Her attorney, James Jagger, did a poor job for Diane. more on crime HEARTBREAKING FIND The Office star's sister-in-law found dead 11 days after going missing 'DISGUSTING' Not that Dianes mental health was not a factor in her letter, but it was definitely taken out of context in some instances. You wondered at times, which side he was working for. The lawsuit against Ann Rule was thrown out as unfounded because after reading her book they could find no inconsistencies She sat thru the entire trial AND used actual court transcripts. As a result, joint legal custody which means parents share in the decision-making 1 is becoming the default decision in many family court systems. I think that she has done enough time and should be released. It is said that they didnt go to Steve because he wasnt a fit father or well equipped to take care of children who had gone through such a traumatic experience. She functions best in highly structured environments where she has a sense of control. Yet, that is exactly what the videotape showsDiane laughing hysterically about hurting her arm. She did diagnose her as suffering from cyclothymic disorder and treated her accordingly. In a perfect world this would always be the case. Within a few weeks, the kids who had survived were placed in protective custody and were no longer in Steve's care. After all, many cases of domestic abuse and even neglect do stem from alcoholism or drug abuse. The crucial point is that she is so void of emotion. Her persona allowed them to build this ironclad narrative when in fact, it was far from definite. It simply states the facts of the case. I am just curious. Right after the shooting, little Danny would ask the nurses, Why did the mean man shoot me? and it would be written down in the daily notes. This is not my scenario Tasha. Diane downs. The police admitting on the stand that after 2 weeks, they stopped looking at suspects appears to be a fact. (Appendix 81, page 1466). The photo of Hugi I used is the one you find when you do a search online for Fred Hugi who prosecuted Diane Downs. This is not the reason she is still locked up. He separated from his wife and was going to follow Diane who, by now, had decided to move and work in Oregon to be closer to her parents. The last time I checked, it is my website and if you find it tiresome, no one is inviting you to stay or read the content; which you evidently did not read anyway. Not an easy situation for him as I would imagine. And being the mother of three only served to propel Diane in a more manic state. I have plans to go hunting with the husband of one of the alternates.. 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. I wish she could get a new look. Brewer changed his mind. Steve Downs' wife had become ignorant of her children and often left them with her parents or ex-husband. The gun presented at trial being the wrong one is a fact. The tape is real and probably not admissible, but it seems to indicate that her testimony was coerced: Why is it not admissible? USA population seems to shun complex ethical problems preferring to deal with absolute evil in order to exert absolute power to crush it. Steve and Diane were married from 1973 to 1980, and during this time, they had three children. The fate of Steven Downs, a 47-year-old nurse from Auburn, Maine, is now in hands of a 12-person jury in Alaska. I did not shoot my children.. So she could not have shot her kids at the distance determined by the state unless she changed her clothing and it did not come up at trial. 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. Knick had NOT signed the premarital agreement, but that didnt stay his pursuit of Diane, knowing she was moving 1200 miles away. I am a Mortuary science student, true crime fanatic, and have been following the Downs case since it happened. 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. And other inmates were released with worst backgrounds. Diane Downs is guilty beyond any doubt and I do not believe that her daughter was coached. My problem with the circumstances surrounding the crimes against these innocent children is that they were twisted by the media. They both would fall in love and decide they want to marry each other. 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. There is absolutely no evidence that Hungry like the Wolf was playing when Christie got shot but it is another detail they added to bring a dramatic element to this trial. 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). It seems that everyone commenting just knows shes guilty, like you say. Our legal system is not perfect. Downs went on trial on Jan. 12 for a rape and murder that happened in 1993, when he . This blog is riddled with inconsistencies, suppositions and a lack of the most basic referencing (e.g. I am a firm believer of where there is smoke there is fire. If I included the ones I dont post, it would need more than a like or dislike button. The blog tries to bring balance and more objectivity to a case that was TOTALLY one sided and still is. Dianewas jealous ofthe other woman, but Robert Knickerbockers wife said that she foundher rather friendly during their encounter. Something that would never stand in court now. time it was the situation was down. The time was spent waiting for the clock to tick down the final seconds for all appeals to the parental termination to be allowed. All the years in prison probably made her way more disturbed than she ever was. This blogger apparently believes anything she hears to support her inaccurate theory that Diane Downs was falsely accused and convicted. Diane had siblings and parents. 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. I saw footage of Diane herself laughing during the re-enactment of the crime. The bio family should have been given the same opportunity to see the kids and demonstrate their ability to be the guardians. Press J to jump to the feed. And by the way, I wrote the blogs about Rule way before she passed. Diane Downs' ex husband, Steve Downs, lost a lot in May 1983 when his ex wife shot their three children, following their divorce in 1980. 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. Only after these avenues are exhausted should non-relative placement be looked at. The definition of deviant sociopath does not even exist in the DSM-HI, which is the official psychiatric diagnostic manual. Libby, I quoted what Diane said. Why does the blogger not clarify this? Unfortunately, there isn't much information about his whereabouts as he keeps a low profile. They said she was going slow but the time at which she arrived seems to indicate otherwise. The absence of the gun or gun powder residues on Diane is fact. Any thoughts on that? Dianes dad died a year or two ago. It is a research done on the case according to many sources. I almost felt bad for her.that being she seemed so lost in her lies..she just hangs in limbo now. Instead, the person accused of attacking them and wanting them out of her life, fought for them. Dianes automobile was secured and examined and no gun was found. That disinformation was alleged by Mr. Hugi the third day into Jim Jaggers defense and it was never objected to by Mr. Jagger . 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. 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. Strangely enough, a woman who was seen for 8 months by a psychologist and declared to be in shock and suffering from a mood disorder, would now be assessed by the State hired psychiatrist to confirm the label Hugi conveniently made up during trial. Someone said to me that any of us, if scrutinized under a microscope, would come out looking pretty bad. Brewer freely declared that Diane Downs would never have been convicted except that he believed the lie Jim Jagger permitted Fred Hugi to enter into the record. In her book, Ann Rule made sure to mention that running water was heard by a dispatcher when Diane was at the hospital; insinuating that she was washing her hands and getting rid of evidence. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. 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. If I was of a mind to manipulate the Board by giving voice to the words they want me to utter, Id have sold my soul two decades ago when the lies would have benefited me and my youth passed long ago. It was Judge Footes first criminal case and it was against a woman whose children he had removed from her care even though she had not been convicted or sentenced; a conflict of interest and pure madness. No matter how horrible people think she is. 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. https://t.co/cPfs75obUg pic.twitter.com/uSnlFF2IRw. Surprisingly, Fred Hugi actually looks quite different. The case NEVER made sense to me. Page 35 of Case History. She did it. Danny was the product of an affair. If the goal was to get rid of them, why didnt she emulate her lesser half in this matter? She even provided the police with her own sketch. I removed the dumb and crass part of your comment. 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. 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. rudy francisco rifle analysis / ford employee profit sharing 2022 / why didn't steve downs get custody. 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. Police witness reports of strangers and confessions were suppressed or not pursued. If the media was anything at the time it was favorable towards her. Danny and Christie survived the attack while middle child, Cheryl, died from her injuries at the time. 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. 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. One of the jurors finally declared we started as a group and finished as a group., He also said we dont want to put pressure on the group, we dont want to end up bickering. BUT like you rightly explain, there was no real evidence of her guilt. Nobody knows but her. I research cases that in my opinion, were poorly tried. 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. Except after the idea was subsequently planted in his head only to be alluded to in court, in spite of an agreement to never mention the subject. 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? Diane was cooked the minute she walked in that courtroom. It wasnt until Prosecutor Hugi said Dr. Jamison had labeled Diane a deviant sociopath that Mr. I dont understand how the family court managed to isolate 2 severely traumatized and grievously injured children from their entire family. There was a lot of evidence pointing at OJ. Nuts maybe, but not threatening. She has been denied parole 2x and is up again in 2020. Up. (I know that wasnt brought up this time but it usually is.) What about the judge stopping a defendant from getting a new attorney? 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. Not giving you free reign here. 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. She got an apartment and I was going to move in with her. It sounds like Diane was trying to tell her to stay away from bad influences. The fact that she drove there and it saved the life of two of her children should give anyone pause. But it is not hard to see that the way this tape and her confession were obtained was not legitimate. 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??? Washing soda is your best bet: It includes, among its ingredients, the exceedingly corrosive carbolic acid. She waseighteen and soon realized that she had jumped from the fire into the frying pan. You do not debate the content of the blog which you probably did not read anyway. After arriving at the nearest hospital where the nursing staff and doctors attended to the children, the police were called in and her parents arrived promptly. It sounds like this was not the case with Dianes children. I mention in the blog that Dianes mental health is in question so it is obvious that her encounter with her long lost daughter was going to be difficult. Anne Rule made a big deal of a brass unicorn engraved with the childrens names that Diane had purchased. Her children were obviously more severely injuredbecause being captive in the car while a shooter aimed at them gave them less of a chance to wiggle out of the situation than an adult outside the car. In high school, she met handsome Steven Downs who saw her for the great beauty she had become. Thats the problem with high profile cases. Nowadays, this insanity would never be tolerated. The lovely Farrah Fawcett who played in the movie Small Sacrifices was known for her epic battles with lover Ryan ONeil. Her power to manipulate is why she is where she is to begin with. I cant believe that it was allowed to happen, actually. Diane Downs and Alice Crummins were considered sluts and cold-blooded women and were judged on their unusual character. Knicks habit of turning on and turning off their relationship was known to Diane long before he admitted it in court a year later (Appendix 81, page 1520, line 21): Q. It was demonstrated at trial that the shooter shot the kids at close range. You seem to care about my opinion and perception of some elements of the case and how the media poisoned the well in this instance, but what about the trial? The way this investigation and the trial were conducted only left me with doubts. Christie was only eight, had suffered gunshot wounds and was in shock. Conflict of interest on steroids!! Her father also insisted shetry to help catch the shooter. Their goal was to make Dian look crazy, because sane people dont shoot their children. Page 6 of Case History. Diane followed the detectives to their car. It surely was not due process. The blogger continues, I am not one sided. A sick kid who had a stroke and traumatized being pressured for weeks to remember her mother killing her? I am not one sided. The reason Im harsh is because Ive detected that youve paid for this site and therefore cant be wrong. In 1984, Diane Downs was convicted of shooting her three children, 3-year-old Danny, 7-year-old Cheryl, and 8-year-old Christie. The tragedy that hit the Downs' kids changed their whole life. As I stated towards the beginning of my response, Im taking issue with the blog and the subjective language used. That is pure bullshit. Nothing in this blog claims Diane is innocent. I was shocked any asked why she thought that. Its a rather large part of the story. They were traumatized and needed familiar faces to feel safe. But Diane couldnt do that. The details about the gun missing, the daughters testimony and the fact that she had no blood or gun residues are facts. You say she made more of a fuss about her arm than about the injuries her children sustained. Right?? Yes, like many Americans, I think that the US system is barbaric. Nothing came from Diane herself. Steve Bannon won't be detained before trial on charges of contempt of Congress after he failed to comply with subpoenas from the House committee investigating January 6. Or can have an accomplice. 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. Christie was it though. I also wish that Dianes children have a great life. While these are all good questions, (and were maybe all asked in the jury room during deliberations) I doubt the answers even matter anymore. I asked her brother James an answer to your question. She also underwent a gun residue test that same evening that revealed no trace of gun powder on her hands. Justice is all that is left. They said so and were told to go back to deliberate. I think that looked at through a more objective lens, many aspects of the Downs case are highly questionable. But you would know that if you had read the blog or info about the case. Or that they are not even curious about it. So, why didn't Steve Downs get custody? Her parents Willadene and Wes were old school Baptist parents who raised her under strict guidelines without much warmth but complete devotion. But they tended to ignore other important aspects. This article is about due process and the legal right to a fair trial for everyone. Leaving out a lot of info that should be included and presenting a very one sided take on these things. Steve knew Danny was not his biological child and left Downs. The fact that the Hugis did so successfully is arguably proof of this. Meaning a trial where lying or failing to disclose exculpatory evidence by prosecutors is not happening. The prosecutor would gently shake his head and the good judge would follow with a ruling. It is because she is a high profile person. Where is the blood spatter on Diane? 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. And if you add the fact that they never found the gun, it doesnt leave much evidenceto back upthe theory that she was the shooter. She did not have the opportunity to clean her hands with the right product to erase all traces and she was tested pretty fast, contrary to many other cases. A prosecutor inventing a new psychiatric category in court and labeling the accused is kind of unsettling. What got her convicted was two things the towel and Christie. She has been in prison for so long that we dont know what her mental health situation is so it is a moot point for me. 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. Thanks Kit, It is a bit of a mystery to me that not more people see that if we removed the high profile name and the accompanying media storm, the case was no slam dunk. It does seem time has done worse to her. So imagine when you are troubled to begin with. I think that the time she has served and her good behavior made her eligible for parole. Did you read her statements to the parole board in 2008? And on this site, I mention that I take a restorative approach. It could be argued that he developed a relationship with the children and genuinely wanted them to join his family. Downs is a worthless as the day is long.. Maybe you should read the blog before commenting. Steve Downs was the husband of the infamous child killer, Diane Downs. 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. Their theory was very shaky. The fact that there was a rush to judgment, an investigation targeting only one result and a media coverage often presenting lies is very bothersome. More reason to have investigated the case more thoroughly. At that timeand now!! I still dont buy her story. I worked for county government child welfare for a decade. After all, she was conditioned this way. 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.
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