The Last Defense: Darlie Routier

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Are you watching The Last Defense on ABC? It’s the story of Darlie Routier and the murder of her two sons.

If you aren’t familiar with the story, in 1996 in Rowlett, Texas, 26-year old Darlie Routier says a stranger broke into her home, when she was sleeping downstairs with her two young boys and they were all attacked.

Her boys were died from their injuries, and Darlie had wounds around her neck, which she wants you to believe were gravely serious, yet she ironically claims to have slept through it all. Does that even make sense?

Furthermore, her injuries were so bad, she had no problem talking to 911 on the phone and ambulating around after the crime when police had arrived–complaining her children were dying, no they are dead, no they are dying as she does nothing to help them. When the reporting officer says Darlie did nothing, she is quick to tell us she got towels already. Hello! That’s her help?

I could write a book on Darlie Routier clues, and her behaviors.  Her defense on this show has done nothing to make me question Darlie’s innocence at all. I could actually make really good arguments why their defense fails.

I can still hear her husband say if you heard her screams, you would know this is real. To which I say to Darin:  She absolutely screamed terror when she cut her own throat.  Of course that scream was real. It was HER pain. Darlie only shows true sadness at her pain and not at the loss of her boys.

I do not believe Darlie Routier is innocent, not even a niggle within me questions it.  Darlie is on death row, and while I am not a believer in the death penalty, I do not question this case at all.

Has this show made you question the truth?

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You can read my post in 2009 on Darlie here.

Truth, Lies and Memories

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How many times have you had an argument with a loved one over who said what, and you were sure they got it wrong and you were right?  More often then you care to remember, I’m sure.

Both of you insist YOU are correct, and truthful–truly believing it. One of you may even accuse the other one of lying (I don’t recommend this BTW)!

You feel it’s just absurd: There is only one truth!  You were there.

Maybe you think they were just too emotional to be logical.

Don’t be so quick…

The reality is, as science studies the human mind, they are finding that ALL people have really bad memories and that all people create false memories. It’s part of being human.

Yes, that means you!

And the more sure you are that what you are remembering is true has ZERO correlation to reality.  Gulp. Confidence sonfidence!

Did you just enter the twilight zone wondering what is real and what do I believe then?

Yeah, me too.

Think of how this affects the truth. It’s mind boggling and yes, it affects criminal cases every day with eyewitness testimony.

Rather scary, isn’t it?

Take this fun test and share your results with me below.

Next time you get into this battle with someone over who remembers correctly, why not teach your partner that we all are flawed. It’s part of being human. And seek a resolution instead.

Being human means that you are likely to be wrong as much as you are right.

Hello, knowledge. How will you use this knowledge today?

James Comey with George Stephanopoulos

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Many of you have been interested in my opinion on the Comey interview this week. Sadly, I missed the show! I so wish I hadn’t!

I have seen the clip above and this clip, so I will comment on these clips only. I cannot speak about what I have not seen.

Do I believe James Comey is honest in the clips shown above?

I do.

I see a sincere man who truly cares about our country.

What do you think?

Please feel free to share your opinion below. Please NOTE any comment that is offensive or disrepectful will deleted. Dissent in a respectful way is always welcome.

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Dan Markel Murder Story on Dateline

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Dateline this past weekend detailed the story of Dan Markel’s murder in twisted details that took so many turns, you have to watch it to understand them all!  Right now, I’m not finding the video online, but hopefully Dateline NBC will upload it shortly. The episode is titled “Cold-Blooded”.   20/20 covered the story before here.

Dan Markel was divorced from his wife, Wendi Adelson, when he was murdered in 2014 at his Tallahassee home. The police have found two men who are talking about the crime, have been arrested and they say they were hired, but so far there have been no arrests in the case for the person(s) who hired them.

Wendi wanted to move to be near her family seven hours south in Miami, but the judge in their custody case said she could not uproot the children. She was denied. There was incredible tension between Dan and the Adelsons, which could have been a motive for Wendi and her family.

I found Wendi’s interview with police interesting.  She pings me left and right in her interview.

I was digging around on the case and found this interview podcast of Wendi. She took a writing class after her ex-husband’s murder and read a piece she wrote.  At one point in her writing, she talks about marrying Markel.  She says, “We married when I was in my mid-20s, when I thought I could cheat the system and marry a man I lacked passion and love for because, hey, didn’t that die anyway during marriage?”

Ouch!

She also talks about how after the murder, she sat next to an older lady on bench when the older woman ask her, “What does your husband do?”  She says, “I hate this question.  I haven’t yet said, he doesn’t do much, because he’s DEAD, but I think it sometimes.”  The tone of her voice when she says that is startling. It’s whiny.  At another point she talks about her face as an “endless mask”–that smiles from muscle memory.  She’s quite an interesting person, and seems to come from quite the family!

What did you think when you watched Wendi?  Do you think Wendi Adelson is the one who is the person behind the hired hit of her ex-husband?

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Ride Sharing Dangers with Steve Kardian

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If you take any ride service, this video is for you! It’s a must watch if you care about your safety.

Steve Kardian, who has been in law enforcement for over 30 years, and whom I know personally, is a trusted and awesome source for safety information.  I trust Steve’s advice on safety and security issues one thousand percent.  What Steve says, I do!

Actually, the reason I got to know Steve is because I sought him out for concerns over my safety and what Steve said was spot-on. That was almost a decade ago now.  Steve helped me understand my concerns and he gave me the confidence to make good decisions. He is well thought out, highly experienced and knows predator behavior inside and out.   He has written a book and also teaches Instructor Certification classes.  I highly recommend both.

What Steve Kardian shares with the Dr. Oz show is vital for people who use any ride services. It could save your life one day.

Last year, I experienced my first Uber ride with a group.  I had no fears with a group, but I did have an innate fear of taking an Uber alone as a woman and wouldn’t do it.

On my second Uber trip, accompanied by a professional I was working with, we got a ride that reinforced why I won’t take these ride services again any time soon.

The person I was working with at the time hired an Uber X car–their least expensive service. About 10 minutes later, our car arrived and when I saw it, I was taken back.  We got picked up on the North side of Chicago by a brightly-colored brand new Cadillac.   It was a $50K plus priced car, without question.

When I saw the car pull up, I was like what?!?  My jaw dropped.

I physically paused for a minute.  My subconscious mind started pinging me immediately, “This is not right.”

What do you do at that moment?  Say stop? I couldn’t even articulate why in that instantaneous second. It took me a minute to figure out why it felt off and during that time, my companion was entering the car.

The person I was with, very trusting and kind and from another country, kindly put my baggage into the trunk, and jumped right into the front seat and put his stuff below his feet.

I intrepidly got into the back passenger side wondering who the driver was.  As I got in, I could tell the driver was in high alert mode. He was a huge, burly man who probably weighted 220 plus and he was monitoring everything my companion was doing.  He showed signs of distress at what my fellow companions was doing in the front seat and with things under his legs on the floor.  My companion didn’t notice.

The driver in a very tense, and deep commanding voice said, “Why did you put your stuff down on the floor? Put it in back.”  It was clearly bothering the driver.

Red flag #2.

I immediately offered to take the stuff put on the front floor to the back seat.  That eased the driver. I could see his tension back down a bit, and I took a deep breath!

As I looked around this luxurious interior, the pieces were coming together:  Huge scary driver, big fancy Cadillac, unease in the front seat…

The picture was clear.

This was likely a drug vehicle being used to hide criminal business. And the driver was no small flea in the chain! And he didn’t like strangers in his front seat with things under the seat that he doesn’t know what they are. I mean if you are in the drug business, there are hits–especially in Chicago.  He had to be on guard!

Guy in front seat with unknown goods?  Not acceptable.

The driver wasn’t from the immediate area. I could tell by his speech.

The driver was NOT friendly and didn’t engage with us.  I kept envisioning us pissing him off and being shot dead, and dumped on the side of the highway.

Yeah, that is extreme, but probably for good reason!  Don’t be so quick to discount scary thoughts–they may be a huge warning signal for you to watch YOUR OWN BEHAVIOR.

I believe my subconscious mind and my gut were telling me this guy is dangerous!! Alert, alert, alert!!  Pay attention! I intuitively and innately KNEW if we in any way upset this driver, we were not going to be a good situation. I also knew if I kept my head about me and just relaxed, the odds were in our favor everything would be fine.  Just keep this man happy was the goal. If he wanted to listen to loud music, it was good for me. He did have on an annoying station.

I quietly sat in the back thinking I would just stay silent on the ride.  But my friend started talking and sharing details about what we had done and were doing — innocent idle chat. It came out that we had worked with law enforcement on a project.  I was not liking that. It could be good, BUT it also could be bad. Many criminals do not think highly of law enforcement and if they think you are involved with them (they don’t know at what level), you are automatically a bad guy.

I did not want to be this man’s bad guy. Ever!!!

As we got going,  I typed in our destination address–which I always do in any hired ride I take. I watched the turn-by-turn moves on my GPS (this is a must do).  I wanted to make sure this guy didn’t veer off on any path that didn’t make sense. In taxi’s you do this to catch block turners ringing up your meter! Had he veered off path, I would have been on him in seconds.  I would have immediately made calls and alerted people of my situation as Steve suggests!  Thankfully, he didn’t and we arrived at our destination without worry.

I also noticed how this driver drove impeccably, too. I mean perfectly on speed, politely–as if not to tip anyone off. Our last driver, no, he didn’t do that. He was more the average driver in his behaviors. Do you notice this stuff?

What did I do the next day?

I read all about how ride share services have been involved in the drug and criminal enterprise. Innocent people have been killed, and raped.  Imagine being in the crossfire. It happens when you are in a target’s vehicle. Gulp.

That ended those services for me. At least for now.

I hope they clean up their acts.  As Steve says in his book, always have a blueprint for what you will do in emergencies. It will save your life!

Next time, I will happily take a taxi. My odds aren’t 100%, I know, but they are better.

Stay safe!