By the way, Dianes parents mourn the loss of their grandchildren to this day. Nobody near to help. Not that it matters, your opinion is about the case and not subject to geography. The GSR? It is not, as the blogger frequently refers to, evidence. She had a bullet wound in the arm, and the three kids in the back of the blood-soaked car had all been shot at close range. No. Then, 10 days after Diane was sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years, she gave birth to a daughter she named Amy Elizabeth. Diane changed her story about the stranger on the road. I accept that it is sometimes necessary but I believe in rehabilitation. Diane Downs is no exception. I think DD is guilty, but I also think her trial was far from due process, and that is the important issue. Due process always matters. Diane now had the title of dangerous offender. They were in a difficult situation becausewithout evidence, they could notcharge her for the crime. I couldnt get my hands on the book nor find anything in librariesso basically it was many years later I dove into knowing more about this case, that kinda haunted me. There is only one major problem with your scenario. They are now leading their private lives as adults. My guess is the grandparents were so overwhelmed with Dianes case that they let the system take care of the kids at first. Why did they let her daughter testify when she could not know who shot her and said so incessantly until they made her say what they wanted? It sounds like this was not the case with Dianes children. answer the question why didn t steve downs get custody, which will help you get the most accurate answer. The fact that Dianes injury was way more serious than they tried to pretend? Yet that didnt stop Knick from asking Mr. Frederickson for a job and for Dianes hand in marriage (Appendix 81, page Case History Page 25). Bear in mind, that arm consisted of two SHARP bones, cutting at nerves and muscle (1 of bone had been blown out of the arm when the bullet shattered it, leaving three jagged holes in the flesh, out of which bulged torn muscle, and two wedge shaped bones facing each other like dueling swords). So either way, it would not be so far fetched that someone said he was the shooter.A little investigation would not hurt. I point out some obvious facts and discrepancies, and that due process was shoved aside because the state and the media presented a guilty image right from the start. It was pitch black outside. But you sure did comment like a true asshole, huh? Do you remember about two days after that the two of you signing a lease on the apartment? But showing no remorse is part of claiming her innocence and part of the vicious circle of parole hearings. Where are Steve Downs children now? Even if I have no doubt that Hugi loved the kids, we have to wonder why he adopted them two years later just when little Christie started saying she had no clue who shot them. In her case it seems to be more a matter of punishment. Dianes family could give you countless examples of the inaccuracies they found in her book. Since he was in possession of a similar gun, he was a suspect as well, but, when the ballistics did not match, Diane Downs quickly became the prime suspect. Dr. Joshua Budhu is a neuro-oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. They came up with an explanation as to why this was the wrong gun but the jig was up. And if you claim your innocence, it obviously creates a vicious circle of not showing contrition. Yes, dad relinquished his rights but he knew that they loved their grandparents and had allowed Diane to take them for a visit without telling the authorities. In the moment of who shot youmy momhave a hard time believing that could be coached. I dont care what Diane Downs says at the parole board hearing, except if she is innocent or guilty. Now she claims she was dating an FBI agent at the time, was holding some top secret pictures for him, and she was on the road to meet someone to pass them off, at the instruction of her FBI boyfriend. At that timeand now!! I have no idea whether or not she was guilty of the crime. The gun presented at trial being the wrong one is a fact. He failed. I feel compelled to comment on this blog, because having recently read Ann Rules book, I feel exactly as you did. However, Steve later discovered that Danny wasn't his biological son and divorced his wife. The next day, on June 16, 1983, CSD terminated Dianes visitations with her children altogether. Page 10 of Case History. But what happened to Diane Downs' husband? Not giving you free reign here. You can believe what you like. This is what Mrs Downs had to say about the situation. If the answer is, to keep the public safe, then I call BS. That disinformation was alleged by Mr. Hugi the third day into Jim Jaggers defense and it was never objected to by Mr. Jagger . Phenobarbital was administered alongside the Dilantin. Inflammatory and speculative Considering the circumstances, it is difficult not to be a bit cynical about this grand gesture: relevance? I personally disagree with that practice but it is common. Is it the one you tried to use? The price of celebrity for her was losing her freedom and her children for life. Then, they accused her of shooting her kids at close range. You wondered at times, which side he was working for. The proverbial expression It takes two to tango applies here. After graduation, Steven joined the Navy and Diane was sent to Pacific Coast Baptist Bible College where she failed miserably at remaining pure and chaste, not unlike most girls of her generation who rejected their strict religious upbringing. When analysing this blog, look at three statements from the blogger: Diane Downs and Alice Crummins were considered sluts Evidence or not, they were going to do their best to put her away for life. Thanks for posting for readers. that you told Diane to tell steve that she was Knicks Diane did not get a fair trial. The car was splattered with blood, but Diane had none on her. Like I said, the 2 years make it a bit more of a gray area. When they graduated from high school, the two reunited and rekindled their love despite their brief separation. As a rule, any child under the age of ten prompts counsel to question the competence of any testimony that child might give. I do not post rude comments. Mr. 1st, you came back from a trip? And, when she got assigned to the mail routes in the city of Cottage Grove, Oregon, as a part of her job with the U.S. postal service, he didnt have any qualms with her taking the children. In Oregon, in 1983, she shot her 3 children, 1 daughter died. Nobody ignored Dianes demeanor. It had nothing to do with the evidence of the case and represents useless labeling anyway. In addition to treating brain cancer, he works toward health equity. By many accounts, her children adored her. The children should have been receiving therapy throughout. Around 1 in 20 residents in Arkansas and Tennessee were missed during the 2020 census, and four other U.S. states had significant undercounts of their populations which could shortchange them Most people negotiate the ups and downs of . Any thoughts on that? It wasnt until Prosecutor Hugi said Dr. Jamison had labeled Diane a deviant sociopath that Mr. It deserved as much attention as a Unicorn, a song or all the other hearsay floating around because at least, they came from real people signing official documents. I am not from USA, never have been there, but my impression is that in USA media are far more powerful than the justice system and rational thinking is crushed by easy emotional moods, stereotypes and a hunger for violence coated in a pompous moral attitude. This video of Jagger absolutely looks like the photo that you find on search engines for Fred Hugi. Besides, none of those diagnoses are illegal. All smoke and mirrors to fit a certain scenario. Plus, Diane could have never cleaned her clothes and her hair to remove blood and gun powder. You simply are a rude individual looking for a reaction. What about the facts of the case? RAISING THE BAR BUT CERTAINLY NOT IN ARIZONA, http://www.glamour.com/story/i-found-out-my-mother-was-a-killer-the-rebecca-babcock-story, http://www.manipulatedtrial.de/oregon_s_small_sacrifices_1603.pdf, http://www.salem-news.com/articles/july152013/midnight-med-tb-2.php, http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n364/a03.html, http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20080910_Prison-happy_U_S__must_reconsider_use_of_mercy.html, http://sputniknews.com/us/20150620/1023613662.html#ixzz3djEXlSAC, http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/the_prison_state_of_america_20141228, https://www.google.com/search?q=diane+downs+with+christie+cheryl+and+danny&sxsrf=ACYBGNQDEM3XNQjZXlqNQpYLhZCn7ic5iw:1576689995166&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjNuNT427_mAhUcJTQIHbveBMIQ_AUoAXoECA4QAw&biw=1024&bih=462#imgrc=gQkU10UxNhHn_M, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPLkIcSzftE&ab_channel=DianeDownsArchives, Say Her Name But Spell It Right The Tale of Breonna Taylor, And Justice For All The Watts Family Murders, Babe in the Woods & Big Country The Murder of Nicole Vanderheyden, Colonel Russell Williams Where Have You Been? I am not her advocate, but I think she did not get due process. And that Ann Rule took advantage of the situation to sell her book. so which one is it????? Here are the pros and cons of sole legal custody. That doesnt make it true. Click to listen to podcast explaining the gun test, Dianes mental condition and the lack of forensic evidence. Her lover and former husband testified against her but it did not represent evidence but character assassination. Not speculative? http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n364/a03.html // Prison-happy U.S. must reconsider use of mercy; Carol S. Steiker, professor at Harvard Law School, Sep. 10, 2008 , http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20080910_Prison-happy_U_S__must_reconsider_use_of_mercy.html // US Prison Population Soars to 2.3Mln People at Annual Cost of $7Bln The US prison population has soared to 2.3 million people costing the government more than $7 billion per year. (her family confirmed that she had a mood disorder, possibly bipolar 2), So when Dr. George Suckow from the Oregon State Hospital in Salem was called as a States rebuttal witness and he made a professional diagnosis of Diane as histrionics, antisocial and narcissistic, he openly said in court that he interviewed Diane for 1 hour and read evidence presented by the state to make his diagnosis.. Lise do you know if the kids have ever reached out to the grandparents/family in the last few years? They often argued about their financial issues and fought over infidelities. In Rules book, Diane is portrayed as a horrible selfish mother but her family and friends saw another version; she lovedher childrendearly and worked hard to be a good provider. 0. In fact, Diane had consulted a psychologist after the tragedy and after months of consultation, she was never diagnosed as a sociopath. Christie is a married woman and gave birth in 2005. How.. they attacked him. Anne Rule made a big deal of a brass unicorn engraved with the childrens names that Diane had purchased. Just similar stuff.and that I guess, makes it easy for me to see how that song could of fueled her up.never underestimate the power if a song..what feels intense and exciting to you, may not to another, but shoot, anytime I hear pink floyd run like hell.takes me right back 1991 in the heat of my chase..for me, I got the answers I wanted from 89 when my friend said that about the Duran song and it involved in that case. And Steven would hunt her down anyway and charm his way back into her life. That testimony was left unchallenged by Mr. Jagger. TIL On May 19, 1983, Diane Downs shot her three children and drove them at 5-7 mph to the hospital. Ryan is still in his thirties and still building an excellent reputation in the industry. She has an excellent conduct report and never reacted violently to any of the harassment from other inmates. Libby, I quoted what Diane said. What a terrible injustice. The details about the gun missing, the daughters testimony and the fact that she had no blood or gun residues are facts. That poor girl. All Rights Reserved. Unfortunately, Danny Downs was permanently paralyzed from the waist down because of a bullet injury in his back. DA Pat Horton declared early in the game to the local paper that the search for the bearded stranger was not very high on their priority list.. It wasnt until Prosecutor Hugi said Dr. Jamison had labeled Diane a deviant sociopath that Mr. Is Diane really a threat anymore? Forensics or lack thereof and blood splatter? The infamous murder story of 1983 was like an excerpt from a crime thriller, a mother doing the unfathomable. Someone said to me that any of us, if scrutinized under a microscope, would come out looking pretty bad. The powers that be knew they had nothing on Diane so Christie became their sacrificial lamb. Substituting reasonable inference and evidence for tarot cards? N u pleaded guilty of murdering ur husband. Why on earth would anyone recommend leaving the kids with the grandparents? I like the way you keep an open mind about Diane herself and what she may or may not have been going through mentally. The most frequent remarks I hear about the case when confronted by the state misconduct and the lack of evidence are gut feelings I dont buy it Shes guilty She did it I know she did it Her story makes no sense Shes evil Shes crazy. It had to be her.. On May 19, 1983, Elizabeth Diane Downs and her three small children were shot on a country road near Springfield, Oregon. Even if I have no doubt that Hugi loved the kids, we have to wonder why he adopted them two years later just when little Christie started saying she had no clue who shot them. If Hugi got attached to the children, why did he wait 2 years when little Christie was starting to say she had no clue who shot them? Im from Australia and have recollections of this case. And if he really was attached to them and wanted to offer them a permanent home, it means he was unfit to be the prosecutor in this case. If the grandparents and uncle had visitation rights, they could have respected some rules as far as not discussing the case, but imagine if she had told them that she did not remember? She even became a surrogate mother to make money and provide two parents the opportunity to have a child. The fact that she took the kids to the nearest hospital, andtwo of them survived kind offlies in the face of their murder at all costs theory. John Kitzhaber, Governor of Oregon It should be illegal to use real names and facts from a criminal case while influencing the publicto falselybelieve that the whole content of the filmis true. What about the fact that they never found the gun? Mainly because she is being kept caged due to her name recognition at this point, not her offense. It is documented in the blog where I give the source In the 1996 Federal Petition, you can find the Anatomy of Brainwashing that can answer any question on this subject. She had no blood spatter or gun powder residue on her hands,clothing or hair. According to The Cinemaholic, Steve was found to not be a good fit to care for his kids who would need specialized care and had been through a very traumatic event. Most get through it fine, maybe some complications or pain, maybe even some post pardum. Is it just to continue to punish her so long after she is obviously no longer a danger in any way to anyone? That her child was basically forced to admit that she saw her mom shoot them? Then feel free to correct the facts and to provide evidence to support them. Can you imagine your little boy growing up to beat to death (with his bare hands and boots) Is she referring to her ex husband? An attractive woman whose two children were killed in mysterious circumstances and the cops decided to go after her. Ive done my research. There isnt a whole lot known about where Steve Downs is these days. How was DD able to get away from CK and get the keys back into the ignition without there being more attempts on her life? Whats wrong with the system is whats wrong with us. When your goal is to call me dude, insult my name and trash my blog, you can go on other sites who will love to spar with you while swallowing the old narrative of high profile cases. Comments about the title of the website, the blogger, the bias, details like the word bipolar and when it was used when cyclothymic disorder was diagnosed by the person who treated the subject and there is an affidavit posted. Someone found guilty of a crime should have a sentence that can be served and not one that is contingent on the remorse shown. Diane didnt ask Knick to leave his wife. As was his habit, Knick failed to take into consideration what Diane or his wife had to say on the matter. He had an attorney, Fred G. Campbell Jr., send us a letter denying our request and telling us: You are legally, as well as factually, a stranger to them. Who does he think he is? Bannon, a former adviser . Washing soda is your best bet: It includes, among its ingredients, the exceedingly corrosive carbolic acid. Go reading US: The American Gulag, 26 Mar 2009 Exploding prison populations in the US serve a basic need of capitalism. She repeated it years later at school. I dont disagree, I just think it is another example of flaws in our justice system. Two jurors had voted that Diane was not guilty of attempted murder or first-degree assault, but endedup voting to convict her of murder. A. Nobody had any reason for a conspiracy of this magnitude over a literal nobody. I say these things if I were on the jury. A prosecutor inventing a new psychiatric category in court and labeling the accused is kind of unsettling. But Diane was not the one dragging Knick out of Charlenes bed every morning intent on making or breaking his relationship with another woman. According to Glamour, the motive given for why Diane shot her kids was thought to be because the married man she was seeing at the time did not want any children. Diane was found guilty and sentenced to life and she has been in prison ever since. To this day, his record is mixed; his law license was suspended for6 monthsin 2011, and there was also talk of a suspension in 2015. Nothing came from Diane herself. Foote ruled in favor of the prosecution and against the defenseon most of the admissible evidence questions including all the nurses notes about Danny talking about a man shooting him but admitted Christies reports about her mother shooting her. Basically then at that This was the prosecution and conviction of (Elizabeth) Diane Downs who has now been incarcerated for too many years in one of Californias (overcrowded) State prisons. She said a bunch of really stupid things in the media (my kids were lucky, not me gets the palm) and basically bury herself. Read More: Where Is Robert Knickerbocker Now? The reason Im harsh is because Ive detected that youve paid for this site and therefore cant be wrong. It deserved as much attention as a Unicorn, a song or all the other hearsay floating around because at least, they came from real people signing official documents. Christie was only eight, had suffered gunshot wounds and was in shock. I would say so. My website is in the process of being migrated so it has no photos. It seems they all went the easy way. Not an easy situation for him as I would imagine. Would you know at what speed you are going if you were shot and driving with wounded children in the car? Mr. Jagger failed to challenge that competency. Page 40 of Case History. They should have looked for a possible accomplice and checked all the leads. I cant believe anyone even believes or even follows you. On May 19, 1983, Elizabeth Diane pulled over her car by the side of the road in Springfield, Oregon and shot her children multiple times with a 22-calibre pistol. I guess Diane forgot to have that part engraved on the Unicorn. It was pretty apparent during the course of this saga that the media and the state were willing to give a free pass to anyone willing to badmouth Diane. Their theory was very shaky. Of course I saw movie first, then read the bookI wanted more, sadly early Internet days, there wasnt much out there, as far as info or video, picturesnothing really. Either way he could NOT have seen who shot him unless he has eyes in the back of his head. As she walked away, Detective Welch called after her, If you dont testify against Steve, youre going to lose everything. Diane turned back to say, Show me proof, and walked away. I watched the paroles hearing in 08, was lucky to find it, it was streamed live at the timemy sister, who is a whiz with computers, found it for me. Why was no one in the family given the right to adopt them. The photo of Hugi I used is the one you find when you do a search online for Fred Hugi who prosecuted Diane Downs. It is not a plus, but it is not a crime either. Click here to read the complaint. Diane Frederickson was born August 7, 1955 in Phoenix, Arizona. Danny downs did indeed say a man shot him he also blamed a cartoon character. As her brother mentioned, it would not be that farfetched for his sister to stop for someone considering that she was a person who lacked impulse control and the era. A history of use of drugs, alcohol or even cigarettes can all be deemed as counts against a parent in court. Who are Steve Downs children? She also told media she became pregnant without Steve's "permission." 4 Steve has never spoken publicly about his ex-wife, Diane Credit: AP Where is Steve now? Do not forget that she got letters of support from a warden and psychiatrist. It is not because a defendant is found guilty or disliked that it is acceptable to bend the rules. I tried to contact you by email but my email wouldnt acknowledge you email address. It was the story of Diane Downs. I worked for county government child welfare for a decade. Yes Gigi, the same judge who had removed the children was also presiding over her trial. Otherwise you just want people to fill your echo chamber that agree with you, tell anyone else you obviously dont want to debate me.., then ban, then hope for people to agree. Every single one. I agree that the phone call from Angel was totally inappropriate. Open ended sentences like this are meant to provide a means of control and public safety when considering dangerous offenders who may pose a continued risk to the public. The most recent tape of her daughter is not admissible because it is never allowed to bring out tapes that were obtained this way. Just my opinion. By the time Danny was born, they were having intense arguments about infidelity that Steve got convinced that he wasnt his biological son. No conflict of interest from a prosecutor adopting a defendants children 2 years after the fact? The point is our trials need to be conducted fairly and based on evidence. ANNE RULES BOOK IS A LIE, ,ALL MADE UP CRAP. How interesting. Diane had a few lovers, which Knick refused to acknowledge (Appendix 81, pages 1508, 1520). In what world is that O.K. He gave temporary custody to Dr. Wilhite. She said She did it. So if we started judging people harshly for their flaws, it would never end. As soon as Diane was found guilty, Hugi demanded that Diane be evaluated by a psychiatrist before sentencing so they could declare her a dangerous offender and give her a stiffer sentence. This whole tale is just unbelievable. And after Diane left Arizona she didnt call Knick to inquire about his love, but rather about when he would repay the $500 (Appendix 81, pages 1479-1480). Ruger #14-76187; described as the gun used by Diane and belonging to Steve Downs, was not the murder weapon. Mr. Downs must have had a bad feeling about Jagger because before trial: speculation Become TUKO.co.ke ambassador get a branded T-shirt, hoodie or water bottle at our TUKO Shop! Her ex-husband has been of great interest, considering his absence from the media despite the case getting significant attention. The goal is always to keep family ties intact. In the beginning, detectives believed Diane's story, but they were not prepared for the actual story narrated by Christie, who survived the incident. I was being sarcastic. While these are all good questions, (and were maybe all asked in the jury room during deliberations) I doubt the answers even matter anymore. The bushy haired stranger that police had gotten a lead on worked at the country club he was at work at that time and had a sever speech impediment. I lived in Eugene, Oregon for years. This seems very punitive to have a law like this be retroactive. And the interrogations were not tapedand barelydocumented. That makes no sense. Makes no difference to me. It seems that the Downs were totally ignored. Her mom is still alive and would love to have contact but respect that they wont. Anyways, I was 10 years old when this happened, I stayed with my aunt and uncle a lot in those years, in which they watched A LOT of nightly news programs.lol most of it was like white noise to me, as I would play with my barbies on their living room floorbut I do remember this story. Shes where she belongs. And Robert Knickerbocker became one of her lovers. At the very least, she should have been released by now. Brewer changed his mind. Copyright 2023 Distractify. CK was willing to take, or attempt to take, the lives of 4 people in order to steal their car. I go through every new finding and I point out what was done at trial that did not respect due process. please express them and I will print them. Mr. A. I was still living in the house, yes, sir. Very little is definitively known in this area. The whole blog claims the trial was flawed. Farrah had trouble with the law because of a passionate love affair with a movie director. Charlene would call Diane at all hours of the day and night to threaten violence if Diane continued on with her husband. After the trial that convicted Diane Downs, Fred Hugi, the Prosecutor adopted Christie and Danny (they were in foster care for 2 years before he decided to adopt them), the two surviving children. If there is one thing Diane knew about her lover, is that he was fickle and did not like trouble of any kind. Another significant development about the children is that Danny is great with computers but is still paralyzed from the bullet that hit his back but is leading a regular life. Diane Downs was convicted because she didn't appear "sorry enough" during her TV appearances. Danny and Christie survived the attack while middle child, Cheryl, died from her injuries at the time. Moms were working more, we were becoming the latch key generation, as in we let ourselves in alone while still in elementary school.when I mentioned before about maturity of a 8, 9, 10 year oldwe loved playing outside on bikes, and playing with our dolls, boys usually had their action figures..lol.and we loved our moms, even if they were young and liked to go out and sent us to babysitters..the book and movie, Im quite sure, over did the situation..and Im sure there was more on both sides, the family of diane, diane herself, but well never know all the details. Her 7-year old daughter Cheryl died but her 3-year old son Danny and her 8-year old daughter Christie survived. Growing up, Diane had felt like an outsider and kids had been cruel towards her because of her real or imagined ugly duckling looks and demeanor. So they did everything in their power to slant the media and the public in their favor. How ironic that the court and cops were so quick to believe Steve Downs, but he gave up on his own children after the tragedy. The unreliability of childrens testimony has been documented by cognitive psychologists such as Elizabeth Loftus of the University of Cornell and others.
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