She would have been released under strict conditions with the support of her family and under the care of a mental health specialist. Something that would never stand in court now. You say she made more of a fuss about her arm than about the injuries her children sustained. And Hugi seemed pretty sure he would get what he was asking for. The circumstances surrounding the crimes against these innocent children demand to be used as evidence.. My comment to you Lise is about your reply to a previous comment where you say Diane should have been released by now regardless of her statements. I do not declare her innocent. The problem was, Diane has a long-documented history of adversely reacting to tranquilizing drugs. There are no facts? Detective Welch reminded Diane of the assault her sister witnessed in February 1983, in which steve Downs broke Dianes tailbone (Appendix 74, page 1025). During a trial, we have to go with evidence only. Her other daughter and son were severely injured. By the way, Dianes parents mourn the loss of their grandchildren to this day. Rule sued the Seattle Weekly after they published the article titled Ann Rules Sloppy Storytelling, but she lost and had to make restitution. This was ridiculed countless times in the media, but frankly, it can be a very honorable endeavor, depending onhow you want to look at it. Everyone deserves peace. 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. It turned out to be a mistake because he was married to a County Circuit Court Judge who would become a colleague of Foote and he had no intention of defending Diane vigorously. The police admitting on the stand that after 2 weeks, they stopped looking at suspects appears to be a fact. Once again, Diane said a lot of things. In fact, if someone was Hungry like the Wolf in this courtroom, it was a certain crime author who could already smell and taste the fortune coming her way after the publication of this juicy story. This unexpected proposal took Diane by surprise at a large family gathering. These are no facts its partial truths and conjecture. The fact that she was driving five miles per hour to the hospital says it all as a mother myself, I dont care how hurt or mentally damaged I was, I would drive that car 100 MPH to get my children to safety. So the prosecutor adopted the kids? I am not one sided. She got an apartment and I was going to move in with her. Did CK shoot at car when DD drove away? I will change it. So it was a relentless game totry to reel her in. I like your approach. 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. ), Interesting suggestion. Only after these avenues are exhausted should non-relative placement be looked at. Without her daughters testimony and the lies about the gun, they could not have found her guilty in a fair trial. Page 26 of Case History. Some cases are so one sided that you feel like exposing or at least, discussing the other side. Conflicting reports say Downs also acted as a surrogate during her fourth pregnancy, giving birth to a daughter after her trial in 1984. Almost from day one, Diane was perceived as a cancer they had to remove. Their theory was very shaky. She. It took a lot of time to research this case and present the other side of the coin. From what Ive read, she gets a parole hearing every decade and the next time in 2030 she will be 75. I had never heard of this case before I read her book (Im not from or do not live in the USA), but I found myself constantly despairing at the authors unfounded judgements and wild suppositions. Diane Downs is no exception. She was not given one inch of presumption of innocence. Her family members were quite capable of taking care of the children. Thank you Lise. While not evidence of guilt or innocence, it is certainly worth noting as part of the overall wrongs perpetrated during this fiasco of a trial and subsequent appeals. Fred Hugi was pretty upset when Ann Rule went Hollywood with his case. If you listen to the recording, Christie clearly says I dont know who did it. She was asleep, thats why. I think that the US system is barbaric I do not care if the bushy haired stranger made no sense or if they could not explain the why of the tragedy, I do not care if she was madly in love with a guy because all that counts is proof and evidence in a court of law, and there was definitely a reasonable doubt. She was found guilty. The men in her life were in no shape or form called on their irresponsible or wild behavior. The DA that put away their mom is not an appropriate placement choice. And to try not to bash Dianes Downs character and stick to evidence instead. Which is itself a redundant practise: the blogger repeatedly states that Downs should be released. It was not unlike brainwashing. I do have to take issue with this article about Diane Downs. It was one of the most disturbing stories I've watched. http://www.manipulatedtrial.de/oregon_s_small_sacrifices_1603.pdf. She was expelled and reunited with him against her parents wishes. The inconsistencies and obvious lack of evidence in this case should have called for a wider investigation instead of solely focusing on their prime suspect. Her 7-year old daughter Cheryl died but her 3-year old son Danny and her 8-year old daughter Christie survived. I am a true crime junkie. Someone can have an evil vibe and not be guilty of a crime. All smoke and mirrors to fit a certain scenario. And Ann Rule said that the unicorn that was omnipresent in court was part of the premeditation. Nothing in this blog claims Diane is innocent. You have a photo of Diane before the parole board. Because she had driven that area for years for her work. And she clearly remembered the April 1983, rape that Mr. Downs would later refer to as love making. 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.. Surprisingly, Fred Hugi actually looks quite different. Regina, I love your comment! Why didnt they mention that he said a bad man and whatever else in his condition when they knew it was not possible? 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,. The fact that Dianes injury was way more serious than they tried to pretend? There is her story, the prosecution case and the defense arguments. In what world is that O.K. There was a lot of evidence pointing at OJ. I saw footage of Diane herself laughing during the re-enactment of the crime. Go reading US: The American Gulag, 26 Mar 2009 Exploding prison populations in the US serve a basic need of capitalism. (I know that wasnt brought up this time but it usually is.) Maybe because of her notoriety and the victims were children. I dont believe there was a CK. What was the rationale behind this? She had no blood spatter or gun powder residue on her hands,clothing or hair. 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: If youre talking about the picture in the blog that is labeled as Christie, it is Christie. I wanted to ask you something on this case. She repeated it years later at school. It could have been very different at almost any other time or with any other attorneys or juries too. If you read the blog, you will see many examples of media hype and character assassination. I never found a photo of James C. Jagger online. I dont disagree, I just think it is another example of flaws in our justice system. 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? Imagine knowing that your adoptive dad was responsible for putting your natural mom in the slammer? What would have been the conclusion to have drawn without this hate campaign? tell someone else. Have you actually read the transcript of the trial?? She has come a long way. Jump through the States hoops, or find a noose around your neck. The Cinemaholic reports that Steve was often known for being immature and irresponsible, something that didn't see their rekindled relationship get off to the best start. This whole case is flawed. It is not, nor should be, a Conflict of Interest for a caring adult to Foster one or more siblings. Or why the fact that he was a con artist made him such a credible guy in this case. Her power to manipulate is why she is where she is to begin with. My guess is the grandparents were so overwhelmed with Dianes case that they let the system take care of the kids at first. They were in foster care for two years before the prosecutor adopted them. If it was not such a high profile case, Diane Downs would have been paroled a long time ago, considering her good behavior and lack of priors. 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. So, were there any other attempted carjackings in the area that night? Makes major decisions easier because only one parent is legally responsible. This case had many similarities to the Alice Crimminsstory. 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. It was the story of Diane Downs. It appeared rigged and the fact that Ann Rule sat in the courtroom ready to produce a Masterpiece of Guilt could only help the prosecution. The old toilet block which could be replaced by a cafe (Image: Adam Postans) A new caf planned for the Downs in Bristol would likely be blocked by a 160-year-old Victorian law . It was never a slam dunk. I wish she could get a new look. Did you read her statements to the parole board in 2008? But you dont mention that she again has changed her story.. They are the ones who considered Dianes children as Small Sacrifices. The DA adopting the children is an integral part of this and definitely needs to be included in the blog. Do you remember a couple of days after that, December 1st, you came back from a trip? One should also wonder why their biological father who was so eager to bash his ex on the stand was not given custody, and did not stay in contact with his two remaining children. The trial was a whole miscarriage, that seems undeniable. It does not get any bigger than this. Its as if they cant control it. Dianes father tried to hire Melvin Belli, but the judge refused to give him some time to prepare and come back to the US. And if she did it, she has served her time without displaying any violent tendencies whatsoever. And if the fact that cops lied about the gun to close the deal did not bother you, it bothered me because this is not due process. Dianes brother, James, sat in court one day andnoticed Foote looking at Hugi before ruling on an objection. The gun presented at trial being the wrong one is a fact. So it would be logical to conclude that it would have left residues if anyone had shot at least 6 times. 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. It would be about November 20th that you would have gone back with Charlene, what, the next day? The lovely Farrah Fawcett who played in the movie Small Sacrifices was known for her epic battles with lover Ryan ONeil. I agree about pregnancy and childbirth affecting women differently, and even having different effects for the same woman with different pregnancies. I agree. In addition, the children were suffering life-changing physical and mental trauma, which would take years to heal. 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. But her behavior became the most important factor in the investigation that followed. Evidence from a ballistics expert. Messed. Then feel free to correct the facts and to provide evidence to support them. 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. answer the question why didn t steve downs get custody, which will help you get the most accurate answer. Mind you, it is before the trial. John Kitzhaber, Governor of Oregon 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. Thats the problem with high profile cases. 6. Forensics or lack thereof and blood splatter? I would like to raise the numerous issues with this blog. Most importantly why would anybody shoot 3 children potentially fatally and leave the adult with a wound in her arm. In 1999, a Board Certified Psychiatrist practicing in Oakland, California wrote a letter to the parole board on behalf of Diane Downs to explain how things had changed since 1984 when she was diagnosed with a severe personality disorder. He did not consider her a risk factor at all and believed she would do well if released into society, because she had no prior history of violence and never had a problem with violence or bad behavior while incarcerated. Mainly because she is being kept caged due to her name recognition at this point, not her offense. You simply are a rude individual looking for a reaction. It became more about despising Diane Downs than investigating fairly. This video has Dianes attorney, Jim Jagger, at 1 minutes and 20 seconds that might have some good shots. Nobody knows but her. Late one May night in 1983, Diane Downs sped into an emergency room dropoff in Springfield, Ore., with a horrifying story to tell. There was no question in Dianes mind that Knick would take another mistress if she married him, and that hed move on again. Yes, like many Americans, I think that the US system is barbaric. I found nothing. 1) Gunshot residue/blood splatter. N u pleaded guilty of murdering ur husband. In 1991, David Brewer, a juror who deliberated Dianes fate in her 1984 trial, came forward to say he and another juror had decided to acquit Downs by the close of the States presentation. Our legal system is not perfect. This is what Mrs Downs had to say about the situation. I base a lot on what I see and hear from her in her own words in footage of a 28 yr old woman. They should have stayed out of it instead of contributing to her revictimization. Rule defended her right to earn a living and to tell her story. I am not sure. No way. http://www.glamour.com/story/i-found-out-my-mother-was-a-killer-the-rebecca-babcock-story. Christie NEVER said she didnt know who did it she was just unwilling or afraid to tell on her mother. A. I told Diane before, but I certainly didnt tell her to He failed. Andthe DA adopted her other two children. I lived in Eugene, Oregon for years. I tried to contact you by email but my email wouldnt acknowledge you email address. That says it all. The interpretation of blood splatter is different than no blood splatter. Leaving out a lot of info that should be included and presenting a very one sided take on these things. This is basically the book best kept secrets in condensed form full of outlandish theories. No question in Dianes mind that Knick would take years to heal they had to say about injuries... Court one day andnoticed Foote looking at Hugi before ruling on an objection presented... Show me proof, and that hed move on again were children she did it, she gets parole! With Dianes case that they let the system take care of the trial was a relentless game totry to her. 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