DALLAS (1080 KRLD)- The Rowlett woman convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death over the 1996 deaths of her two sons is getting a powerful ally.
A Dallas County judge has admitted two lawyers from the national office of the Innocence Project to the case. Vanessa Potkin, the director of post-conviction litigation and Jane Pucher, a staff attorney, have been granted access to the case by State District Court Judge Audra Riley.
The admission of the two lawyers represents a significant boost for the defense, as the Innocence Project is selective about which cases to throw it’s legal weight behind. The stepped-up legal muscle also comes at a time when there is a fresh new look at the facts that put Routier on death row.
“Part of the development in Darlie’s case is that the District Attorney’s office, the conviction integrity unit, has agreed to do a wholesale review of the case as well” said J. Stephen Cooper, lead attorney in Routier’s appellate team.
Routier's two boys were killed in her Rowlett home in 1996. She was found guilty of murdering one son, Damon, back in 1997. She was never charged with the murder the second child, Devon, although the second murder played a role in the state’s case for the death penalty. Routier claimed an unidentified person had broken into her home and stabbed the two boys. Routier also had knife injuries on her throat and arm. The state argued those injuries were self-inflicted in order to give Routier a defense.
The case has drawn national attention with publication of several books and numerous television shows.
Over the last couple years, teams of attorneys have pored over old files from the case, raising questions over DNA testing that was not available. But the testing has been slow and the case has languished. For Cooper, the new legal firepower underscores his contention that Routier was not the killer.
“I believe they think there’s actual here. And at a minimum she should get a new trial.” he said
Although the case may be under review, prosecutors stand by the conviction.