But the fact that the prosecutor called her a deviant sociopath in court without any assessment became another nail in her coffin. You say she made more of a fuss about her arm than about the injuries her children sustained. In high school, she met handsome Steven Downs who saw her for the great beauty she had become. According to her hospital records, every 6 hours she was given 400 milligrams of Dilantin (which is noted for causing confusion). 5. What Happened to Diane Downs' Husband Following Her Sentencing? And the fact that Tracy wrote in his notes that Christies reaction could have been excitement to see her mom but they decided to only mention extreme fear? You were not there and one thing I have learned about high profile cases, is that you cannot always believe what the media, biased detectives and Ann Rule have to say. 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. Nobody knows but her. She met Robert "Nick" Knickerbocker and started having a relationship with him earlier. Diane has not been deemed an ongoing public threat that I am aware of. ), years in solitary confinment Whats wrong with us?! Whats wrong with the system is whats wrong with us. Washing soda is your best bet: It includes, among its ingredients, the exceedingly corrosive carbolic acid. She entertained the idea of opening a surrogacy agency but the project never really took off. 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.. Melvin Belli How things could have been different. Guilt or innocence no longer need to be debated in this case. The popular TV movie Small Sacrifices was based on Ann Rules book and it painted a horrid picture of the mother accused of shooting her children on Old Mohawk Road. Meaning it was unlikely she was the shooter. Britney Spears's ex Kevin Federline gets increased custody of sons Accused of her side of the story what the state says how would it be possible for her to do what they presumed. She attacked her husband and ripped his neck open in a jealous rage (Appendix 81, page 1520), tearing from his neck the gold chain he still wore from his first marriage (a gift from his first wife). They were not truth seekers and enjoyed a nice burning at the stake instead. 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. Mr. Jagger said it wasnt t enough to know a witness had lied, but she would have to prove it. It does seem time has done worse to her. Also, aside from her original mental state, which may or may not excuse her aloofness (doesnt prove shes a killer by the way! Dianes parents had high hopes for her future, a future that didnt involve Steve, so they disapproved of their relationship. I am a Mortuary science student, true crime fanatic, and have been following the Downs case since it happened. A group of ladies formed a group called HELDD which stands for Help Exonerate & Liberate Diane Downs. The interpretation of blood splatter is different than no blood splatter. Fitness fanatic, 27, broke her spine lifting weights but didn't realise until she woke up the next morning unable to move - and why her terrifying injury should be a warning to all gym-goers 'Leave It to Beaver' star Tony Dow explains why he wasn't allowed to And some are even contradictory: shes mentally ill, but also not mentally ill; the site owner wants to focus on pure facts, yet ignore other facts; things happened in court, but those are irrelevant to what else what also happened in court, etc. They had him micromanaged, and with the testimony of little Christie they were in business: argumentative The gun is Def a big issue, the style of gun, whether it belonged to him or her, she Def had access to itthe child drew a picture of it, having large similarity to that gunbut it did always baffle me how she could find such a great hide for it in such a short period of time. Are you looking for more information about Ryan Eggold? There were a few calls and on one occasion, The most frequent remarks I hear about the case when confronted by the state misconduct and the lack of evidence are gut feelings , So the hell with no gun, no GSR, no blood and no witnesses except a sick child who denied knowing who shot them until she could not anymore and happened to be adopted by the prosecutor; making it look like she could never change her mind and reveal that she has no memory of the shooting and maybe have the case reversed. Even if the nurses notes indicated countless times that the children asked for their mother and enjoyed her visits, they cut them off from the only family they knew and loved; supposedly for their own protection. She unwillingly followed the cops in spite of being in pain and not wanting to leave the premises. Hi Nanette, it is not a matter of being gullible. I remember when Diane shot her kids and there are some facts Id like to correct from your blog. After divorcing her wife, Diane Downs, in 1980, Steve was hardly part of their life. She is still in prison. This website supports restorative justice, so of course it leans towards sentences that are not life without parole if it is supported by a warden and mental health specialists. As I stated towards the beginning of my response, Im taking issue with the blog and the subjective language used. Imagine the ones there for years. The board said that her mental or emotional disorder makes her a danger to society. And the motive? In reality,the whole caseturned out to beno small sacrifice for Diane Downs, but it was a huge victory for the State, the media anda very lucrative deal for theQueen of crime fiction herself; Ann Rule. why didn't steve downs get custody. I have worked in Child Protection for over 20 years and have extensive experience in this field domestically and internationally. Caught in the act, Hugi declared that Christie only said that because she was pressed for an answer. 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. BUT like you rightly explain, there was no real evidence of her guilt. No forensic evidence pointing to her, just conjecture based on how mothers should act. Downs: And there was a big reward, too. There was a lot of evidence pointing at OJ. After a failed marriage that got her a divorce from Steve Downs, she wanted to be with her lover. The casing from the bullets exactly matched, just like a fingerprint, the bullets that Diane had in her home from her own gun which was never found. 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 deviant sociopath.. Judges are subject to certain ethical standards and have a duty to be impartial. And in fact this would have been about the time that Charlene broke a bottle of liquor that you had. And he grew up there. But people never want to touch the high profile cases where the defendant is not likable. Mission accomplished: Relevance? It had nothing to do with the evidence of the case and represents useless labeling anyway. I guess he did not want too many people to know about the improprieties that happened in his courtroom. Maybe I should have elaborated more about this comment. but later you claim Diane was inside the car and shot the kids in the car and that that BECAUSE she was inside the car she should have had blood splatter on herso WHICH IS IT, I dont know which it is Libby. Yet, that is exactly what the videotape showsDiane laughing hysterically about hurting her arm. On May 19, 1983, Elizabeth Diane Downs and her three small children were shot on a country road near Springfield, Oregon. There are some stories that stick with you for a long time. When I hear some people say that they would have liked to smack that smirk off Dianes face when she interacted with the cops or the media, I sayreadthis to understand accounts of people laughing at the wrong time and how it is related to their personality disorder. But in my opinion, it shows how Diane was disturbed and could also have found a better path in life if given the chance and the right support. 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. Christie was it though. Spiritual advancement and atonement? As an adoptive parent I cant even imagine trying to justify to my daughter our adopting her if we had in any way been a part of the case to terminate her from her bio family. The person who shot the kids was leaning inside the car because they were shot at close range. So it looks and sounds like she is getting special treatment because of her notoriety. This was all logged in Christies hospital reports and is found in the Appendix of the petition filed in Federal Court in 1996 in the section Hospital Reports.. I state that it is not my place to judge innocence or guilt. He was instead a result of an affair Diane had with a married man. So, what happened to the children's father? Regardless of the facts you point out, there is no doubt in my mind that Diane Downs is guilty. The cops admitted that they never investigated the tips about a bushy haired stranger. People tend to forget that the group of young women hanging out with Manson were deeply engaged in serious drug use and totally out of their mind at the time. We make them president!!!! This seems very punitive to have a law like this be retroactive. Ryan is still in his thirties and still building an excellent reputation in the industry. Diane Downs' Children Now: Christie, Danny & Becky Today When a white attractive woman like Diane Downs appears on the scene while displaying seemingly unpleasant characteristics as a mother and a personality disorder, there is no telling what the media will do with the story. Go to the hate groups for that. This article is about due process and the legal right to a fair trial for everyone. Danny has kept a low profile, and not much about his life like family, marriage, and children are in public. Rule sued the Seattle Weekly after they published the article titled Ann Rules Sloppy Storytelling, but she lost and had to make restitution. Diane Downs is guilty beyond any doubt and I do not believe that her daughter was coached. 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. Her 7-year old daughter Cheryl died but her 3-year old son Danny and her 8-year old daughter Christie survived. But if you compare the time she was seen by the witness to the timing of her arrival at the hospital, it seems to indicate she went pretty fast, butnone of it was explained ordemonstrated properly. Once again, Diane said a lot of things. Their theory was very shaky. I hope she is granted parole. Robert was a married man in Arizona with whom Diane had been having an affair, back when she was still living there. Because she was failing quite miserably at remaining pure and chaste, she was expelled after only a year, and thus, she returned to her parents home in Arizona. Steve Downs' wife had become ignorant of her children and often left them with her parents or ex-husband. They were the small sacrifices. When they assess the conduct of an inmate, what counts is mostly how she behaves inside through the years and if she shows violent tendencies. In the blog, there is a link on the subject of bipolar people who tend to laugh at the wrong time. Everyone in the world can believe something. 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. Great blog post, thank you. I am interested in the truth. And she would have been under supervision. Diane herself stated Cheryl was asleep on the front floorboard completely covered up with Dianes jacket how the hell did a stranger or a hitman(one of Dianes OTHER stories) KNOW Cheryl was there. They rarely are, especially in the US. Hardly circumstantial or coincidental what are the chances that a bushy haired stranger, masked men, or someone that knew her (take your pick from Dianes ever shifting account) would have the exact same bullets matching to bullets from a gun owned by Diane ? He gave temporary custody to Dr. Wilhite. The chief prosecutor adopting the children beggars belief! These women did not show emotions and did not fold when asked to. Her 7 yr old daughter was already dead, her other 2 children were in critical condition. I like the way you keep an open mind about Diane herself and what she may or may not have been going through mentally. We make them president. I hope they have. If appropriate family members could not be found to take placement of the children then family friends are the next step. It is not, as the blogger frequently refers to, evidence. I can only imagine to absolute horror of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca during their horrific murders. Within three weeks, Diane had lost custody of her remaining wounded children and had become the number one suspect in the eyes of the police department and District Attorneys office. 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. Maybe she didnt want to admit she was there for drugs, but you need a really tiny brain to worry about that in such a situation. How one of them lied on the stand about ballistics? It's not even known if he still resides in Arizona, where he used to live with Diane and their three kids. And Steven would hunt her down anyway and charm his way back into her life. And she should be allowed parole! But I am realistic. 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. Downs: Oh yeah, I remember the pictures, too. What man has ever publicly revered a former secret mistress? So, what is Steve's story? Some would say that Diane Downs was condemned because of her lies and inconsistencies, but I think that it was mostly because of her disturbing demeanor and brash personality. Likewise, Charlene had no intention of letting Knick divorce her (Appendix 81, page 1518, line 15). In this Battle of Cutthroats, Who has lost their head? 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. Glamour reported that Danny was paralyzed from the chest down as a result of the shooting and Cheryl suffered a major stroke as a result of the attack that left her with a lifelong speech impediment. I would like to raise the numerous issues with this blog. Two of the kids survived the shooting with life altering injuries, and one of the children died. Interesting that the article has one of the same elements that Diane perpetrated when she drove to the hospital the night of the murders she made more of a fuss about her arm injury than she did about one of her kids dying and two of them being gravely and permanently wounded. As far as her innocence goes and the possibility of being paroled if she admitted her crime, Diane strongly maintains her innocence. There are many cases where investigators jump to conclusions either because in their gut they think they know or pressure to make an arrestand i guess with all the attention this case got they gave their gut and the public what they wanted. 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. And she clearly remembered the April 1983, rape that Mr. Downs would later refer to as love making. Its more understandable now, after all this time but it has done her so much harm, then and now Child Protective Services takes confidentiality to the extreme (warranted in most cases). Thanks for posting for readers. Now in hindsight, seeing footage on youtube, especially the interview she did with the reporter Anne Jagger, the things she says and facial expression is exactly described in the bookhad to find the section in the book, but on that note, Anne rule did site that interview correctly. You are wondering about the question why didn t steve downs get custody but currently there is no answer, so let kienthuctudonghoa.com summarize and list the top articles with the question. He may still reside in Arizona, but there is no proof of the same. That they did not test the outside of the car? Halo Show: Why Master Chief's Voice Actor Was Recast (But Cortana Wasn't) Most get through it fine, maybe some complications or pain, maybe even some post pardum. Instead of grieving, Alice went partying and had sex. 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.. Lets also remember that this is the US of A and we dont lock people up for being narcissistic, antisocial histrionic individuals. Steve Downs had allegedly stolen this gun from a friend named Billy Proctor, but after it was found and the ballistics did not match, Bill suddenly remembered keeping it only for a day before exchanging it for another Ruger automatic at a gun show in Mesa; which now meant that the gun that Diane allegedly used to shoot herself and the children, was still apparently nowhere to be found. Or why the fact that he was a con artist made him such a credible guy in this case. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Moreover, it was not a suicide case, but of a woman who supposedly shot herself in the arm and her 3 children several times. It is possible that he still resides in Arizona, but exactly where he is or what he does, we dont know. She threw her keys yet was able to take off right away?? You left and you and Diane Downs spent an evening at a motel? Here's everything you need to know. Fred Hugi is a man of the highest integrity and I hope that Dianes surviving two children finally found the love and stability they had been denied by their natural mother. If you had commented on one of the elements contained in the blog, it might have been enlightening. I can make out I will ask you to take a good look at the people in your life. Fair question. Your prayers were answered. I followed the trial. According to Diane, she then saw a man on the road flagging her and stopped thinking he needed help. However, Elizabeth was expelled from the religious institution as she didn't conform to the school's strong religious values. Two wrongs do not make a right but illustrates that she should have never been coerced before, during or after the trial. 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. However, Steve later discovered that Danny wasn't his biological son and divorced his wife. 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. It was omnipresent in the courtroom as well as the Duran Duran song Hungry like the Wolf that supposedly was playing when the children were shot in the car. Christie was understandably all over the place and I agree that the way in which her statements were procured were very odd and seemed to be very coached. The poor jury went along and Jagger did not put much ofa defense anyway. Its a rather large part of the story. http://sputniknews.com/us/20150620/1023613662.html#ixzz3djEXlSAC // The Prison State of America Dec 28, 2014 Chris Hedges, http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/the_prison_state_of_america_20141228 You seem to forget that even a few jurors started by voting not guilty on some of the charges. 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. Problem with that is Diane has said during an interview with detectives that the sketch looks nothing like what she described. And I care about the lack of evidence. When Diane had failed to mention it herself, he even informed them that she had bought a .22 caliber shotgun in Arizona, just before she had left for Oregon. And by the way, I wrote the blogs about Rule way before she passed. This is not the reason she is still locked up. This case flew under my radar so to speak because it happened before my time. It wasnt until Prosecutor Hugi said Dr. Jamison had labeled Diane a deviant sociopath that Mr. Why does the blogger not clarify this? 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. 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. I just read your opinion on the Pamela Smart case and the Scott Peterson case. In one of them, he knew her name and in another one, she had answered a call and been told to meet someone. She then went through the State (Circuit) Court habeas corpus relief for four years to no avail. The harm done to families by unscrupulous district attorneys who bully children into falsely testifying against their parents has been recorded in a documentary called Witch Hunt by Sean Penn about Kern County (CA) District Attorney Ed Jagels. The infamous murder story of 1983 was like an excerpt from a crime thriller, a mother doing the unfathomable. The unicorn, the song, her personality. Knick had NOT signed the premarital agreement, but that didnt stay his pursuit of Diane, knowing she was moving 1200 miles away. 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. Since his ex wife was sentenced to life in prison, he has not reappeared in public life nor has he given any television interviews about his family. As a result, he decided not to attend the rest of the trial. I personally disagree with that practice but it is common. 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. Father of Diane Downs Remains Vigilant After 30 Years (VIDEO)