 Rowlett gained international notoriety in 1996 when local resident Darlie Routier was convicted of murdering her children as they slept.In 2003 the town made an unsuccessful formal proposal to get the Dallas Cowboys to move to a "5-Point Park" on the banks of Lake Ray Hubbard when the lease for Texas Stadium expires.In 2013 the Rowlett City Council was challenged by the Freedom From Religion Foundation and Metroplex Atheists regarding opening prayer invocations at city hall meetings.