Title:
Dateline: Purgatory
Author:
Kathy Cruz
Publisher:
TCU Press
ISBN:
978-0-87565-610-6
Price:
$22.96
Non-Fiction, True Crime
In the wake of more than 1,500 exonerations
across the country (150 of which were for inmates on death row) and growing
demands for reforms within the justice system, award-winning journalist Kathy
Cruz uses a new lens to examine the controversial Darlie Routier case - and
what may be a true Texas mystery.
In Dateline: Purgatory, Cruz enlists
current day legal experts to weigh in on the shocking transgressions that
resulted in one of the country's most troubling death penalty convictions. With
the help of the infamous death row inmate and a former FBI Special Agent known
as "Crimefighter," the veteran journalist would find that her journey
through Purgatory was as much about herself as it was about the woman dubbed
"Dallas' Susan Smith."
Under a
starry sky on the snowy slopes of Purgatory, Colo., Darlie Lynn Peck linked her
destiny with that of an ambitious young man from Lubbock, Texas named Darin
Routier. Ten years later, a horrific crime known as "6-6-6" would
thrust the couple into the national spotlight.
The
brutal murders of young Devon and Damon Routier in the early morning hours of
June 6, 1996, would put their mother - Darlie Routier - at the heart of one of
the most notorious murder cases in modern Texas history - despite her own
throat having been slashed to within 2 millimeters of her carotid artery.
The
actions of a small town police department and Dallas County's justice system
created a perfect storm that swept up the young mother and landed her on death
row. There she has remained, in a 9-feet-by-6-feet cell, despite claims of her
innocence by those who know her, findings about the alarming fallibility of
bloodstain analysis - and her husband's admission that at the time of the
murders he was soliciting help to stage a home burglary to commit insurance
fraud.
Dateline: Purgatory follows
author Kathy Cruz on her journey to investigate the Darlie Routier case. Cruz
takes the reader with her as she visits with multiple people to hear about
their experiences with Darlie previous to the murders and during the trial. I
found myself skimming over the descriptions of Cruz's drive through Texas to
meet her interviewees and through multiple pages of reminiscent tales of
Darlie's life and experiences previous to the crime. The reason I read this
book was to hear the facts and for Cruz to present the proof of Darlie's
innocence. Cruz states, "As for me, I realize I have not proven Routier innocent.
If anything, I have merely given a voice to those who know her best and have
held the justice system to the same harsh scrutiny to which she was held."
This book was not
what I expected. It was hard to stay focused as the author included personal accounts
of Darlie's life before the crime interwoven with factual evidence from the
crime and trial along with random stories of other cases unrelated to Darlie
Routier. For example, an entire page described the author standing in line at a
haunted house before her phone rang only to spend another page describing how
she played phone tag with the true-crime author, Barbara Davis. When the
chapter finally started presenting information concerning the Routier case, it
was left open-ended suggesting an exciting detail only to leave the reader
frustrated. For instance, Barbara Davis mentions she got to read Routier's
nurse's notes from the hospital. She stated, "I’ve learned so much that I
didn't want to know." This created a hook with expectation, but Cruz never
told the readers what Davis found in the nurse’s notes.
This book was more an
account of a reporter's experiences as she interviewed people about Darlie
Routier along with some accounts of actual court proceedings and evidence used
in the case. I did not find an overwhelming amount of evidence to persuade me
Darlie was wrongfully convicted, but there was plenty to deem an appeal. Cruz
presented multiple facts within her chapters of personal accounts from
interviews that did cause concern such as: a sock from the crime scene was
found down the road, the judge continuously fell asleep during the trial, her
husband admitted to soliciting help to stage a robbery to commit insurance
fraud, detectives interviewed Darlie when she was still under the influence of
medication right after surgery, and some of the detectives pled the fifth on
stand.
In order to persuade
the readers of Darlie's innocence, I feel that the text should have followed a
chronological timeline of the crime and trial with a clear outline of facts. I
did appreciate the truths told about Darlie's experiences in court and the
letters she wrote to her aunt. Also, I would love to hear more from her son,
Drake, concerning his feelings toward his mom and how he has handled the loss
of his family due to this tragedy. His opinions and memories are of far greater
worth than pages of Routier history. I feel for Drake and the Routier
family. This was a horrible crime that cost the lives of two innocent children
and continues to hurt their family and friends.
I applaud Kathy Cruz
for taking on this case and giving a voice to those involved. I give this book three out of five stars. You should read
Kathy
Cruz is a former reporter for The Dallas Morning News, now working as a staff
writer at the Hood County News in Granbury, 35 miles southwest of Fort Worth.
She has won numerous Journalist of the Year honors from Texas press
associations, as well as many other awards from regional, state and national
press associations. She is the co-author of You Might Want to Carry a Gun:
Community Newspapers Expose Big Problems in Small Towns. Cruz is the recipient
of five awards for excellence in legal reporting, including a Texas Gavel Award
and four Stephen Philbin Awards from the Dallas Bar Association – two of which
were grand prizes.
Books may be purchased by calling 1-800-826-8911, visiting www.prs.tcu.edu, or visiting your local bookstore.
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