Darlie Lynn Peck was born on January 4, 1970, in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Darlie met Darin Routier when she was still in high school. They started dating and eventually got married in 1988. The couple had three children together. Their first son, Devon, was born in 1990, followed by Damon in 1991, and Drake in 1993.

On June 6, 1996, at 2:31 AM, Darlie Routier called 9-1-1 from her home in Rowlett, Texas. She reported that an intruder had broken in and stabbed her two young sons, Devon and Damon, and cut her own throat. Police arrived quickly, within three minutes, and found evidence of a possible break-in, including a cut window screen in the garage.

Darlie told the police she had been sleeping on the couch with her sons while watching television. She claimed that when she woke up, she saw an unknown man in the house and that he fled after she confronted him, dropping a knife on the way out. However, investigators found inconsistencies in her story. They noted that the garage had no blood, and the dust on the window sills suggested no one had climbed through. A fingerprint was later found on the windowsill, but it was not conclusively linked to anyone in the family.

A bloody sock was found about 75 yards from the house, containing blood from both children and matching socks belonging to Darin, Darlie's husband. Devon and Damon had both suffered fatal injuries. In contrast, Darlie's wounds were described as superficial and did not pose a lethal threat, as they were just two millimeters away from her carotid artery. She received treatment and was released from the hospital two days later. Meanwhile, their youngest son, Drake, who was just seven months old, slept upstairs and was unharmed.

Just days after the tragedy, Darlie was seen on the news celebrating her son's birthday at their gravesite, which attracted public scrutiny. Officials arrested her four days later, charging her with the capital murder of her son Damon.

Darlie's trial began on January 6, 1997. The prosecution argued that she had a financial motive, suggesting a strained financial situation and that she had taken out life insurance policies on her children. They claimed Darlie's injuries were self-inflicted and presented evidence indicating the crime scene had been staged. The defense argued that there was no motive or direct evidence linking her to the murders, noting that Darlie had no reason to harm her children and left Drake unharmed.

On February 1, 1997, the jury found Darlie guilty of murdering Damon, and she was sentenced to death by lethal injection. She has since maintained her innocence, and numerous appeals have been filed, but they have all been denied. Over the years, courts have ordered DNA tests on evidence from the case, which have yet to provide conclusive results.

In 2011, Darlie's husband, Darin, filed for divorce. He continued to believe in her innocence. Their son Drake has been diagnosed with leukemia and still visits Darlie in prison, supporting his mother's claims of innocence.