why didn't steve downs get custody
Yet, that is exactly what the videotape showsDiane laughing hysterically about hurting her arm. 6. I am not sure of the exact timing of Dianes accusations but the Downs family did not only include the grandparents and they were never considered even before this nonsense. She had one arm totally out of commission. But there were discrepancies; the tool marks did not matchand the detective lied on the stand about it. Either way he could NOT have seen who shot him unless he has eyes in the back of his head. No conflict of interest there? There is no way that a jury would convict Diane today, based on the clearly coached testimony of Christie. And that Ann Rule took advantage of the situation to sell her book. And he was found not guilty because his defense team played the race card in an area of LA where they did not trust the police and discussed EDTA and DNA ad nauseam to confuse the jurors. Leslie Van Houten is an example of a woman who probably will never see the light of day because of her high profile status. This unexpected proposal took Diane by surprise at a large family gathering. And once again, considering that she was diagnosed as bipolar, did not help her cause. The children were in the hospital, it isnt like they could have taken them home. But, their marriage was far from what either of them had expected. Right after her first surgery, The Detectives were adamant that they HAD to have Diane right then to recreate the incident- unless of course, you have something to hide. The way Christie was coached did not correspond to the reality of the direct evidence. If she was the shooter, it had to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. 2. The US is a very strange bird when it comes to crime and punishment. When they graduated from high school, the two reunited and rekindled their love despite their brief separation. Speculative. Lori, I luv how you ended your comment Lets also remember that this is the US of A and we dont lock people up for being narcissistic, antisocial histrionic individuals. Diane now had the title of dangerous offender. I go through every new finding and I point out what was done at trial that did not respect due process. Also, he has never given television interviews about his family or ex-wife, who is now serving time in prison. According to various sources, Steve chose to separate from his wife after discovering that Stephen Daniel, their third child, was the product of her wife's relationship with a colleague. Usually it isnt there but every once in awhile, it comes out. Her family members were quite capable of taking care of the children. Why did CK shoot the kids multiple times and DD once? Within a few weeks, a judge had placed the surviving kids, Christie and Danny, in protective custody. I know better now than to accept blindly the truth presented to us on a silver platter by the media and the judicial system. Anyway, it takes a good scrubbing with soap and water to get rid of gun powder residues and doing so with only one arm would be quite difficult. And I care about the lack of evidence. So she warns her to stay away. They now throw people in prison in the US for debts. And she would have been under supervision. It would never happen todaynever. During Dianes examination at trial, Fred Hugi said in front of the jury, in the form of a question, that she had been diagnosed as a , Anne Rule made a big deal of a brass unicorn engraved with the childrens names that Diane had purchased. Knick never signed the premarital agreement and Diane never married him. Police witness reports of strangers and confessions were suppressed or not pursued. But I am more than willing to review any new info. Of course, her mental health has deteriorated. Diane, of her own admission, had plenty of affairs while she worked at the Post Office. I lived in Eugene, Oregon for years. But what happened to Diane Downs' husband? Three weeks after the crime, Judge Foote from family courts, removed Danny and Christie from the care of Diane Downs and her family. 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. Transgender CeCe McDonald Out of Prison but Not Out of the Woods. This blogger believes in the presumption of innocence and in the possibility of redemption. However, Elizabeth was expelled from the religious institution as she didn't conform to the school's strong religious values. Ann Rule has always been sensationalist, and her books were almost unreadable at the end of her publishing days. The definition of deviant sociopath does not even exist in the DSM-HI: Downs lawyer at the time should have objected as the term was non existent. Nobody ignored Dianes demeanor. The best policy for Diane Downs would have been to remain silent, but she fought back and smiled at the wrong time and according to them, enjoyed the attention. I dont understand how the family court managed to isolate 2 severely traumatized and grievously injured children from their entire family. You are already subscribed to our newsletter! Thats the point. Pay attention: Become TUKO.co.ke ambassador get a branded T-shirt, hoodie or water bottle at our TUKO Shop! The authorities believed that the children's father was not a good fit to look after the children after what they had endured when their mother tried to murder them. I like to believe the best about people too but there are certain things that absolutely cant be ignored. You cannot skip due process because of mob mentality. The men in her life were in no shape or form called on their irresponsible or wild behavior. She was expelled and reunited with him against her parents wishes. Regardless of the facts you point out, there is no doubt in my mind that Diane Downs is guilty. The jurors had doubts. According to her hospital records, every 6 hours she was given 400 milligrams of Dilantin (which is noted for causing confusion). Diane Downs is no exception. A group of ladies formed a group called HELDD which stands for Help Exonerate & Liberate Diane Downs. Thank you for presenting a side of the story & case apart from the usual narrative. May be the guy who says he did it. You are telling me to take my smugness elsewhere because it is tiresome. But people never want to touch the high profile cases where the defendant is not likable. He then left !his second wife, Charlene, to cohabitate with (and propose marriage to) Diane. I understand that the authorities were afraid to leave the two remaining children under her care if they thought she was guilty, but they could have been released to the grandparents or other blood relatives with supervised visits from their mom considering that she was not charged with any crime. Again thats opinion, and neither balanced nor objective. Without the media blast and rush to judgment from the police and DAs office, we might have uncovered the truth. I dont know how familiar she was with the area, but I do not think that it matters anyway. You hit the nail right on the head. That she had no blood or gun powder anywhere when she allegedly shot at close range? (I know that wasnt brought up this time but it usually is.) I wasnt there and the records will never be brought to light as far as the child welfare case. 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.. I dont know that it could get worse than writing an asinine comment on a restorative justice website that states that only respectful and constructive comments will be posted. 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. The Parole Board had an obligation to parole Diane between 1998 and 2002 if she could provide reasonable cause to show she was not a danger to society. It was pitch black outside. This case needed to be examined more thoroughly, but the mob mentality didnt allow it. If not, why not? She never mentioned that before, and she doesnt mention the FBI agents name. It gave Anne Rule carte blanche to legally use these labels in her book and it stuck. 6. Her mom is still alive and would love to have contact but respect that they wont. 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. Also, the title of the website clearly demonstrates an inherit bias. How could they expect a normal mother/daughter reunion between a beaten inmate whose mental health had degraded and a daughter trapped in this insanity? 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. There were a few calls and on one occasion,Christie said They just, they knew that, you know, that she did it and I should say that she did it. When asked if she thought her mother did it or someone else did it, she replied, I dont know if she did it or someone else did, cause I dont know. Then Angel says: They told you that was the right thing to do, huh? Christie responds, But like the person, my attorney, and thats who Fred is, that Im living with, hes the guy, he works for me.. For all my life I have thought I was not that smart, but now I can tell myself, hey cheer up could be worse. N u pleaded guilty of murdering ur husband. Libby, I quoted what Diane said. Women who were somewhat normal begore, get pregnant, have the baby, then drown it a toilet, kill or beat the the baby in the first year..shaking or other means..its less often then notbut better believe these type of cases are reported constantly now on social media. 4.Diane was NOT arrested for almost a year after the shootings the d.a. She is currently in prison, serving her life sentence for the murder of one of her kids and attempted murder for the other two. In my blog, I was referring to the case of Liysa Northon whose suit was dismissed, but when Ann Rule tried to sue the Seattle Magazine, its editor and Northons husband for their article on her shoddy work, she lost and had to pay restitution. In 1984, Diane Downs was convicted of shooting her three children, 3-year-old Danny, 7-year-old Cheryl, and 8-year-old Christie. No other shooter involved in her case. She did diagnose her as suffering from cyclothymic disorder and treated her accordingly. As a rule, any child under the age of ten prompts counsel to question the competence of any testimony that child might give. Whether it tugs at your heartstrings or angers you to the core, these stories could have happened years ago, and they still take up space in your memories. Most importantly why would anybody shoot 3 children potentially fatally and leave the adult with a wound in her arm. If you shoot at least 6 inches from a victim, you see what is around you in the car. Diane may very well be guilty, but YIKES this investigation and trial seemed so butchered and tilted in the prosecutions favour. That is the reason effective trial counsel challenges the competency of a nine-year-old child to testify in a court of law. As it was getting dark and the young ones fell asleep in the car, their mother decided to head home. I do have to take issue with this article about Diane Downs. What a terrible injustice. Im not saying I know for a fact in my mind shes innocentbut there is NOT enough evidence for her to be guilty. Her daughter told the media she watched Small Sacrifices several times. He knows as he was in court and must have photos. Even if they say that she did not get involved in rehabilitation programs, she did participate, but obviously did not admit to killing her daughter and injuring the others. Forensics or lack thereof and blood splatter? It does not contradict what I said, but what they said. Something that would never stand in court now. Instead, there is blood splatter on the ceiling of the car. And if she did it, she has served her time without displaying any violent tendencies whatsoever. They did not want reunification to keep their verdict intact. Tis why at 10 years old I was hearing about this case in Ohio, and family members talked about it around me.it hit with great force that way. But in the case of DD, there were a lot of elements missing. Diane had spent three days in the hospital ingesting massive doses of Morphine, Demerol, Percodan, and visterol. 1) Gunshot residue/blood splatter. Dianewas jealous ofthe other woman, but Robert Knickerbockers wife said that she foundher rather friendly during their encounter. It took a lot of time to research this case and present the other side of the coin. An earlier commenter wrote that it doesnt matter that the trail or the investigation was faultyWHAT !? Meaning a trial where lying or failing to disclose exculpatory evidence by prosecutors is not happening. Diane asked for proof that her ex husband was behind the shooting. The kind of TV series that they produce on high profile crimes will make sure to turn public opinion. I stuck to what came out at trial and not the fantasy factory coming from the state, the media and Rule. Thank you Lise. And the interrogations were not tapedand barelydocumented. During a trial, we have to go with evidence only. Is there any update? It means you dont orphan the kids. And by the way, I wrote the blogs about Rule way before she passed. She had no blood spatter or gun powder residue on her hands,clothing or hair. The lovely Farrah Fawcett who played in the movie Small Sacrifices was known for her epic battles with lover Ryan ONeil. Foster Carers says either Australia or England to me. In fact, with her continuing to deny committing the crime or expressing remorse, she may never get out. It is because she is a high profile person. The first two children were Diane's kids with her ex husband Steve Downs. The Media or ISIS? And even when confronted by the wrongful practices used at trial to get her convicted, are ok with her being locked up for life. The problem with high profile cases is that the media, the DA, the cops and authors like Ann Rule dictate the narrative and it becomes almost impossible to look any other way unless you are a critical thinker devoid of emotions related to the case. They are set in stone and people refuse to see it any other way. The most recent tape of her daughter is not admissible because it is never allowed to bring out tapes that were obtained this way. 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. They should have left her alone. You seem to forget that even a few jurors started by voting not guilty on some of the charges. I had nonetheless heard of the legendary Diane Downs; the cruel sociopath who had sacrificed her own children to be free to pursue a relationship with the man she loved. And Hugi seemed pretty sure he would get what he was asking for. Leaving out a lot of info that should be included and presenting a very one sided take on these things. 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's not even known if he still resides in Arizona, where he used to live with Diane and their three kids. Downs went on trial on Jan. 12 for a rape and murder that happened in 1993, when he . Many attribute the conviction of Downs to the arrival of author Ann Rule at Downs' trial. Many troubling elements of the case were discovered after the trial, but there was enough during the proceedings to be asking questions. Rule even talked about writing a book about her but it never materialized. Danny was the product of an affair. To the authorities, it was a ridiculous notion that they would not entertain so they did not follow on numerous leads coming from people who had seen someone corresponding to that description. I just read your opinion on the Pamela Smart case and the Scott Peterson case. There was no blood on the front seats so Cheryl was laying down and Christie was asleep laying down and never witnessed anything. But she suffered from mental illness and the circumstances were traumatic. The judge who took away her children presided over her criminal trial. It wasnt until Prosecutor Hugi said Dr. Jamison had labeled Diane a deviant sociopath that Mr. 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. Diane found with him,the kind of relationship she had never known before: there was actually care and intimacy involved. Maybe someone needs to read Part two in Dr. Billings in-depth review of the Diane Downs Murder Case in Oregon. Mr. Just saw the video of Dianes parole hearing. had to wait for Christie to be able to tell them who did it. As for how to answer this question,,, seems like he is assuming guilt and because of this my parents or me or my brothers and sister, our uncles and aunts were not considered because of an unproven allegation Does he truly believe this is ok??? The strong, emotive language. 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. He is in his 70s now and his photo is not on his linkedin or anywhere I could find. Her father also insisted shetry to help catch the shooter. Tuko.co.ke featured an interesting article about the actor that has been in the industry for more than 13 years, starring in various great productions. 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. And how the letters became so bizarre, paranoid and psychotic that she told Diane to stop writing her. You said that the absence of both prove she couldnt have been to shooter and you claim it takes real scrubbing to remove GSR. Diane was instructed to reenact her response to the attacker who murdered her daughter. A sick kid who had a stroke and traumatized being pressured for weeks to remember her mother killing her? In a fairly good knot which would have taken time to do one handed and teeth. The role of Diane Downs was played by none other than Farrah Fawcett and her lover was played by Ryan ONeal who had been Farrahs love interest in real life. If there is a fair trial and sentencing, I usually dont write about a case, but high profile cases tend to need more scrutiny because emotions run high. I do not discuss her guilt or innocence because this is not what the blog is about, but I personally hope she is released one day. So it looks and sounds like she is getting special treatment because of her notoriety. What happened to Diane Downs' husband? This blog is riddled with inconsistencies, suppositions and a lack of the most basic referencing (e.g. I know several people who know or knew both of the surviving children as well as Diane. Saudi Princesses in Captivity for More Than a Thousand and One Nights Are Tweeting the Blues, Having recently done research on the Liysa Northons case which was the subject of a book written by Ann Rule titled, Some 287 errors and falsehoods were documented by Liysa and verified by official sources. They said she was going slow but the time at which she arrived seems to indicate otherwise. Only the people who present ongoing threats to the safety of the public in general are the ones this sentence is reserved for. But you are right, some members of the jury and public had a reasonable doubt. Basically then at that 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. Press J to jump to the feed. Dianes automobile was secured and examined and no gun was found. It should have been investigated further. And thats fair enough. Also Im curious as to how you feel her repeated escape attempts should affect her deserving to be on parole. 5. Wow. Click to read The Case of Liysa Northon Who Said True Crime Does not Pay? 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. They were in their care during the time Diane worked when she moved to Oregon. But there is forensic evidence pointing to Diane Downs. I might not have put enough information to your liking, but I stuck to what came out at trial and not the fantasy factory coming from the state, the media and Rule. But Ann Rules utterly biased account is an insult to investigative journalism and there seems to be very reasonable doubt here. In fact, Diane had consulted a psychologist after the tragedy and after months of consultation, she was never diagnosed as a sociopath. Guilty or not, we should know better than to use the justice system as a psychic tool when theres not enough evidence. And with hindsight, the fact that this young mother had a personality disorder probably brought a lot of drama to the mix. Nobody knows but her. As for where he is now, we'll be honest, we're not completely sure. Thats why Diane wouldnt agree to marry unless Knick first signed a premarital agreement that when they divorced, Knick would take nothing from their marriage. Nothing came from Diane herself. We had a thoughtful jury that examined the evidence over four days. The implication was not only cruel, in the light of what Diane was suffering, it was also clear. tell someone else. A number of them were clearly . They hated her attitude and thought she was promiscuous and showed no sorrow or remorse. 3) You have a photo of Diane before the parole board. That disinformation was alleged by Mr. Hugi the third day into Jim Jaggers defense and it was never objected to by Mr. Jagger . I also wish that Dianes children have a great life. They were in a difficult situation becausewithout evidence, they could notcharge her for the crime. They now have social media arenas reminiscent of the Romans cheering at the sight of a thumb down meaning there will be a bloodshed. The courts were divided in the 80s, family court, traffic court, criminal court, juvenile court I dont believe they ran out of judges to preside over them all. Yes, but it is a fact that she was starting to say that she did not know who shot them when it happened. Only after these avenues are exhausted should non-relative placement be looked at. Conflicting reports say Downs also acted as a surrogate during her fourth pregnancy, giving birth to a daughter after her trial in 1984. They are the ones who considered Dianes children as Small Sacrifices. 4. There have been behaviors that in the general course of events one may expect from a single parent that in a way have been falsely interpreted as being some form of evil.. Reasonable doubt is most certainly lacking. You cant possibly shake off all the gun powder residue and avoid all the blood. Ruger #14-76187; described as the gun used by Diane and belonging to Steve Downs, was not the murder weapon. 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. Five doctors have observed and documented this phenomenon. Another conflict of interest. And Steven was free to follow her lead or not. What disease did Ray Liotta have, and what caused his death? They were traumatized and needed familiar faces to feel safe. 0. The weird behavior (laughing and joking in the shooting reenactment), bullets found at her home and the constant changing of her story only is icing on her guilty cake. As was his habit, Knick failed to take into consideration what Diane or his wife had to say on the matter. I try to bring out the details that were ignored because Down was so unpopular. But my beef is with the interference by the media, TV shows and Ann Rule. Do you remember about two days after that the two of you signing a lease on the apartment? Unfortunately couldnt really do anything at that point, as the movie was not VHS yet, it only aired that oncein late 89. Just goes to show how difficult it is sometimes to find the truth. The judge instructed them to continue on to force a verdict. And other inmates were released with worst backgrounds. There is also a recording where she says that she had no idea who shot them.