade of attempts by the State to ignore, hide, or otherwise suppress material evidence which prove that a grave miscarriage of justice has taken place. You may be aware that two of the 10 women on Death Row in Texas have had their death sentences overturned during the past year.
The problem: Darlie's family, who literally bankrupted themselves in an attempt to make the system work for them in 1996, simply does not have the money to pay for the additional investigation and DNA testing which is necessary to settle this matter once and for all. The Innocence Project is on this, even the Dallas County DA has cooperated in getting files opened and evidence released so that Darlie's innocence can be established. But....the DNA labs etc. do not work for free. The money needed for that testing and some further investigation could literally mean the difference between life and death for an innocent woman.
So, I guess this is a begging post, and something more tangible than Rudie Vibes is needed here (though they won't hurt, either). No donation is too small and you may be assured that any and all will be appreciated. The cost of one Living Room Concert will make all the difference in the world. It may literally be the price of a human life.
Contributions can be sent to:
Stephen Cooper (Darlie's attorney)
4711 Gaston Ave.
Dallas, TX, 75246
(214)-522-0670
jstephencooper@yahoo.com
or
Darlie Kee (Darlie's mother)
P.O. Box 337
Willspoint, TX. 75169
dpskee@aol.com
If you do wish to contribute, please put "Routier Defense Fund" somewhere on the check or money order. Should you wish to check this out for yourself, feel free to write to either of the people above.
This matter is of great personal significance to me, but in the context of this post, I am only a messenger. So here is my message. Make of it what you will. Anyone wishing to contact me privately on the subject, feel free.
I believe I have mentioned my acquaintance with Darlie Routier several times over the years. Darlie is currently on Death Row after being convicted of murdering one of her sons in 1996 (two of her three boys were killed--she was only charged with one crime). Her family maintains a webpage at www.fordarlieroutier.org--not the most professional job on the web, but it tells the tale reasonably well.
You see, Darlie is innocent. Considerable evidence exists to support that. There are witnesses who were not heard at her original trial. Unidentified fingerprints inside the house. DNA material which cannot be matched to anyone who is known to have been inside the house. And a bloody sock which was found 75 away from the house in an alley--a distance which could not have been covered by anyone inside the house while still giving them time to get back inside at the moment Darlie called 911. Some things I am not at liberty to discuss in detail--rest assured, there is a stack of evidence proving that not only did Darlie Routier NOT commit the crime for which she is on Death Row, she COULDN'T have committed it.
I have known Darlie since 1999. Some of you know I have been acquainted with other Death Row prisoners as well. And of course I'm familiar with the cliche about "everyone in prison being innocent". I am, however, quite convinced that the state of Texas screwed up in this case. Court proceedings now pending will almost certainly demonstrate that, despite more than a decade of attempts by the State to ignore, hide, or otherwise suppress material evidence which prove that a grave miscarriage of justice has taken place. You may be aware that two of the 10 women on Death Row in Texas have had their death sentences overturned during the past year.
The problem: Darlie's family, who literally bankrupted themselves in an attempt to make the system work for them in 1996, simply does not have the money to pay for the additional investigation and DNA testing which is necessary to settle this matter once and for all. The Innocence Project is on this, even the Dallas County DA has cooperated in getting files opened and evidence released so that Darlie's innocence can be established. But....the DNA labs etc. do not work for free. The money needed for that testing and some further investigation could literally mean the difference between life and death for an innocent woman.
So, I guess this is a begging post, and something more tangible than Rudie Vibes is needed here (though they won't hurt, either). No donation is too small and you may be assured that any and all will be appreciated. The cost of one Living Room Concert will make all the difference in the world. It may literally be the price of a human life.
Contributions can be sent to:
Stephen Cooper (Darlie's attorney)
4711 Gaston Ave.
Dallas, TX, 75246
(214)-522-0670
jstephencooper@yahoo.com
or
Darlie Kee (Darlie's mother)
P.O. Box 337
Willspoint, TX. 75169
dpskee@aol.com
If you do wish to contribute, please put "Routier Defense Fund" somewhere on the check or money order. Should you wish to check this out for yourself, feel free to write to either of the people above.
This matter is of great personal significance to me, but in the context of this post, I am only a messenger. So here is my message. Make of it what you will. Anyone wishing to contact me privately on the subject, feel free.