did he have eyes in the back of his head.???? They never found the gun and she showed no signs of having fired one. Her mom is still alive and would love to have contact but respect that they wont. If it was not such a high profile case, Diane Downs would have been paroled a long time ago: speculative, Ill stop there. Yep, Downs who was found guilty in 1984, escaped successfully from the Oregon Womens Correctional Center in 1987 and was transferred to Jersey afterwards. She repeated it years later at school. Mission accomplished: Relevance? But due to a law enacted in Oregon after she first became eligible for parole, she can now only apply every 10 years. After completing high school, Steve Downs went to join the Navy while Elizabeth Diane attended the Pacific Coast Baptist Bible College. Most importantly why would anybody shoot 3 children potentially fatally and leave the adult with a wound in her arm. It is in the blog. It is not a plus, but it is not a crime either. In Oregon, in 1983, she shot her 3 children, 1 daughter died. why didn't steve downs get custodylagu sekolah minggu bahasa inggris Opinion Fox News's blackout of Jan. 6 points to a hidden crisis for Democrats The not-so-shocking revelation that Fox News will not carry House committee hearings about the insurrection is yet another sign that right-wing media will go to extraordinary lengths to shield . Yes, but it is a fact that she was starting to say that she did not know who shot them when it happened. I am glad you read it anyway and I appreciate your comment. Her arm was severely damaged, so shattered that she needed a graft from a hip bone. Again I go back to how times were back then. I still dont buy her story. I think that Van Houten was recommended for parole by a system that assessed that after 40 years, she was not a threat to society and a reformed woman. Someone found guilty of a crime should have a sentence that can be served and not one that is contingent on the remorse shown. Their first child, Christie Ann, was born in 1974. I didnt know that. Nothing came from Diane herself. This is what I try to do when I research a case that was deemed to be a slam dunk. I think DD is guilty, but I also think her trial was far from due process, and that is the important issue. High profile cases usually do not get the same treatment as regular folks. Her lover and former husband testified against her but it did not represent evidence but character assassination. I did not shoot my children.. She followed all the correct Parole Boardprocedures for two years with no hearing. To this day, there is not enough evidence to prove her guilt or innocence. Washing soda is your best bet: It includes, among its ingredients, the exceedingly corrosive carbolic acid. 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. 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. I do not have to state anything at the beginning of the blog. Imagine the ones there for years. She took care of herself not her children. I have simply bothered researching the evidence and in some instances, the lack of it. During a trial, we have to go with evidence only. In the moment of who shot youmy momhave a hard time believing that could be coached. Belli filed a motion for a 2-week extension to familiarize himself with the case because he had to be in Italy, and declared Diane innocent in a press conference, but Foote denied the motion and declared you have an attorney, use him.. TIL On May 19, 1983, Diane Downs shot her three children and drove them at 5-7 mph to the hospital. It was pretty apparent during the course of this saga that the media and the state were willing to give a free pass to anyone willing to badmouth Diane. #corrupt. I think that you are right about certain things not being ignored. She also told media she became pregnant without Steve's "permission." 4 Steve has never spoken publicly about his ex-wife, Diane Credit: AP Where is Steve now? This was very stressful. In fact, Diane and her lawyer wanted Christie to be able to heal before being questioned and to be accompanied and taped during the sessions. Is there any update? Q. If personal diaries were to be believed, half of the population would be in great jeopardy. Diane, of her own admission, had plenty of affairs while she worked at the Post Office. and so on. You paint a picture that is actually inaccurate and misleading. It will not make me popular, but I dont mind. The detectives and the state failed to act properly and it should not be an accepted practice. In fact, with her continuing to deny committing the crime or expressing remorse, she may never get out. 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. I accept that it is sometimes necessary but I believe in rehabilitation. The circumstances surrounding the case were not enough to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The children had a father. Her ex-husband has been of great interest, considering his absence from the media despite the case getting significant attention. Brewer changed his mind. The fact that the DA adopted the children, since it was after the trial, is more of a gray area. 3. 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. 3. Dianes ex-lover, Robert Knickerbocker, also said the same. He gave temporary custody to Dr. Wilhite. How could Christie say anything but the things they told her to say with that kind of influence? He is in his 70s now and his photo is not on his linkedin or anywhere I could find. Late Tom Billings had been the first who openly questioned Diane Downs guilt. Diane Frederickson was born August 7, 1955 in Phoenix, Arizona. At that timeand now!! Diane found a full-time job with the U.S. Post Office in 1981, and was stationed in Chandler. Ann Rule promotes her books as true crime stories so to this day, viewers believe that the book and the movie titled Small Sacrificesdocument the true story of the Diane Downs case; in fact, it is a mix bag of truth, falsehoods, interpretation and plain fiction. No. She wrote to the governor several times after being dismissed coldly by Hugi and the system. A very reasonable request that was rejected. rudy francisco rifle analysis / ford employee profit sharing 2022 / why didn't steve downs get custody. Further: Wonder about Justice in Nation with world wide highest prisoner rate. They had high hopes for Dianes future and this bad boy was not part of it. 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. It seems that everyone commenting just knows shes guilty, like you say. 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. Her son ended up in jail and ONeils children accused him of neglect and bad parenting. But you dont mention that she again has changed her story.. If Hugi got attached to the children, why did he wait 2 years when little Christie was starting to say she had no clue who shot them? So it looks and sounds like she is getting special treatment because of her notoriety. Guilty or not, we should know better than to use the justice system as a psychic tool when theres not enough evidence. Likewise, Charlene had no intention of letting Knick divorce her (Appendix 81, page 1518, line 15). Imagine knowing that your adoptive dad was responsible for putting your natural mom in the slammer? I wish she could get a new look. Its tiresome. . Makes major decisions easier because only one parent is legally responsible. Maybe dad relinquished, it sounds like he may have. At what point during these meetings did she start calling him Dad? It was such a high profile case and she was found guilty by the media and the court so people are afraid to touch this one. I base a lot on what I see and hear from her in her own words in footage of a 28 yr old woman. Simply because I researched them. Basically then at that He should have let someone else handle the case or let someone else adopt the kids. Steve Downs Now: Where is Diane Downs' Ex-Husband Today? Update 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. Her character was also too much on the forefront. She is nowhere near being paroled and if she admitted guilt, I am not even convinced they would release her. I watched and worried through her escapeto find her childrens real attackerthat bushy haired stranger . Not in this case. I never read the Ann Rule book, but saw Small Sacrifices as a kid and have had an interest in this case ever since. Instead of talking about her being locked up for so long, answer some very legitimate questions regarding this case. It seems that not being American might help us view the case and Rules narrative with more objectivity. Where is Diane Downs' husband now? Which is itself a redundant practise: the blogger repeatedly states that Downs should be released. The kind of TV series that they produce on high profile crimes will make sure to turn public opinion. 3) You have a photo of Diane before the parole board. And being the mother of three only served to propel Diane in a more manic state. I think that she has done enough time and should be released. May be the guy who says he did it. I refer you to this section of the blog: They claimed to have found two lead cartridges in Dianes rifle at home that supposedly matched the ones used during the crime. And Ann Rule said that the unicorn that was omnipresent in court was part of the premeditation. The Diane Downs' Case Was no Small Sacrifice - Crime Website We had a thoughtful jury that examined the evidence over four days. But I know that there were major problems with this case. It was very unfair to raise them away from their grandparents and other blood relatives. 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. Conflict of interest on steroids!! Gosh Donna, you really dont have a clue. When your goal is to call me dude, insult my name and trash my blog, you can go on other sites who will love to spar with you while swallowing the old narrative of high profile cases. It was pitch black outside. Doesnt change the fact that it was still a conflict of interest. And their plan worked. Whether or not Mrs. Frederickson could have attacheda 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. From what Ive read, she gets a parole hearing every decade and the next time in 2030 she will be 75. I remember when it was in the news. In reply to Nick. But the high profile nature of the case might hinder the process. It seems they all went the easy way. 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 high school, she met handsome Steven Downs who saw her for the great beauty she had become. She did diagnose her as suffering from cyclothymic disorder and treated her accordingly. They would have tried to reopen the case. She complained about it, but that does not mean she did not suffer for her kids. 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. What about the terror of being interrogated by strangers and separated from her family? More often than not, Christie was interviewed by State Agents (Paula Krogdahl, Paul Alton, Steve Downs and Dick Tracy) within half an hour of having her Dilantin increased. Steve and Diane had three children, Danny, Cheryl, and Christie Ann. Once you are vilified in the media in the US, the way Downs and others have been, a lot of people shut their eyes and their mind to any other possibility than what was presented in the court of public opinion. It opened a huge can of worms regarding the real identity of the heart full of lies in this case. Do you REALLY believe she expected them to live especially since she drove at less than 10 mph. As it was getting dark and the young ones fell asleep in the car, their mother decided to head home. Or maybe an upvote/downvote arrow for each. Despite all these misgivings, they chose to stay strong in the marriage and had their first child, Christie Ann, in 1974. There was no blood on the front seats so Cheryl was laying down and Christie was asleep laying down and never witnessed anything. Makes no difference to me. My opposition to movies about true crime stories is unshakable. There are documented cases of suicides where the person has no GNR, as well as murder cases. Her daughter told the media she watched Small Sacrifices several times. All Rights Reserved. While that makes her technically eligible for parole at some point (in her case 2009) it does not actually mean she has an end date or a release date. They were in a group home and he was getting unsupervised visitation with them. Mr. Downs must have had a bad feeling about Jagger because before trial, he tried to retain defense attorney Melvin Belli who had the reputation of fighting for his clients and to win all his cases. Too bad it triggered you, maybe try to stay away from sites that might not go along with the mob mentality and usual media narrative. There isnt a whole lot known about where Steve Downs is these days. You can believe what you like. Steve was the one who left Diane because he believed that Stephen Daniel, known as Danny, was the result of an extramarital affair that Diane had. 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. 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. He still shouldnt have been allowed to adopt them while the appeals process was ongoing, if he had any role in those cases. Her flat affect is even more pronounced now and it did her in at the time, but she was lucid enough to clearly see that Rule and the media used Becky for their personal gain. So, what is Steve's story? had to wait for Christie to be able to tell them who did it. Seeing her giggle and laugh during a videoed reconstruction gave me, as a mother, a sickening feeling. As far as Hugi is concerned, it was a total conflict of interest. The crucial point is that she is so void of emotion. She was no mother of the year and in the car when the kids got shot. 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. Problem with that is Diane has said during an interview with detectives that the sketch looks nothing like what she described. In one of them, he knew her name and in another one, she had answered a call and been told to meet someone. I am interested in the truth. Tracy, I never said she was in the car. Not meaning to sound disrespectful, but you seem to be doing what you accuse Ann Rule of doing. What was the justification? 2) You mention her youngest daughter, and how Ann made sure she only heard negative information about Diane. She claimed she . Our laws are not written that way. I followed the trial. Just my opinion. The way Christie was coached did not correspond to the reality of the direct evidence. Until the end of the trial. You said yourself that the title was revealing. Fred Hugi was pretty upset when Ann Rule went Hollywood with his case. Steve and Diane Downs' children were adopted by Lane County prosecutor Fred Hugi and his wife, Joanne. Someone said to me that any of us, if scrutinized under a microscope, would come out looking pretty bad. How asinine. 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. He could then have initiated the licensing process to foster and then adopt the children. Im not arguing the facts of the trial, and Im not about to. I do have to take issue with this article about Diane Downs. Surely before Diane downs, there were other mothers who killed their kids..or allegedly did, however in 83 and 84 it made national news, nothing quite like it had come across the media world, which during that decade was really skyrocketing in sensationalismI believe is where it started, becoming less news and more entertainment. Diane Downs is an infamous killer who tried to murder her three children to pursue love. Brewer stood ready to testify in June 1991, that it was because of Prosecutor Hugis lie that he changed his mind to convict and that he alone was responsible for silencing the dissenting votes of two other jurors (Appendix 97). I try to bring out the details that were ignored because Down was so unpopular. What man has ever publicly revered a former secret mistress? She even became a surrogate mother to make money and provide two parents the opportunity to have a child. She could have stayed on the side of the road. Steve knew Danny was not his biological child and left Downs. They are the ones who considered Dianes children as Small Sacrifices. But what happened to Diane Downs' husband? Also, aside from her original mental state, which may or may not excuse her aloofness (doesnt prove shes a killer by the way! So I start with that bit of history in mind. She was also shot twice andifshe had been sitting up, the seats would have been covered with blood spatter as well as the shooter. 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. The blog I read is all about the improprieties and flat out misconduct in Dianes trial (and the way Ann Rule profited off of it with fiction). It is because she is a high profile person. This blog is riddled with inconsistencies, suppositions and a lack of the most basic referencing (e.g. The following article hopes to help you make more suitable choices and get more useful information After asking her to have an affair, he kept vacillating between his wife and her. I have nothing to gain and I am not making up songs and dances about a unicorn. So yes I think she did it, I think ration left her a long before she did itI think post pardum played in this, I think, she was scattered all over the map.againjust hearing it in her own words. Not speculative? It should be removed from the blog. Children under the age of twelve may cognitively grasp the concept of truth and lie, but lack the conscience which compels people to apply the concept to their lives, or the strength to maintain the truth when adults coerce her to lie.