The Women on Death Row in Texas
Women make up less than 3% of the people awaiting execution on Texas. In fact, there are currently only six women on death row in the state most commonly associated with executions.
I am often interested in the details of these cases. What makes one woman who killed her children a candidate for the death penalty when other people who kill their children receive prison sentences? What are the circumstances surrounding the crimes these people committed — were they really that much more heinous than crimes committed by those serving life sentences? Did these women lack solid legal representation?
These are the brief stories behind the six women on death row in Texas.
Darlie Routier
Darlie Routier has maintained her innocence in the deaths of her two sons, Damon and Devon, for more than 20 years. Darlie was convicted of stabbing and killing the boys, who were 5 and 6 years old as her husband and infant son slept. She was accused of doing so because her family was facing some financial difficulties.
One of the nails in the coffin of Darlie’s 1997 case is a video of Darlie spraying silly string and giggling at the grave of her young sons. Family members of Darlie who support her say that this was all part of a birthday celebration for one of the boys and should not have been used as…
