They now have social media arenas reminiscent of the Romans cheering at the sight of a thumb down meaning there will be a bloodshed. In this article, we can clearly see that Becky struggled and tried to justify her woes (maybe rightly so) by blaming it on her DNA. I would say so. The whole family were co-conspirators and involved in the crime? It would not benefit you, my children, or society for me to perpetuate that lie. This case had many similarities to the Alice Crimminsstory. The two mental disorders that cause excessive talking are Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia. Shes guilty. That disinformation was alleged by Mr. Hugi the third day into Jim Jaggers defense and it was never objected to by Mr. Jagger . The states own witness, Dr. George Suckow and Dr. Polly Jamison denounced Prosecutor Hugis practice as improper and unethical (Appendix 101 and 104). There is also a recording where she says that she had no idea who shot them. As was his habit, Knick failed to take into consideration what Diane or his wife had to say on the matter. She was also shot twice andifshe had been sitting up, the seats would have been covered with blood spatter as well as the shooter. If Diane was bipolar, the non-stop chatter would have been inherent to the situation. Detective Antoine also performed a trace metal test on Diane I S hands to detect the presence of trace metals left after someone has touched or held something metallic like a gun (Appendix 65). I will agree that it was suspicious that Diane got away with one bullet in the arm, even if the injury was severe, but she was outside the car and many scenarios are possible to that effect. One of the more bizarre scenes in this farce of an investigation was about to unfold. This is especially if it comes with a history of erratic behavior following the use of these substances. They said so and were told to go back to deliberate. I dont know the woman. Having recently done research on the Liysa Northons case which was the subject of a book written by Ann Rule titled Heart Full of Lies,I came across some very interesting information about the Diane Downs case because Rule attended the trial and also wrote a book about the case called Small Sacrifices. tell someone else. I would like to raise the numerous issues with this blog. The scene described in Small Sacrifices with little Christie hooked up to a machine and her pulse accelerates because she is terrified ofher mother is doubtful and subject to interpretation. After Diane was convicted, the two living children were adopted by the prosecutor in the case and his wife, and it was Christie who ultimately pointed to her mother being responsible for the shooting. I base a lot on what I see and hear from her in her own words in footage of a 28 yr old woman. 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. They both would fall in love and decide they want to marry each other. Her 7-year old daughter Cheryl died but her 3-year old son Danny and her 8-year old daughter Christie survived. I then question how she would not have blood splatter if she shot them inside the car at close range. In the blog, there is a link on the subject of bipolar people who tend to laugh at the wrong time. I had never heard of this case and fell upon several videos that had me completely convinced DD was a narcissistic psychopath. Being a patient of the doctor who saved the childrens lives has nothing to do with the facts of a case. Considering the circumstances, it is difficult not to be a bit cynical about this grand gesture: relevance? She had no priors and no history of violence in prison. She then went through the State (Circuit) Court habeas corpus relief for four years to no avail. John Shea who played Fred in the TV movie Small Sacrifices even looks like him. Maybe that her mom was obviously not well after spending her life in prison so it would have been a good idea to meet the Downss family quietly and get the jest of it. To have separated Christie from her brother and the rest of the family to be able to get her mom was unconscionable. And, one of them was her ex-husband, the father of the children that Diane had shot. http://www.dianedowns.com/Dr.%20Jamison%20affidavit.pdf. Indeed, Diane Down's murder case was a shocker for detectives. It does not get any bigger than this. Why on earth would anyone recommend leaving the kids with the grandparents? We dont know. But you are right to say that it is my site. And Im really not on the fence the little girl was coachedI believe the ex husband , his freinds, and her lovers were invalid either way. As we have reported in great detail in the past, Diane Downs could not possibly have committed the crime of shooting her children, or there would have been evidence of gunpowder residue and blood. Seriously. The trial was a whole miscarriage, that seems undeniable. Within a few weeks, a judge had placed the surviving kids, Christie and Danny, in protective custody. And these men in black perceived this as an act of war, and proceeded to go after them with every legal or illegal means at their disposal. She never hurt anyone in the process of escaping. It is said that they didn't go to Steve because he wasn't a fit father or well equipped to take care of children who had gone through such a traumatic experience. Danny said several times that a bad man shot them and it was written in the nurses notes, but never that his mother shot him. Of course, her mental health has deteriorated. Christie and Danny have no contact with their father, and they have completed their education. The reason Im harsh is because Ive detected that youve paid for this site and therefore cant be wrong. I have nothing to gain and I am not making up songs and dances about a unicorn. I think it posible she brought the kids there to be shot by someone else. Diane is not a killer or a liar! It was writtenrepeatedly in the daily notes that the children were happy to see their mom and asked for her. You can click here to read about the case of Alice Crimmins during which the lead detective was heard telling the other cops before the bodies of the children were ever found:You take the husband, Ill take the bitch.. Her mom is still alive and would love to have contact but respect that they wont. I think you may be right that she is likely still locked up due to her diagnoses of antisocial, histrionic and narcissistic, but again, no one would care and this crappy diagnosis wouldnt have been bought and paid for if not the high profile nature of the case. So, why didn't Steve Downs get custody? Also, the title of the website clearly demonstrates an inherit bias. Pay attention: Become TUKO.co.ke ambassador get a branded T-shirt, hoodie or water bottle at our TUKO Shop! Judges are subject to certain ethical standards and have a duty to be impartial. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Kenyas #1 news app. There were many problems with her trial and that matters. She has come a long way. According to Detective Welch, Steve Downs followed Diane to Oregon, they fought and Steves rage took the last step on the path hed been treading for a long time. And on this site, I mention that I take a restorative approach. 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? I am sorry the meaning of nonsense evades you like the facts of the case in this instance. Just a thought. Only in Hollywood and in Ann Rules books, would you find such fantasy. I wanted to ask you something on this case. But Diane couldnt do that. Every single one. Christie Downs was eight-years old when she was injured and nine-years old when she testified. The prosecutor and his wife adopted both children that survived and although the boy is paralyzed and in a wheelchair, they trived with their new parents. Her daughter told the media she watched Small Sacrifices several times. She was not given one inch of presumption of innocence. You can check this link and go online to see her picture with Cheryl and the rest of the family. The most exciting thing about Steve is that he never appeared in public despite the immense case against his wife. That same gun turned up at a police raid years later in Perris, California, and it did not match the ballistics from the shooting site. She talked to Diane for 15 minutes, there was thebizarre and partialOprah interview that was basically a lets bash Diane event and she wrote to Diane in jail to ask her what she thought of Hugi adopting her children. In 1979, headstrong Diane gave birth to Danny who was not Stevens biological son because he had no desire to be a father again. Blood, cuts, limo driver who saw him come in, the shoe print, the blood in the car and on the socks in his bedroom. (Feature Image Credit: ABC News / 20/20). Their marriage was described as tumultuous, with Downs allegedly disappearing for long periods of time with her children. Here's what we know. They are still part of their birth family. Diane did not get a fair trial. I guess he did not want too many people to know about the improprieties that happened in his courtroom: I guess? That is the reason effective trial counsel challenges the competency of a nine-year-old child to testify in a court of law. By the time Danny was born, they were having intense arguments about infidelity that Steve got convinced that he wasnt his biological son. Even more now with hindsight because of the gun and the fact that her daughter kind of recanted by demonstrating that if pushed, she will say what is expected of her. 1) Gunshot residue/blood splatter. It was positive only on a small portion of her upper hand where she said the gun touched her when she wrestled with the attacker (a detail she had mentioned before they did the test). It does not contradict what I said, but what they said. She said a bunch of really stupid things in the media (my kids were lucky, not me gets the palm) and basically bury herself. On May 30, 1983, the McKenzie-Willamette Hospital Chaplain told Dianes father to hire an attorney because the State was going to take his grandchildren away. I have no idea how the social workers and county attorneys justified doing their due diligence in preserving the family (mandated by law) when they were in court. What they did to her daughter is unconscionable. If, as Proctor said, it was exchanged right away, and the other Ruger was subsequently stolen by Steven, how was it remotely possible for him to have this info? (I know that wasnt brought up this time but it usually is.) I found nothing. Instead, they treated the Downs with great cruelty long after their daughter was incarcerated and they fought hard for them. Thats the point. The case of Diane Downs and her three children is one of those a horrible tragic case that people still think about 37 years later. Almost from day one, Diane was perceived as a cancer they had to remove. This coercion came to Dianes attention in January 1989 (Appendix 39). Page 41 of case history. Either way he could NOT have seen who shot him unless he has eyes in the back of his head. Become TUKO.co.ke ambassador get a branded T-shirt, hoodie or water bottle at our TUKO Shop! She was found guilty. Many people have wondered why the two separated after seven years of marriage. The discovery that he wasnt his biological child made him leave the relationship. It gave Anne Rule carte blanche to legally use these labels in her book and it stuck. But, we cant help but notice that a few key individuals of her family, so to speak, didnt give those insightful interviews. Diane Downs was one of the most infamous murderers of the 1980s; the emotionally flat blonde was convicted of shooting her three children, killing one of them, along a roadway in Springfield,. In 1984, Diane was convicted of the death and injuries of her children, and she was sentenced to life in prison. I write about cases where due process is in question and important aspects were ignored or twisted. So until today, people still don't know much about him, and his whereabouts remain a mystery. They lied about the ballistics. danny also said a cartoon character shot themalso he was SHOT IN THE BACK how could he see the shooter????????? Some 287 errors and falsehoods were documented by Liysa and verified by official sources. If you are not bothered by lack of due process and a prosecutor making up psychiatric labels and adopting kids from a defendant or a judge who gets promoted from family court to criminal court to hang Diane, I am sure bothered by it. What mother takes her kids out at night and then stops for a stranger with her kids in the car? Without her daughters testimony and the lies about the gun, they could not have found her guilty in a fair trial. But Ann Rules utterly biased account is an insult to investigative journalism and there seems to be very reasonable doubt here. Its as if they cant control it. Then ask yourself if thats how you want your son to grow up. Tina, if you look at family pictures of the Downs, Christie is the eldest and this is her picture. 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? 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. 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. She has been denied parole 2x and is up again in 2020. Imagine the ones there for years. This really makes me angry, that prosecuter and judge should be sued along with the writter. Mr. Jagger failed to challenge that competency. Page 40 of Case History. But I am more than willing to review any new info. Just my opinion. Any thoughts on that? In fact, watching that was the first time I heard her voice and saw her presence, it was a year or so later that old interviews showed up on YouTube. It has nothing to do with the facts of the case. Wasnt it speculative on their part? ABC MOVIE FOR TV Small Sacrifices 1989 Farrah Fawcett, Ryan ONeal. From the very beginning, the DAs office had their ducks in a row because in an unprecedented move, Judge Gregory Foote who had denied access to the children by all blood relatives and given their care over to the State, was promoted from juvenile to senior judge to preside over the trial of Diane Downs. The Media or ISIS? It could be argued that he developed a relationship with the children and genuinely wanted them to join his family. Are we to believe that Proctors second gun was stolen with the bill and ID from the first gun that remained listed at the gun store? He said all the police needed was for Diane to bear witness against her ex-husband. Plus, the circumstances of this charade were more than sinister. This reminds me of what a jail counselor named Rachel Roth said at the trial of Debra Milke Its my opinion that this young woman has been judged in a way that signifies something to do with how we view women in our society. He may still reside in Arizona, but there is no proof of the same. The case was so one sided that it is about time some of us bring up the other side. People can have a certain vibe and act out of the norms, but it does not make them necessarily guilty. 4. Yeah, Ive noticed a lot of people thing Jim Jagger is Fred Hugi. Right?? Phenobarbital was administered alongside the Dilantin. Q. It did not matter that they had no evidence; they did not like her attitude and she was going to pay for it. We will never know what really happened because the authorities acted too hastily and the media was a huge hindrance. a clinical lab to Dianes not being herself the day the Detectives pressured Diane to accompany them, the fact is Diane was clearly suffering the residual effects of that chemical poison in her system. She even provided the police with her own sketch. Sheriffs Deputy Roy Pond admitted in court that he had already concluded that Diane was guilty and stopped following leads on the orders of his sergeantthree weeks after the shooting. Christie was born in October of 1974 and Cheryl Lynn in January of 1976. Steve made some piss poor choices when he had visitation with the kids after the shooting; he permitted them to go off alone with Dianne, when she was not supposed to have had any contact at all with the children. The hell with doubts, ballistics and pesky details about the shooting, we cannot disagree becausethere is hunting and fishing to do and friendships to uphold. In her book Heart Full of Lies, Rule took so many liberties with the facts that Liysa Northon sued her. Surprisingly, he accepted the new child and learned to love him dearly. She is supposed to be locked up for murder, etc. The time was spent waiting for the clock to tick down the final seconds for all appeals to the parental termination to be allowed. You are telling me to take my smugness elsewhere because it is tiresome. Critics said she deliberately became pregnant in order to garner sympathy from the jury. 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. She signed an affidavit to that effect and wanted the jury informed of it but it was never done. Children imitate their parents every move. No matter how much Ive read, or how many of her constant at the time interviews I watch on YouTube, the things that come from her brain to her mouth never cease to amaze me. Diane then replied, so, put her back on the stand and make her tell the truth. He said he would when it was his turn, but never did. I am quite bothered by what happened in that courtroom and in the media. Lise do you know if the kids have ever reached out to the grandparents/family in the last few years? Common sense will tell this Court, when Diane accidently slammed her mangled arm into the steering wheel of Detective Tracys car, it was ANYTHING but a laughing matter. They are the ones who considered Dianes children as Small Sacrifices. Its more boring to tell the truth and the readers might not have flocked to read a fair story without no real heroes and villains. Makes no difference to me. 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. Youre right to say that a GSR is not always foolproof and between 10-20% of suicide GSR kits test negative for GSR. It was not unlike brainwashing. As for where he is now, well be honest, were not completely sure. I lived through the media coverage. What?? She said She did it. As far as Hugi is concerned, it was a total conflict of interest. It is normally done (in fact in many jurisdictions, can ONLY be done) by going through the process in a different state or county then the one the applicant works with. They felt safe there. Dianes father tried to hire Melvin Belli, but the judge refused to give him some time to prepare and come back to the US. I felt there was something that should be done, but I was at a loss in how to cope with the Court that had given the children to the prosecutor and allowed false testimony to seal her fate. Then, 10 days after Diane was sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years, she gave birth to a daughter she named Amy Elizabeth. They did a trace metal test to see if Diane had held a gun. A slightly humorous observation is that you said, and others have, that James Haynes physically resembled the sketch. Too bad she did not interview Diane or her family. A very reasonable request that was rejected. WTF? I tried to contact you by email but my email wouldnt acknowledge you email address. I would like to believe this is the truth. She could not have been shot twice in the back while sitting up and have the bullet pierce her body to end up under the floorboard of the passenger side. The blog tries to bring balance and more objectivity to a case that was TOTALLY one sided and still is. It was obvious to the cops and the prosecution because they proceeded to get her daughter to testify against her because they had nothing to prove she was the shooter. Let me tell you, it wasnt just the investigators and the prosecution that didnt believe herwe, Oregonians, (who ACTUALLY live here and watched what was happening) believe she is guilty. If he was getting too close to the witness emotionally he should have stepped away from the case. The State produced a witness (Ms. Patterson) to testify that Diane Downs entered the hospital bathroom, left the door open, and ran water in the sink (Appendix 87, page 476). In fact, Knick admits Diane took that gold chain as collateral against a $500 LOAN she made to him. You hit the nail right on the head. It is said that their union was loveless and that Steve was a player who was also quite irresponsible and immature from time to time. It was far fetched, unfoundedand convenientlyrelayedby Rule to boost the sales of her book. On her way to the hospital,she was followed by someone who said she was going slow, but Diane said she was driving fairly fast. Anne Rule might have inflamed the case with her book Small Sacrifices and her theory of the crime, but in reality, the case of Diane Downs was no small sacrifice. McPherron: And you had no contact with her . Legally speaking, we do not go after people because they look evil or crazy. You are not the only one who thinks she is guilty and I know that getting their man at all cost is a popular mantra, but I disagree. Either way, it appears to be a conflict of interest. It seems that not being American might help us view the case and Rules narrative with more objectivity. 4. I do not have to put any statement advising people that I am about to present the neglected aspects of the trial. Oh my. I believe DDs case needs to be re looked at and all evidence reviewed. Maybe because of her notoriety and the victims were children. Diane had consulted a psychologist after the tragedy and after months of consultation, she was never diagnosed as a sociopath. A demonstration in court strongly suggested that the shooter had to be left-handed to have been able to shoot in the car at the right angle. They had him micromanaged, and with the testimony of little Christie they were in business: argumentative I still remember my mother picking up the paper and seeing the headline. There was never a real motive for the crime even if the State insisted that Diane wanted to be free to pursue her love interest; using her journals to support theirclaim. May be the guy who says he did it. Her husband turned out to be a player and a very irresponsible guy who did not really love her. 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.. While Rules book is biased, it was a look into the view of those who wanted justice for those children, wether you agree w/ their conclusion or not, that was their goal. That she had no blood or gun powder anywhere when she allegedly shot at close range? The prescribed normal dosage for a full grown man is 30 milligrams per day. Her case was too public and they are afraid of public backlash. . Are her parents still living (I know they were a few years ago)? Ur not showing facts that Ann Rule lied n misled n ruined lives with. But what happened to Diane Downs' husband? Most were married because Diane had no desire to remarry. During the process of the termination (which can take the whole 2 years in question, with appeals) the court is mandated to find family to take the children. It was also said at trial that the shooter would have been left handed, which was not the case for Diane. Ginsburg didn't think women should get to do what men did because she believed they would do the job better; she wanted equality for its own liberating sake. She was no mother of the year, I will grant them that, but a trial is supposed to be based on evidence. Foote refused 30 to 50 reports by detectives of sightings or leads about the shooter but admitted reports from people in Arizona willing to badmouth Diane. I would like to see her released because I do not believe in life without parole for any inmate with no priors who had a good conduct while incarcerated. A group of ladies formed a group called HELDD which stands for Help Exonerate & Liberate Diane Downs. And being the mother of three only served to propel Diane in a more manic state. We had a thoughtful jury that examined the evidence over four days. I personally dont think she is innocent but that isnt the point. 1. No OTHER reason. Where to begin? But her behavior became the most important factor in the investigation that followed.