Why would anyone think Christie could remember the night of the shooting anyway?? But before you get too deep into the drug stuff with Van Houten, she chose to take drugs. That is not a quick process and is very invasive to a familys privacy. I look forward to reading your other blogs. It should have raised a red flag concerning her mental stability or the possibility that more people were involved. The detective said if Diane would just testify against Steve Downs, she and her children could go home and try to put their lives back together. Apparently drug mafia wanted to punish her for messing her nose in forbidden places, not because she was getting any real business in that but simply because she had one of the poorest judgements a person can have. There have many times children have had to testify against their parents so the fact that many cant believe it was ever allowed should honestly research more. Now Diane Downs did not say any of this, but told a hard to believe story, and then changed it from one to two masked guys, etc. She took care of herself not her children. Diane recanted the stories about her dad who vehemently denied them. So there was a transfer, but nothing else 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 . Right after the shooting, little Danny would ask the nurses, , Even Ann Rule in her book, keeps mentioning that, Every time, she said she did not know, they told her to think again and made suggestions. Wow. Being a patient of the doctor who saved the childrens lives has nothing to do with the facts of a case. But there is forensic evidence pointing to Diane Downs. I try to remain objective in spite of the media storm depicting the case in a certain way, which is not accurate in every aspect. What happened to Diane Downs' husband? The mommy murderess pulled her car over the side of the road and shot her three young children in the backseat. A very reasonable request that was rejected. Years later, seven witnesses signed affidavits telling of a man named Jim Haynes continuing confessionthat he wasthe shooter, and his appearance boresimilarities to the sketch. The lack of balance and objectivity. Diane was diagnosed as being bipolar and subsequently diagnosed by a psychiatrist before sentencing. I never read the Ann Rule book, but saw Small Sacrifices as a kid and have had an interest in this case ever since. Wasnt he the stranger? The price of celebrity for her was losing her freedom and her children for life. Leaving out a lot of info that should be included and presenting a very one sided take on these things. Fair question. 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. Yes, Im sure this stranger wanted to kill her kids but only wound her, who, coincidentally, had a towel handy neatly folded on her wound. Having recently done research on the Liysa Northons case which was the subject of a book written by Ann Rule titled Heart Full of Lies,I came across some very interesting information about the Diane Downs case because Rule attended the trial and also wrote a book about the case called Small Sacrifices. Why arent you debating the faulty ballistics, and the fact that the gun they affirmed was used in the commission of the crime was not the right one? Hello. As usual, Diane had resorted to the soothing comfort of a pregnancy to pretend life would get better; she would create a nest around her, come hell or high water. A trial should be based on facts and solid direct or circumstantial evidence. Mr. Jagger said it wasnt t enough to know a witness had lied, but she would have to prove it. There was a lot of evidence pointing at OJ. But without proof, Diane couldnt implicate Steve Downs any more than she could shoot him as he violated a restraining order threatening to beat her AGAIN. 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. 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. As for where he is now, well be honest, were not completely sure. According to Diane, she then saw a man on the road flagging her and stopped thinking he needed help. Seems like she was her worst enemy. But if you compare them, and if stranger there was, there are similarities but it is not dead on. I am pointing them out. It can safely be presumed, other children told their parents, and that some of those parents reported the disturbing revelation to states Attorney, Prosecutor Fred Hugi. 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. Further: Wonder about Justice in Nation with world wide highest prisoner rate. Not in this case. Her mom is still alive and would love to have contact but respect that they wont. It appeared rigged: Rigged? I am sorry but I got to laugh a little. Who Wore it Better? This was very stressful. That conflict of interest alone would incline Christie to testify against her mother. She knew that Knickerbocker hated trouble of any kind, and thathe would have never come back to her after an ugly shooting where she had been wounded and her kids damaged. You can believe what you like. Her arm was severely damaged, so shattered that she needed a graft from a hip bone. In the moment of who shot youmy momhave a hard time believing that could be coached. And they kept at her and made suggestions when she would not implicate her mom. Not our place to decide. 2) You mention her youngest daughter, and how Ann made sure she only heard negative information about Diane. You left and you and Diane Downs spent an evening at a motel? Yes, I had to go and sign the lease, yes, sir. A conviction founded on lies is no conviction at all. Page 50 of Case History. 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 , Anne Rule made a big deal of a brass unicorn engraved with the childrens names that Diane had purchased. I stuck to what came out at trial and not the fantasy factory coming from the state, the media and Rule. The scene described in Small Sacrifices with little Christie hooked up to a machine and her pulse accelerates because she is terrified ofher mother is doubtful and subject to interpretation. The blogger continues, I am not one sided. The case was so one sided that it is about time some of us bring up the other side. Her other daughter and son were severely injured. Besides, none of those diagnoses are illegal. Diane had met all the requirements to be paroled. Don't get butt hurt. 6. It is a research done on the case according to many sources. I had visited Dr. Billings site several times and it is too bad that it was removed. When they recaptured her, she was very docile. 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: relevance? 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, with her continuing to deny committing the crime or expressing remorse, she may never get out. And her mental health should definitely have been a factor to release her with follow up care. Modernism mixed with Medieval state of mind. Foote ruled in favor of the prosecution and against the defenseon most of the admissible evidence questions including all the nurses notes about Danny talking about a man shooting him but admitted Christies reports about her mother shooting her. Not optional, kids should not be in limbo that long, but it happens all the time. Their goal was to make Dian look crazy, because sane people dont shoot their children. Page 6 of Case History. Thanks again for bringing this to my attention. ANNE RULES BOOK IS A LIE, ,ALL MADE UP CRAP. I will take a screen shot of the sketch. Weve become friends. why didn't steve downs get custody. As she is incarcerated, her fate is already sealed, servicing her life sentence in prison. And, one of them was her ex-husband, the father of the children that Diane had shot. As you might know, Dianes father passed away after many years of anguish over the fate of his daughter. I am posting Jamesanswer: Yes the allegations were said and you cannot take back what was saideven if retracted You seem to forget that even a few jurors started by voting not guilty on some of the charges. It wasnt until Prosecutor Hugi said Dr. Jamison had labeled Diane a deviant sociopath that Mr. http://www.glamour.com/story/i-found-out-my-mother-was-a-killer-the-rebecca-babcock-story. She wanted a lawyer to defend her vigorously but the judge stopped her from getting good representation. But showing no remorse is part of claiming her innocence and part of the vicious circle of parole hearings. He could then have initiated the licensing process to foster and then adopt the children. By the way, this not a Diane Downs is innocent blog. It is a lets examine the facts of the case with hindsight and try to explain some of the inconsistencies and the role of the media and crime writers. And lets wonder why the US think that letting people die in prison is the answer when most civilized countries have reached other conclusions. The DA that put away their mom is not an appropriate placement choice. I guess Diane forgot to have that part engraved on the Unicorn. But I would not know what her state of mind is because I did not witness it. What I believe doesnt matter at all. They did a trace metal test to see if Diane had held a gun. Lise do you know if the kids have ever reached out to the grandparents/family in the last few years? 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. 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 . When Dianes youngest daughter, who was adopted after being taken away by the state, found out who her real mother was and decided to reach out to her, the media and Rule grabbed hold of her to promote their agenda. 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. I have no idea whether or not she was guilty of the crime. 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. Tuko.co.ke featured an interesting article about the actor that has been in the industry for more than 13 years, starring in various great productions. It opened a huge can of worms regarding the real identity of the heart full of lies in this case. In fact, Diane had consulted a psychologist after the tragedy and after months of consultation, she was never diagnosed as a sociopath. Great blog post, thank you. I try to bring up the elements that were totally ignored. (I know that wasnt brought up this time but it usually is.) 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 probably was not salacious enough for her readers that she polled online to establish if there was enough interest in the story to fill her pockets with a definite blockbuster. 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. And I care about the lack of evidence. 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. 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.. Yes Gigi, the same judge who had removed the children was also presiding over her trial. Inside, outside, top to bottom. Seeing her giggle and laugh during a videoed reconstruction gave me, as a mother, a sickening feeling. And she went back to her parent's home in Arizona. Imagine knowing that your adoptive dad was responsible for putting your natural mom in the slammer? Being bipolar, she had no impulse control so it should not have surprised anyone. Critics said she deliberately became pregnant in order to garner sympathy from the jury. Two of the kids survived the shooting with life altering injuries, and one of the children died. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. 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. Steve made some piss poor choices when he had visitation with the kids after the shooting; he permitted them to go off alone with Dianne, when she was not supposed to have had any contact at all with the children. The kind of TV series that they produce on high profile crimes will make sure to turn public opinion. She even provided the police with her own sketch. This seems very punitive to have a law like this be retroactive. more on crime HEARTBREAKING FIND The Office star's sister-in-law found dead 11 days after going missing 'DISGUSTING' 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. 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 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. James C. Jagger who was hired by Dianes father was an ex-Prosecutor. And their plan worked. Would you know at what speed you are going if you were shot and driving with wounded children in the car? But Diane was not the one dragging Knick out of Charlenes bed every morning intent on making or breaking his relationship with another woman. that you told Diane to tell steve that she was Knicks She had one arm totally out of commission. I was curious as to what these requirements were, as I have not seen these online. When analysing this blog, look at three statements from the blogger: Diane Downs and Alice Crummins were considered sluts 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. Thats the problem with high profile cases. Diane changed her story about the stranger on the road. She felt fulfilled when she was pregnant because she believedit was the road to unconditional love. Movie scene alleging that Christie was scared. At least two of those school mates reported Christies tortured confession to their mother 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. Or maybe an upvote/downvote arrow for each. Either way he could NOT have seen who shot him unless he has eyes in the back of his head. And on this site, I mention that I take a restorative approach. Detective Antoine also performed a trace metal test on Diane I S hands to detect the presence of trace metals left after someone has touched or held something metallic like a gun (Appendix 65). I personally disagree with that practice but it is common. But I will answer the points you raised about the blog. 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. Evidence from a ballistics expert. Click to listen to podcast explaining the gun test, Dianes mental condition and the lack of forensic evidence. 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 Read More: Where Is Robert Knickerbocker Now? They were in a group home and he was getting unsupervised visitation with them. Three weeks after the crime, Judge Foote from family courts, removed Danny and Christie from the care of Diane Downs and her family. I state that it is not my place to judge innocence or guilt. It could be argued that he developed a relationship with the children and genuinely wanted them to join his family. No worries. That was the extent of her investigation of Dianes side. 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. Libby, I quoted what Diane said. Instead, there is blood splatter on the ceiling of the car. From the very beginning, the DAs office had their ducks in a row because in an unprecedented move, Judge 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. The time was spent waiting for the clock to tick down the final seconds for all appeals to the parental termination to be allowed. Click to read The Case of Liysa Northon Who Said True Crime Does not Pay? 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. Basically, I dont believe the site owner has produced enough proof of anything. Exactly Libby why did they say during the trial that he saw his mom? Plus according to an expert at trial, her testimony did not match the blood spatter analysis in the car. Im not saying I know for a fact in my mind shes innocentbut there is NOT enough evidence for her to be guilty. 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. Diane needs some serious spiritual advancement and atonement before she ever will have or deserve peace. She was also shot twice andifshe had been sitting up, the seats would have been covered with blood spatter as well as the shooter. She is still in prison. They were in their care during the time Diane worked when she moved to Oregon. Wasnt it speculative on their part? They removed them and proceeded to interrogate the poor girl until she gave them what they needed. They brought cakes and cookies and became friends so they were not going to fight over this. It seems like Steve and Diane were meant to be together. They did not want reunification to keep their verdict intact. 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. Of course, because this is what she does when people put her on the spot and ask questions concerning her mother and the shooting. I think that looked at through a more objective lens, many aspects of the Downs case are highly questionable. But there were discrepancies; the tool marks did not matchand the detective lied on the stand about it. That is pure bullshit. If I feel that due process was violated, I will go there anyway. It no longer matters as far as the verdict, she was found guilty, but why no parole? Diane was sentenced to life plus 50 years. this is your 2nd quote which contradicts the first one .. Lets not forget that she was presumed to have fired a gun 6 times at close range within the confines of a small car. Mr. Downs must have had a bad feeling about Jagger because before trial: speculation Her children deserved the whole truth and nothing but the truth. It took months to get Christie to say that her mother was the culprit and that is when they arrested Diane. If thats what you want then dont pretend its anything but. These women did not show emotions and did not fold when asked to. Diane is not a killer or a liar! Guilty or not, we should know better than to use the justice system as a psychic tool when theres not enough evidence. To have separated Christie from her brother and the rest of the family to be able to get her mom was unconscionable. She was the first to admit that at times, she was somewhat neglectful, impatient, yelled too much, and could have been a better mother, but she seemed to have turned the corner and was doing her best with the means at her disposal. A. I told Diane before, but I certainly didnt tell her to This unexpected proposal took Diane by surprise at a large family gathering. I worked for county child welfare services in Colorado for a decade.
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