The lack of balance and objectivity. Almost from day one, Diane was perceived as a cancer they had to remove. I am also engaged in other wrongful convictions that have taken place within the US. Or why the fact that he was a con artist made him such a credible guy in this case. Q. After each of the kids was shot multiple times on that fateful day in 1983, Steve cooperated with the police completely. The hell with doubts, ballistics and pesky details about the shooting, we cannot disagree becausethere is hunting and fishing to do and friendships to uphold. Nevertheless, what was done seemed out of our hands and we could have no contact with them at all. Downs: Oh yeah, I remember the pictures, too. She has done her time in prison and I hope that she gets the chance to get out and spend time with her mother and siblings. 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. If appropriate family members could not be found to take placement of the children then family friends are the next step. Ive been to London to Fly the Queen ~ and Back to Collect Artifacts, Haleigh Cummings Was Once Lost but Now She Is Found, Meet Rene Acoby: In-House Female Dangerous Offender, Kelli Stapleton- A Mothers Wuthering Woes. They should have left her alone. Its a rather large part of the story. Her case was too public and they are afraid of public backlash. Hello. Christie was the primary witness in the case against her mother. answer the question why didn't steve downs get custody, which will help you get the most accurate answer. I simply state facts that did not or would not come out at the time or blatant misconduct from a legal system that is supposed to be based on innocent until proven guilty. Steve Downes has voiced the Master Chief in the Halo games since his 2001 debut, and his voice has become synonymous with the character.However, despite Jen Taylor being asked to reprise her role as the . That she had no blood or gun powder anywhere when she allegedly shot at close range? The infamous murder story of 1983 was like an excerpt from a crime thriller, a mother doing the unfathomable. The prescribed normal dosage for a full grown man is 30 milligrams per day. However, in 1980, the couple divorced. Ffs maybe u should go back to writing screenplays. Everything I outlined should be public knowledge. 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. Is there any update? woman quot~ unquote, do you remember anything like that? How interesting. Why would anyone think Christie could remember the night of the shooting anyway?? Spiritual advancement and atonement? I am not her advocate, but I think she did not get due process. As was his habit, Knick failed to take into consideration what Diane or his wife had to say on the matter. Is. Christie was born in October of 1974 and Cheryl Lynn in January of 1976. If the grandparents and uncle had visitation rights, they could have respected some rules as far as not discussing the case, but imagine if she had told them that she did not remember? Everywhere, EXCEPT the door through which Diane reported to police, the male stranger had passed. Page 37 of Case History. Instead, it is Diane who fought to keep her children. Steve knew Danny was not his biological child and left Downs. Lets not take that lightly. She is supposed to be locked up for murder, etc. They sure forgot to tell us about her pulse racing during these sessions. Speculative. 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. Years later, Christie was heard saying by classmates that she did not know who shot her. I wanted to ask you something on this case. How.. they attacked him. The states own witness, Dr. George Suckow and Dr. Polly Jamison denounced Prosecutor Hugis practice as improper and unethical (Appendix 101 and 104). Also Im curious as to how you feel her repeated escape attempts should affect her deserving to be on parole. Diane was cooked the minute she walked in that courtroom. Q. They were the small sacrifices. Dr. Joshua Budhu is a neuro-oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Christie was only eight, had suffered gunshot wounds and was in shock. My problem with the circumstances surrounding the crimes against these innocent children is that they were twisted by the media. Considering that the daughter she murdered will never get a second chance, it will never be long enough unless its for her entire life. Or can have an accomplice. I tried to contact you by email but my email wouldnt acknowledge you email address. Her attorney, James Jagger, did a poor job for Diane. Seems like former husband, Steve Downs, should've been the custodial parent after the divorce. RAISING THE BAR BUT CERTAINLY NOT IN ARIZONA, http://www.glamour.com/story/i-found-out-my-mother-was-a-killer-the-rebecca-babcock-story, http://www.manipulatedtrial.de/oregon_s_small_sacrifices_1603.pdf, http://www.salem-news.com/articles/july152013/midnight-med-tb-2.php, http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n364/a03.html, http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20080910_Prison-happy_U_S__must_reconsider_use_of_mercy.html, http://sputniknews.com/us/20150620/1023613662.html#ixzz3djEXlSAC, http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/the_prison_state_of_america_20141228, 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, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPLkIcSzftE&ab_channel=DianeDownsArchives, Say Her Name But Spell It Right The Tale of Breonna Taylor, And Justice For All The Watts Family Murders, Babe in the Woods & Big Country The Murder of Nicole Vanderheyden, Colonel Russell Williams Where Have You Been? Unfortunately, there isn't much information about his whereabouts as he keeps a low profile. She did not fit in and was now anxious to assert her independence and live her own life. If the goal was to get rid of them, why didnt she emulate her lesser half in this matter? One of the more bizarre scenes in this farce of an investigation was about to unfold. Diane was in the hospital for a bone graft from June 2nd until June 6th, 1983. The judge instructed them to continue on to force a verdict. 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.. Click here to read the complaint. The rest of the family? I am glad that some articles remain. I am glad you read it anyway and I appreciate your comment. It was faulty. is this a reason??? As you said, the system has to work for everyone and you cant change the rules because a case is high profile without muddying the waters. 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 absence of the gun or gun powder residues on Diane is fact. From what we know about Becky, she had chosen a difficult path and Diane was trying to warn her. It wasnt their fault, it was the job of the social workers and the courts to make sure the kids were not isolated from family. I agree with your comment. It does not get any bigger than this. She did diagnose her as suffering from cyclothymic disorder and treated her accordingly. Now if the shooter was this James Haynes guy, someone who apparently Diane Downs knew from buying drugs, then that would explain why she stopped in the middle of that road. ), Interesting suggestion. At the very least, she should have been released by now. Their haste to go to trial created this mess and lingering doubts. They played the tape in the courtroom, and the fact that Diane did not break down but tapped her foot to the music, was supposed to be another proof of her guilt. Which is itself a redundant practise: the blogger repeatedly states that Downs should be released. If they could not find the gun or any trace of a shooting on Diane, and you think shes guilty, it would mean she had an accomplice. Not hard to go there. I think it would give the blog more integrity and transparency. And she laughed at it by saying it was healthy to want to join the free world, especially if you proclaim your innocence. 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. Farrah had trouble with the law because of a passionate love affair with a movie director. Dianewas jealous ofthe other woman, but Robert Knickerbockers wife said that she foundher rather friendly during their encounter. Andthe DA adopted her other two children. I am not from USA, never have been there, but my impression is that in USA media are far more powerful than the justice system and rational thinking is crushed by easy emotional moods, stereotypes and a hunger for violence coated in a pompous moral attitude. Messed. Rule defended her right to earn a living and to tell her story. What followed was a tragedy subject to many interpretations. This is what I try to do when I research a case that was deemed to be a slam dunk. Everyone in the world can believe something. He was very irresponsible and probably could not handle them financially and emotionally. The detectives took Diane to the crime scene and were able to retrieve shell cases on the ground where the incident happened. Plus, the circumstances of this charade were more than sinister. 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 During the process of the termination (which can take the whole 2 years in question, with appeals) the court is mandated to find family to take the children. I almost felt bad for her.that being she seemed so lost in her lies..she just hangs in limbo now. Anyways, I was 10 years old when this happened, I stayed with my aunt and uncle a lot in those years, in which they watched A LOT of nightly news programs.lol most of it was like white noise to me, as I would play with my barbies on their living room floorbut I do remember this story. Danny was the product of an affair. An attractive woman whose two children were killed in mysterious circumstances and the cops decided to go after her. You mention that her attorney should have raised objections. Movie scene alleging that Christie was scared. Seriously. Ryan is still in his thirties and still building an excellent reputation in the industry. Any thoughts on that? The two mental disorders that cause excessive talking are Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia. In 1984, the lead prosecutor in the Danie case, Fred Hugi and his wife, Joanne, chose to adopt the children (Christie and Danny). A reader told me that I should have a website with all the comments. why didn't steve downs get custody. I encourage you to read all the facts before being so sure that she was guilty or that she acted alone. The very suspicious aspect of this ballistic saga is that Hugi said they had the bill of sale and serial number for the first Ruger and it was definitely the murder weapon. You have that part absolutely right, so why was this protocol ignored? A very reasonable request that was rejected. Whats wrong with the system is whats wrong with us. And she should be allowed parole! It was pitch black outside. 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. But, we cant help but notice that a few key individuals of her family, so to speak, didnt give those insightful interviews. I personally disagree with that practice but it is common. The forensic evidence alone is absolutely weak. No conflict of interest from a prosecutor adopting a defendants children 2 years after the fact? She had a bullet wound in the arm, and the three kids in the back of the blood-soaked car had all been shot at close range. Diane nowhad the title ofdangerous offender. The next morning Diane appeared in the courtroom with a police report written by Detective Pond a year earlier, in which Ms. Patterson was sure Diane had gone nowhere near the bathroom the night of the shooting (Appendix 62). Surprisingly, he accepted the new child and learned to love him dearly. They never found the gun and she showed no signs of having fired one. Weve become friends. Sometimes it takes until late in life for connections to be made again. 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. Then feel free to correct the facts and to provide evidence to support them. 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. 6. You are not the only one who thinks she is guilty and I know that getting their man at all cost is a popular mantra, but I disagree. Even Ann Rule in her book, keeps mentioning that they only had a few months to get Christie to talk, otherwise they could not keep her away from her mother any longer. I cant believe that it was allowed to happen, actually. Then, they accused her of shooting her kids at close range. 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? Cheryl Lynn followed in 1976, and Stephen Daniel was born in 1979. 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. It deserved as much attention as a Unicorn, a song or all the other hearsay floating around because at least, they came from real people signing official documents. If she was such a manipulative person, she would not be in prison for life, would she? No worries. One of them named Angel, called 15-year-old Christie on the phone. Due process always matters. What happened to Diane Downs' husband? I appreciate this whole blog just want to give you a heads up. I mean, yeah, I can see the no contact order with Diane. 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. Only the people who present ongoing threats to the safety of the public in general are the ones this sentence is reserved for. 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. But why was the judge in family court hopping over to criminal court? Or be mentally ill. The price of celebrity for her was losing her freedom and her children for life. The incident left Cheryl dead, Danny paralyzed from the waist down, and Christie suffering from a stroke that affected her speech. I asked her brother James an answer to your question. I know people who know or knew people is not a valid argument. 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). In 2008, a psych evaluation by L. Williams, Ph.D., Chief of Mental Health at Valley State Prison for Women, explained Dianes lack of emotions and its relationship to her case. Pay attention: Become TUKO.co.ke ambassador get a branded T-shirt, hoodie or water bottle at our TUKO Shop! 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. 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. This article is about due process and the legal right to a fair trial for everyone. Copyright 2023 Distractify. Page 35 of Case History. I actually do not know what really happened. A. I was still living in the house, yes, sir. Strange how Jagger is pretty absent too except for the few photos where he is wrongly identified as Hugi. She was no mother of the year, I will grant them that, but a trial is supposed to be based on evidence. Click to read The Case of Liysa Northon Who Said True Crime Does not Pay? What about the judge stopping a defendant from getting a new attorney? Doing it without witnesses when she was so sick is underhanded. No matter how much Ive read, or how many of her constant at the time interviews I watch on YouTube, the things that come from her brain to her mouth never cease to amaze me. I care about the experts reports written about Diane because they know her situation and mental state. More reason to have investigated the case more thoroughly. The car was splattered with blood, but Diane had none on her. Jennifer Hudson didn't lose custody of her son David Jr. because she was an unfit parent, but rather because her work commitments meant she had to temporarily relocate to film The Voice UK. So imagine when you are troubled to begin with. Read More: Where Is Robert Knickerbocker Now? A. I believe Charlene and I had a big blowout around Thanksgiving and I left, called Diane. Most were married because Diane had no desire to remarry. But her behavior became the most important factor in the investigation that followed. If I included the ones I dont post, it would need more than a like or dislike button. One could argue that this blog does not stick to what came out at trial. The previous video you sent me shows a Jagger pretty animated and involved in the defense of his client. This unexpected proposal took Diane by surprise at a large family gathering. But the Parole Board refused to hear her. In fact, with her continuing to deny committing the crime or expressing remorse, she may never get out. In the end, it is scary how media becomes some kind of Roman circus where people is thrown in order to become a source of business. Im from Australia and have recollections of this case. She should of been sentenced to death. The point is our trials need to be conducted fairly and based on evidence. 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. Yes, Christie said she did not know who did it. What would have been the conclusion to have drawn without this hate campaign? The definition of deviant sociopath does not even exist in the DSM-HI, which is the official psychiatric diagnostic manual. I saw that same face in Diane Downs. I have researched the case and pointed out discrepancies and the fact that it was not the slam dunk that they were portraying. And the state refusing to turn them over to the defense? Click 'See First' under 'Follow' Tab to see Tuko.co.ke news on your FB Feed. I am not saying that Diane was a saint or Ann Rule a demon. She was found guilty. Not that it matters, your opinion is about the case and not subject to geography. Crime is entertainment and big money so this case will continue to be on the forefront and the same assumptions will be repeated over and over again. During closing arguments, Fred Hugi said that the murder weapon used by Diane was a Ruger, and the state had the model number and the bill of sale. I lived through the media coverage. I dont know the woman. 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. I do not post rude comments. She (Diane) managed to jump in the car after getting shot in the arm. As Ms. Patterson left the stand, Diane complained to her attorney that Ms. Patterson had lied under oath. She was harshly judged because of her demeanor. The tape is real and probably not admissible, but it seems to indicate that her testimony was coerced. And she clearly remembered the April 1983, rape that Mr. Downs would later refer to as love making. http://www.salem-news.com/articles/july152013/midnight-med-tb-2.php I write about cases where due process is in question and important aspects were ignored or twisted. In a perfect world this would always be the case. After a failed marriage that got her a divorce from Steve Downs, she wanted to be with her lover. Thanks again. Wow. And even when confronted by the wrongful practices used at trial to get her convicted, are ok with her being locked up for life. 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. I think that she has done enough time and should be released. Those cases shouldnt have been in the same court let alone presided over by the same judge. but I think there are some extreme cases that knock women in a bad psychotic way that can be life threatening. Only in Hollywood and in Ann Rules books, would you find such fantasy. And, when she got assigned to the mail routes in the city of Cottage Grove, Oregon, as a part of her job with the U.S. postal service, he didnt have any qualms with her taking the children. It seems that a lot of what was written down never came up during testimony and some nurses even strayed from the original content. I agree on many points with your comment. The proverbial expression It takes two to tango applies here. Guilty or not, the case was handled with prejudice and many errors occurred. It sounds like Diane was trying to tell her to stay away from bad influences. The bio family should have been given the same opportunity to see the kids and demonstrate their ability to be the guardians. Without her daughters testimony and the lies about the gun, they could not have found her guilty in a fair trial. Diane has not been deemed an ongoing public threat that I am aware of. Her children deserved the whole truth and nothing but the truth. You hit the nail on the head by stating that in the US especially, they seem to shun complex ethical problems preferring to deal with absolute evil in order to exert absolute power to crush it. It has become entertainment and there can only be good, bad and evil. 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. But in the case of DD, there were a lot of elements missing. If you shoot at least 6 inches from a victim, you see what is around you in the car. Child Protective Services takes confidentiality to the extreme (warranted in most cases). In her case it seems to be more a matter of punishment. You read a few comments. All Rights Reserved. That conflict of interest alone would incline Christie to testify against her mother. It did not matter that they had no evidence; they did not like her attitude and she was going to pay for it. did he have eyes in the back of his head.???? Where is Diane Downs' husband now? And if she did it, she has served her time without displaying any violent tendencies whatsoever. Rule sued the Seattle Weekly after they published the article titled Ann Rules Sloppy Storytelling, but she lost and had to make restitution. However, when all the details came to be understood by the police, Steve found out what really happened to his kids. Because Foote was already familiar with the case, the presiding judge assigned him the murder trial after Downs was charged with the shootings. There was a lot of evidence pointing at OJ. The grandparents were babysitting the children often and had several children who were well adjusted. She has come a long way. But you told Diane Downs to go ahead and get an apartment? After six weeks in Oregon where the children were happily spending time with their grandparents while Diane worked her postal route, the incident happened on a dark road that led to Diane being accused of murder and attempted murder. It no longer matters as far as the verdict, she was found guilty, but why no parole? she chose to stay with Manson and his misfits. 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. After all, many cases of domestic abuse and even neglect do stem from alcoholism or drug abuse. It is my hope that Leslie Van Houten and Diane Downs are never paroled. But you are right, some members of the jury and public had a reasonable doubt. I just read your opinion on the Pamela Smart case and the Scott Peterson case. 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. There isnt a whole lot known about where Steve Downs is these days. They were in a difficult situation becausewithout evidence, they could notcharge her for the crime. Plus, you do not let a newly appointed judge to criminal cases, preside over a high profile murder case when he has no experience whatsoever and has already prejudged the defendant dangerous to her children. After completing his education and their short-lived high school romance, Steve Downs would move on to join the navy. 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.. It was positive only on a small portion of her upper hand where she said the gun touched her when she wrestled with the attacker (a detail she had mentioned before they did the test). Reduces conflict because communication is limited. This case flew under my radar so to speak because it happened before my time. She found out who her biological mother was when she was 11 years old, ABC reported.