A look at "Waiting for a Miracle" -- The Darlie Routier Story by Nexus Media International
By Barbara Jean McAtlin Justice: Denied Staff
"Waiting for a Miracle" is an in-depth look at the story of Darlie Routier, a Texas mother who was convicted in 1997 of killing one of her two murdered sons and sentenced to death. Using an unbiased approach, Nexus Media International viewed the evidence against Mrs. Routier and did an outstanding job of allowing the viewer to see firsthand the many problems with this death penalty case.
The factual content of the film, as well as the way the evidence against Mrs. Routier is examined, give great support to the conclusion that Mrs. Routier is truly one of the wrongly convicted and is herself a victim. Strategically placed throughout the film are home videos of the child victims that remind the viewer of the tragedy that the Routier family has had to endure since the children's murders. The viewer is shown two happy, well-adjusted boys living in a nice home with a full-time mother and a breadwinner father. They are surrounded by friends, family, laughter and toys. The film does a wonderful job of showing a loving home, not a home of murder.
"Waiting for a Miracle" is filled with interviews of Mrs. Routier's supporters, legal staff, family and friends. Unlike the tough interviewing approach of some of today's large media, the interviewer does a superb job of drawing out a convincing cast of supporting characters. Mrs. Routier's husband and mother are interviewed in a way that is caring and compassionate. The interviewer skillfully leads Mrs. Routier's attorney Steve Cooper, and private investigator Lloyd Harrelson, through a maze of evidence while allowing them enough room to insert their own learned opinions of the case. Charles Samford, a juror in Mrs. Routier's trial, is allowed to speak in his own words of why he now admits he was wrong to help convict Mrs. Routier and he wonders aloud why the jury was not shown all [of] the crime scene photographs at her trial. In the interview with Anne Good of the Justice: Denied staff, Ms. Good makes an extremely convincing call for justice for Mrs. Routier. She is well spoken and her belief in Mrs. Routier's wrongful conviction is plain and without frills and unnecessary words. All in all, Mrs. Routier's supporters are shown as free speaking, free thinking people who believe she has been wrongly convicted and are willing to stand behind that belief.
In the interviews with the soft-spoken Mrs. Routier, it is difficult to get a sense of just how angry she is at the injustice that has been done to her and her family. While most people tend to think that women on death row should look haggard and depressed, Mrs. Routier seems to have not let her dismal surroundings get the better of her. Although make-up is generally not allowed by prison officials, special exceptions are made for certain circumstances. Mrs. Routier takes advantage of the interview as one of those "special occasions." Mrs. Routier seems to be a lovely lady with an "I will get through this" attitude.
The film ends with Mrs. Routier singing the song "You're Still the One" to her surviving son, Drake, in a clear, sweet voice. Mrs. Routier's supporters say that that song is Mrs. Routier's way of connecting with her remaining son even though the prison's rules forbid physical contact. Mrs. Routier is known by her supporters to be a very private person and she seems quite uncomfortable baring her pain to the interviewer; however, she comes across as quite genuine and sincere in her call for justice -- justice not only for her, but for her murdered children.