Salon To Rent Wakefield, Restaurant Impossible Lynn Kegan Married, 2025 Recruiting Class Basketball, Articles W

DNA Test Kits Are Helping Solve Cold Cases Decades Later, After Nearly a Year, There Could Finally be an Investigation Into the Death of Elijah McClain. I care about what was said at trial. But there was a lot left unsaid about this relationship. He is in his 70s now and his photo is not on his linkedin or anywhere I could find. I have researched the case and pointed out discrepancies and the fact that it was not the slam dunk that they were portraying. Hi Nanette, it is not a matter of being gullible. And to try not to bash Dianes Downs character and stick to evidence instead. Guilty or not, we should know better than to use the justice system as a psychic tool when theres not enough evidence. 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. Once again, Diane said a lot of things. You are telling me to take my smugness elsewhere because it is tiresome. Ive been trying to decipher her handwriting on the couple of pages she wrote to her daughter (misquoted on here somewhere is a highlighted If you love your little boy, youll take him far away from here- why is this being taken as a threat and not a warning?!). Robert was a married man in Arizona with whom Diane had been having an affair, back when she was still living there. and so on. So until today, people still don't know much about him, and his whereabouts remain a mystery. At first I thought she did it, now I made further research and I dont know what to think. Diane had learned from nine months of interaction with Knick, that the man was consistent only in his inconsistency. Hardly circumstantial or coincidental what are the chances that a bushy haired stranger, masked men, or someone that knew her (take your pick from Dianes ever shifting account) would have the exact same bullets matching to bullets from a gun owned by Diane ? In hindsight Im sure the grandparents wish they had pursued visitation more aggressively. By the way, Dianes parents mourn the loss of their grandchildren to this day. This test confirmed Diane had not held a gun. Page 40 of Case History. 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). Is it just to continue to punish her so long after she is obviously no longer a danger in any way to anyone? 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. You cannot skip due process because of mob mentality. Why does the blogger not clarify this? statement regarding the effects of the childrens medications while in hospital should acknowledge where the blogger obtained information about the side effects.). Growing up, Diane had felt like an outsider and kids had been cruel towards her because of her real or imagined ugly duckling looks and demeanor. She. rudy francisco rifle analysis / ford employee profit sharing 2022 / why didn't steve downs get custody. Dianes ex-lover, Robert Knickerbocker, also said the same. It was a harrowing, shameful miscarriage of justice. Makes no difference to me. He has lived a life outside the public eye and hasn't ever come out to give interviews to the media about his ex-wife. Contemporary family finding principles argue that a child is best nurtured by parents, then immediate family members, extended family members, spiritual family (Godparents), close friends, etc. At that timeand now!! If the answer is, to keep the public safe, then I call BS. She then went through the State (Circuit) Court habeas corpus relief for four years to no avail. He should have let someone else handle the case or let someone else adopt the kids. Diane changed her story about the stranger on the road. I have nothing to gain and I am not making up songs and dances about a unicorn. 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. It is not because a defendant is found guilty or disliked that it is acceptable to bend the rules. Her family supported her. After all, she was conditioned this way. I would say so. They felt safe there. Of course buying drugs with three kids in the middle of the night from a guy like that is not the mindful thing to do, but would be more consistent as an explanation for her actions. This is Budhu's story, as told to Kelly Burch . 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. The gun presented at trial being the wrong one is a fact. Plus, Diane could have never cleaned her clothes and her hair to remove blood and gun powder. I went on ebay and ordered multiple stuff from the 80s, news footage, just to hear what she sounded like, because of all the talk in the book about her demeanor. I can only imagine to absolute horror of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca during their horrific murders. The way Christie was coached did not correspond to the reality of the direct evidence. Robert and Diane even decided toget matching rose tattoos, but as soon as the ink on her tattoo was dry, he refused to get his done. Speculative. They never found the gun and she showed no signs of having fired one. Thanks again for bringing this to my attention. A. I told Diane before, but I certainly didnt tell her to 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. Just like Rule though, your blog is extremely biased, and reads almost as though she told you exactly what to write at times. Diane did not get a fair trial. The unicorn, the song, her personality. 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. Lets not take that lightly. She states, I did not shoot my children and I cant say I did. By the time Danny was born, they were having intense arguments about infidelity that Steve got convinced that he wasnt his biological son. Ann Rule has always been sensationalist, and her books were almost unreadable at the end of her publishing days. I know that most people think she is guilty. The fact that she and her brother Danny were eventually adopted by Fred Hugi who prosecuted Diane Downs is the most blatant case of conflict of interest I have ever heard of. Christie and Danny have no contact with their father, and they have completed their education. In case you did not read the blog: 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. How was DD able to get away from CK and get the keys back into the ignition without there being more attempts on her life? 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. And how the letters became so bizarre, paranoid and psychotic that she told Diane to stop writing her. The lack of balance and objectivity. In the 1996 Federal Petition, you can find the Anatomy of Brainwashing that can answer any question on this subject. Also, she became pregnant without Steve Downs' permission. He was instead a result of an affair Diane had with a married man. Diane, of her own admission, had plenty of affairs while she worked at the Post Office. I watched the paroles hearing in 08, was lucky to find it, it was streamed live at the timemy sister, who is a whiz with computers, found it for me. He failed. Anne Rule made a big deal of a brass unicorn engraved with the childrens names that Diane had purchased. Lets also remember that this is the US of A and we dont lock people up for being narcissistic, antisocial histrionic individuals. Of course, her mental health has deteriorated. BUT the babies were put in Foster Care before any allegations were made Family has defended and backed Diane for her Innocence clearly from day one The state took them away from all family because family was and is the enemy 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. But showing no remorse is part of claiming her innocence and part of the vicious circle of parole hearings. 4.Diane was NOT arrested for almost a year after the shootings the d.a. But if you compare them, and if stranger there was, there are similarities but it is not dead on. All of it is explained in the blog you didnt bother reading. And in fact this would have been about the time that Charlene broke a bottle of liquor that you had. This case had many similarities to the Alice Crimminsstory. Her lover and former husband testified against her but it did not represent evidence but character assassination. 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. A group of ladies formed a group called HELDD which stands for Help Exonerate & Liberate Diane Downs. 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. But the high profile nature of the case might hinder the process. You do not refute any of the points I made in the blogs. She never hurt anyone in the process of escaping. 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). And I care about the lack of evidence. They were in a group home and he was getting unsupervised visitation with them. TIL On May 19, 1983, Diane Downs shot her three children and drove them at 5-7 mph to the hospital. Right away, the police asked her to go back to the crime scene even thoughshe did not want to leave her children behind. Legally speaking, we do not go after people because they look evil or crazy. I research cases that in my opinion, were poorly tried. 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. I do not have to state anything at the beginning of the blog. She unwillingly followed the cops in spite of being in pain and not wanting to leave the premises. It was cited that she keeps her emotions close to the vest. It does not get any bigger than this. Just state that at the beginning of the blog. Check your inbox to be the first to know the hottest news. It is not a run of the mill case. Anne Rule might have inflamed the case with her book Small Sacrifices and her theory of the crime, but in reality, the case of Diane Downs was no small sacrifice. I have no idea whether or not she was guilty of the crime. but I think there are some extreme cases that knock women in a bad psychotic way that can be life threatening. It sounds like this was not the case with Dianes children. She says she was outside the car n watched the man shoot her children n then the only adult n person who could tell police about him only gets a shot in the arm n takes time to bandage her arm. But the fact that the prosecutor called her a deviant sociopath in court without any assessment became another nail in her coffin. I changed the sites email recently to thetroublewithjustice@hotmail.com People have always been wondering about Steve Downs, Danie Downs ex-husband. 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 appears that you have to be a perfect mother with no lovers and not afflicted with any mental illness to be considered innocent until proven guilty in America. It is not a plus, but it is not a crime either. So move on. I am pointing them out. Were they involved in the plot too?? Hysteria. But you sure did comment like a true asshole, huh? That disinformation was alleged by Mr. Hugi the third day into Jim Jaggers defense and it was never objected to by Mr. Jagger . 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. 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? Downs: And there was a big reward, too. Indeed, Diane Down's murder case was a shocker for detectives. She met Robert "Nick" Knickerbocker and started having a relationship with him earlier. Since his ex wife was sentenced to life in prison, he has not reappeared in public life nor has he given any television interviews about his family. So, what is Steve's story? The proverbial expression It takes two to tango applies here. She had no priors and no history of violence in prison. There is also a recording where she says that she had no idea who shot them. I state that it is not my place to judge innocence or guilt. That makes no sense. I think DD is guilty, but I also think her trial was far from due process, and that is the important issue. I agree with your comment. The guy should have walked away from the case or from adopting them. It would be about November 20th that you would have gone back with Charlene, what, the next day? Two jurors had voted that Diane was not guilty of attempted murder or first-degree assault, but endedup voting to convict her of murder. Gunpowder is one of the toughest stains around, when it comes to removing it from clothes. 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. Christie could not speak but after some rehab, she said repeatedly that she did not know who shot them. Criminalist James Pex was pretty clear about this. 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. Her older two children have remained out of the public eye. Diane had siblings and parents. It wasnt until Prosecutor Hugi said Dr. Jamison had labeled Diane a deviant sociopath that Mr. Blood, cuts, limo driver who saw him come in, the shoe print, the blood in the car and on the socks in his bedroom. You make an interesting observation when you say: Anyways. Five doctors have observed and documented this phenomenon. So it looks and sounds like she is getting special treatment because of her notoriety. Its tiresome. (Feature Image Credit: ABC News / 20/20). She was found guilty. It could be argued that he developed a relationship with the children and genuinely wanted them to join his family. At the point Diane jumped into the car, her broken arm (resting in a sling in front of her) slammed into the steering wheel. After the trial that convicted Diane Downs, Fred Hugi, the Prosecutor adopted Christie and Danny (they were in foster care for 2 years before he decided to adopt them), the two surviving children. 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. Diane had spent three days in the hospital ingesting massive doses of Morphine, Demerol, Percodan, and visterol. But if the blogger is arguing that the blog is balanced and objective, thats patently untrue. But I think that in all fairness, many of them dont even know the details of the case and have watched Small Sacrifices instead. Her attorney, James Jagger, did a poor job for Diane. A slightly humorous observation is that you said, and others have, that James Haynes physically resembled the sketch.. Reasonable doubt is most certainly lacking. Instead of grieving, Alice went partying and had sex. And the interrogations were not tapedand barelydocumented. So, what happened to the children's father? I care about the experts reports written about Diane because they know her situation and mental state. She had the right to a fair trial as much as anyone else out there. I am just curious. I do not believe that this type of abuse would occur today. They claimed to have found two lead cartridges in Dianes rifle at home that supposedly matched the ones used during the crime. That is not a quick process and is very invasive to a familys privacy. After all, Cheryl Downs is basically serving a life sentence with no possibility of parole for her mothers crime. The children had a father. Most were married because Diane had no desire to remarry. 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. 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 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. It always feels like punishment at all costs. Most doctors would tell you that it is normal for our brains to block out a traumatic incident especially when combined with a serious physical injury. May be the guy who says he did it. The definition of deviant sociopath does not even exist in the DSM-HI, which is the official psychiatric diagnostic manual. This is also a faster route to give the children permanency, and is far cheaper for the child welfare system that is always strained by the budget. What is known for a fact, is, Prosecutor Fred Hugi took physical custody of Christie and Danny shortly after Christies confessions to her school mates, and he officially adopted them in the summer of 1986. When Diane had failed to mention it herself, he even informed them that she had bought a .22 caliber shotgun in Arizona, just before she had left for Oregon. To this day, his record is mixed; his law license was suspended for 6 months in 2011, and there was also talk of a suspension in 2015. If you read the blog, you will see examples of his lack of dedication. 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. The case is old and the blog dated, but it is never too late to respond. Instead, they treated the Downs with great cruelty long after their daughter was incarcerated and they fought hard for them. She was not given one inch of presumption of innocence. Jesus Ortiz Paz's parents, net worth, wife, and daughter. I also found it interesting that when he had visited Diane in prison, he had remarked a strange air about her; which did not mean guilt. Or be mentally ill. A very reasonable request that was rejected. 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. Diane was 18 years old at the time and had run away from home to get married. Seems like former husband, Steve Downs, should've been the custodial parent after the divorce. It gave Anne Rule carte blanche to legally use these labels in her book and it stuck. The character of the accused is not the main ingredient, especially that in this case, there was a lot of bashing going on in the media and in court. He needed, now more than ever, to vacate the area asap. She would have been released under strict conditions with the support of her family and under the care of a mental health specialist. Mind you, it is before the trial. Actor Robert Blake was found not guilty of the shooting murder of his wife. Q. I guess he did not want too many people to know about the improprieties that happened in his courtroom. Without the media blast and rush to judgment from the police and DAs office, we might have uncovered the truth. Basically then at that LMFAO!!!! But, their marriage was far from what either of them had expected. This was the prosecution and conviction of (Elizabeth) Diane Downs who has now been incarcerated for too many years in one of Californias (overcrowded) State prisons. Would you know at what speed you are going if you were shot and driving with wounded children in the car? They often argued about their financial issues and fought over infidelities. In this article, we can clearly see that Becky struggled and tried to justify her woes (maybe rightly so) by blaming it on her DNA. And she would have been under supervision. Everything I outlined should be public knowledge. She has come a long way. He strung her along, played with both womens emotions, and after saying he would join her in Oregon, reneged and stayed with his wife. If you have an opinion on drugging a child to make her talk, a judge presiding over a criminal case when he was in family court and removed the children from the defendants or the forensics, ballistic, etc.