So obviously, she was the prime suspect. Diane had siblings and parents. The roller coaster ride had nothing to do with Diane s children and Diane knew it. We dont know. Moreover, he apparently told her that he did not want children and this statement alone would seal Dianes fate. Most get through it fine, maybe some complications or pain, maybe even some post pardum. She learnedat a young age to keep her emotions in check and to always present a strong and brave front. 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. If the media was anything at the time it was favorable towards her. She was judged very harshly for her character and her defense was dismal. The bitches own daughter identified Downs as the shooter. They lied about the ballistics. You were not there and one thing I have learned about high profile cases, is that you cannot always believe what the media, biased detectives and Ann Rule have to say. I am interested in the truth. I can only imagine to absolute horror of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca during their horrific murders. 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. 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. 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. That makes no sense. Diane had learned from nine months of interaction with Knick, that the man was consistent only in his inconsistency. Hed left his first wife to co-habitate with (and later marry) Charlene. The price of celebrity for her was losing her freedom and her children for life. Diane didnt ask Knick to leave his wife. Page 35 of Case History. The way this investigation and the trial were conducted only left me with doubts. Even though his wife shot their children multiple times, and the case was national news, he never surfaced and kept a low profile. 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. 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 ? Maybe that her mom was obviously not well after spending her life in prison so it would have been a good idea to meet the Downss family quietly and get the jest of it. 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. 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. It is said that they didn't go to Steve because he wasn't a fit father or well equipped to take care of children who had gone through such a traumatic experience. Christie and Danny have no contact with their father, and they have completed their education. A new trial would be out of the question, so to me, parole would be the solution. Nevertheless, Steve and Diane tied the knot on November 13, 1973. And by the way, I wrote the blogs about Rule way before she passed. My beef is with the interference by the media, TV shows and Ann Rule (LOL!! Why did CK shoot the kids multiple times and DD once? The lack of balance and objectivity. She functions best in highly structured environments where she has a sense of control. I read the letter they sent to the Downs when they were fighting to see their grandchildren. You dont get any kind of advancement or rehabilitation in prison. Rule made up stories to sell books and the rights to a movie. Of course, because this is what she does when people put her on the spot and ask questions concerning her mother and the shooting. Danny downs did indeed say a man shot him he also blamed a cartoon character. 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. had to wait for Christie to be able to tell them who did it. The infamous murder story of 1983 was like an excerpt from a crime thriller, a mother doing the unfathomable. Dianes father tried to hire Melvin Belli, but the judge refused to give him some time to prepare and come back to the US. Unfortunately couldnt really do anything at that point, as the movie was not VHS yet, it only aired that oncein late 89. It was all about Charlene wanting KnickKnick ~wanting Dianeand Diane wanting a return to the peace she had before Knick asked his wife for a divorce. They felt safe there. She wanted a lawyer to defend her vigorously but the judge stopped her from getting good representation. Even prosecutor Fred Hugi was seen walking the grounds to try to find the weapon. At that timeand now!! To Lisa Griggs Is Diane really a threat anymore? A group of ladies formed a group called HELDD which stands for Help Exonerate & Liberate Diane Downs. How ironic that the court and cops were so quick to believe Steve Downs, but he gave up on his own children after the tragedy. Our legal system is not perfect. Go reading US: The American Gulag, 26 Mar 2009 Exploding prison populations in the US serve a basic need of capitalism. Now in hindsight, seeing footage on youtube, especially the interview she did with the reporter Anne Jagger, the things she says and facial expression is exactly described in the bookhad to find the section in the book, but on that note, Anne rule did site that interview correctly. Wasnt he the stranger? Just saw the video of Dianes parole hearing. 20/20s coverage of Diane Downs and the actions that led her to be sentenced to life in prison is a good portrayal of what really happened. It is called a conflict of interest. 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 try to bring out the details that were ignored because Down was so unpopular: this blog is clearly one sided. The notions of humanity and rehabilitation have been left on the wayside long ago. For example, the abhorrent decision regarding Keli Lane: https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.whimn.com.au/talk/news/why-i-think-keli-lane-should-not-be-in-prison/news-story/069a09c79589645c48de5bfa91e4ca0f. And the state refusing to turn them over to the defense? Anything less is a conflict of interest. Ask them what they did to a good man. Many individuals associated with the the child welfare system, for one reason or another, choose to adopt children. Also, she became pregnant without Steve Downs' permission. Diane had met all the requirements to be paroled. The fact that the Hugis did so successfully is arguably proof of this. You need to have your own voice," she said. The police admitting on the stand that after 2 weeks, they stopped looking at suspects appears to be a fact. On May 19, 1983, Elizabeth Diane Downs and her three small children were shot on a country road near Springfield, Oregon. And Hugi seemed pretty sure he would get what he was asking for. . Diane recanted the stories about her dad who vehemently denied them. She never hurt anyone in the process of escaping. On May 19, 1983, Diane and her kids visited a friend to look at her new horse, and then went for a drive; not at all unusual for this family not living according to middle class rules. And her mental health should definitely have been a factor to release her with follow up care. It was a dark and rural road. Yet, that is exactly what the videotape showsDiane laughing hysterically about hurting her arm. 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. The trial was a whole miscarriage, that seems undeniable. Rule even talked about writing a book about her but it never materialized. It was not unlike brainwashing. You wondered at times, which side he was working for. There is so much to say about this blog I wouldnt know where to start. They removed them and proceeded to interrogate the poor girl until she gave them what they needed. 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? (Yes in the 1980s a ten yr like myself was not as mature as say todays 10 yr olds. Five doctors have observed and documented this phenomenon. But why was the judge in family court hopping over to criminal court? This case needed to be examined more thoroughly, but the mob mentality didnt allow it. The problem was, Diane has a long-documented history of adversely reacting to tranquilizing drugs. They are set in stone and people refuse to see it any other way. What got her convicted was two things the towel and Christie. They did a trace metal test to see if Diane had held a gun. It is not a run of the mill case. They hated her attitude and thought she was promiscuous and showed no sorrow or remorse. She was fighting back and they did not like it. I know better now than to accept blindly the truth presented to us on a silver platter by the media and the judicial system. It is not, as the blogger frequently refers to, evidence. Even if they say that she did not get involved in rehabilitation programs, she did participate, but obviously did not admit to killing her daughter and injuring the others. Knick never signed the premarital agreement and Diane never married him. And that is why Diane chose to murder her children to regain his affection. 2 years in foster care waiting to be legally free for adoption is not that uncommon even today. 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. Then they just got shut out. Its too late for me to call myself a murderer (when I am not) just to purchase my freedom. But Diane was not the one dragging Knick out of Charlenes bed every morning intent on making or breaking his relationship with another woman. Here's what we know. Agreed. You paint a picture that is actually inaccurate and misleading. Check your inbox to be the first to know the hottest news. Her atrocities made national news, but one person that everyone has been wondering about is Diane Down's ex-husband. Jump through the States hoops, or find a noose around your neck. Same with her brother. She did it. The circumstances surrounding the crimes against these innocent children demand to be used as evidence.. My comment to you Lise is about your reply to a previous comment where you say Diane should have been released by now regardless of her statements. Do you remember a couple of days after that, December It's not even known if he still resides in Arizona, where he used to live with Diane and their three kids. They were put in an impossible situation. The men in her life were in no shape or form called on their irresponsible or wild behavior. But you are right, some members of the jury and public had a reasonable doubt. They rarely get a break. She had a more than competent attorney and a fair trial before a jury and NOT the same judge who handled the childrens matters. I go through every new finding and I point out what was done at trial that did not respect due process. He could then have initiated the licensing process to foster and then adopt the children. 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. In her book Heart Full of Lies, Rule took so many liberties with the facts that Liysa Northon sued her. LMFAO!!!! Despite all of this: that the attorney became a Foster Carer irrelevant, inflammatory, subjective and bears no reflection on the trial, or indeed the trial outcome. why didn't steve downs get custody. I do not declare her innocent. They were not truth seekers and enjoyed a nice burning at the stake instead. 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. And after Diane left Arizona she didnt call Knick to inquire about his love, but rather about when he would repay the $500 (Appendix 81, pages 1479-1480). 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. Maybe someone needs to read Part two in Dr. Billings in-depth review of the Diane Downs Murder Case in Oregon. He should have let someone else handle the case or let someone else adopt the kids. so which one is it????? Christie was the primary witness in the case against her mother. It is because she is a high profile person. I see that Downs had a parole hearing in late 2020 but I cant see the outcome. Because Foote was already familiar with the case, the presiding judge assigned him the murder trial after Downs was charged with the shootings. This whole tale is just unbelievable. Her quest for love had landed her into an unstable and loveless marriage. What was the rationale behind this? One of the jurors finally declared. The american system often reminds me of what Charles Dickens talked about in his novels. That she had no blood or gun powder anywhere when she allegedly shot at close range? I dont know the woman. By the time the incident had happened, it seems as if the two had parted ways . They finally charged her and she did 10 years for the death of her children. At the point Diane jumped into the car, her broken arm (resting in a sling in front of her) slammed into the steering wheel. 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. Diane was instructed to reenact her response to the attacker who murdered her daughter. 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. Why would anyone think Christie could remember the night of the shooting anyway?? I was shocked any asked why she thought that. The time was spent waiting for the clock to tick down the final seconds for all appeals to the parental termination to be allowed. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Back in Phoenix, Arizona, in Moon Valley High School, Steve Downs met Elizabeth Diane for the first time. She did diagnose her as suffering from cyclothymic disorder and treated her accordingly. Copyright 2023 Distractify. I appreciate this whole blog just want to give you a heads up. 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. The powers that be knew they had nothing on Diane so Christie became their sacrificial lamb. 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. And with hindsight, the fact that this young mother had a personality disorder probably brought a lot of drama to the mix. On the single count of murder, the jurors needed a unanimous decision. Oh 1 more thing I see a lot of comments on pro Diane web sights that say well she drove them to the hospital. But showing no remorse is part of claiming her innocence and part of the vicious circle of parole hearings. Of course, her mental health has deteriorated. It always feels like punishment at all costs. The unicorn, the song, her personality. As it was getting dark and the young ones fell asleep in the car, their mother decided to head home. Im from Australia and have recollections of this case. The two mental disorders that cause excessive talking are Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia. 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. But the birth of little Danny did not make this bad boy change his stripes; he remained a cad and a destabilizing force in their lives. They should have taken their timeto investigatethis case thoroughly and without prejudice. According to Diane, she then saw a man on the road flagging her and stopped thinking he needed help. I didnt know that. On May 19, 1983, Elizabeth Diane pulled over her car by the side of the road in Springfield, Oregon and shot her children multiple times with a 22-calibre pistol. She s. This is not my scenario Tasha. Pros. Not even the gun. The details about the gun missing, the daughters testimony and the fact that she had no blood or gun residues are facts. Do not take this so personally. Which is itself a redundant practise: the blogger repeatedly states that Downs should be released. It is also very is to clean. Diane wanted to wait for her daughter to feel better, be accompanied by an expert and have the meetings taped? 6. They had high hopes for Dianes future and this bad boy was not part of it. Late Tom Billings had been the first who openly questioned Diane Downs guilt. Too bad she did not interview Diane or her family. The DA that put away their mom is not an appropriate placement choice. I have watched her parole hearing. Late one May night in 1983, Diane Downs sped into an emergency room dropoff in Springfield, Ore., with a horrifying story to tell. Not an easy situation for him as I would imagine. They now have social media arenas reminiscent of the Romans cheering at the sight of a thumb down meaning there will be a bloodshed. And she should be allowed parole! Some cases are so one sided that you feel like exposing or at least, discussing the other side. One of the flaws was the relationship between the DA and the children. 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. A. I dont recall telling her to get an apartment. What matters to me is that her rights were trampled during her trial. (Appendix 81, page 1466). Nearly every point you make here was addressed and disproved or not even allowed into evidence. I would like to believe this is the truth. They never tried to reunite them with family. Not speculative? 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. I mean if a guy admits to killing children over and over, shouldnt we pay attention to that? 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. Being bipolar, she had no impulse control so it should not have surprised anyone. She keeps her emotions under tight control, presenting only socially acceptable feelings and burying other contradictory feelings.. If you had commented on one of the elements contained in the blog, it might have been enlightening. . According to various sources, Steve chose to separate from his wife after discovering that Stephen Daniel, their third child, was the product of her wife's relationship with a colleague. McPherron: And you had no contact with her . After all, she was conditioned this way. Every single one. We cant. No OTHER reason. Yes, Christie said she did not know who did it. It is not my point. If a person were innocent of the crime they were convicted of this puts them in a no-win situation. It appeared rigged: Rigged? This blogger believes in the presumption of innocence and in the possibility of redemption. Q. Diane asked for proof that her ex husband was behind the shooting. I changed the sites email recently to thetroublewithjustice@hotmail.com In fact, Diane had consulted a psychologist after the tragedy and after months of consultation, she was never diagnosed as a sociopath. In 1984, Diane was convicted of the death and injuries of her children, and she was sentenced to life in prison. They were the small sacrifices. Three weeks after the crime, Judge Foote from family courts, removed Danny and Christie from the care of Diane Downs and her family. 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. 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? Another conflict of interest. The way Christie was coached did not correspond to the reality of the direct evidence. And according to the law, she should have been released by now, independently of what she says or not. Something that would never stand in court now. I am also engaged in other wrongful convictions that have taken place within the US. Farrah had trouble with the law because of a passionate love affair with a movie director. If the adult can show capacity and willingness to provide care, love and nurturing to the children, then there is no legal reason to prevent them from becoming Foster Carers. One of the more bizarre scenes in this farce of an investigation was about to unfold. Problem with that is Diane has said during an interview with detectives that the sketch looks nothing like what she described. There was never a real motive for the crime even if the State insisted that Diane wanted to be free to pursue her love interest; using her journals to support theirclaim. Not unlike Diane, Alice did not want to share her pain in public. Her persona allowed them to build this ironclad narrative when in fact, it was far from definite. 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? Whats next? Nowadays, this insanity would never be tolerated. There is only one major problem with your scenario. This is also what the state did to her. I am pointing them out. So, why didn't Steve Downs get custody? I think that the time she has served and her good behavior made her eligible for parole. Nuts maybe, but not threatening. This blogger apparently believes anything she hears to support her inaccurate theory that Diane Downs was falsely accused and convicted. Maybe I should have elaborated more about this comment. 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. As she is incarcerated, her fate is already sealed, servicing her life sentence in prison. 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. Conflict of interest on steroids!! They were traumatized and needed familiar faces to feel safe. They said she was going slow but the time at which she arrived seems to indicate otherwise. Its a rather large part of the story. What about the terror of being interrogated by strangers and separated from her family? Ryan is still in his thirties and still building an excellent reputation in the industry. During his travels, he visited prisons and spoke against this type of barbarism because his father was imprisoned for a debt of 40 pounds and 10 shillings when he was twelve years. Steve Downs was the husband of the infamous child killer, Diane Downs. Children imitate their parents every move. When they graduated from high school, the two reunited and rekindled their love despite their brief separation. 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). Saudi Princesses in Captivity for More Than a Thousand and One Nights Are Tweeting the Blues, Having recently done research on the Liysa Northons case which was the subject of a book written by Ann Rule titled, Some 287 errors and falsehoods were documented by Liysa and verified by official sources. But I am realistic. I found nothing. She was found guilty. It should have been investigated further. I am sorry but I got to laugh a little. 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.. And this makes many people wonder about his whereabouts. I am all for reviewing facts and getting a decision overturned in cases of corrupt decisions, and many people are on your side and find these cases totally worth their time. This blog is riddled with inconsistencies, suppositions and a lack of the most basic referencing (e.g. They should have looked for a possible accomplice and checked all the leads. What about the fact that they never found the gun? Sad situation. In hindsight Im sure the grandparents wish they had pursued visitation more aggressively. Just my opinion. But the Parole Board refused to hear her. Two jurors had voted that Diane was not guilty of attempted murder or first-degree assault, but endedup voting to convict her of murder. I watched and worried through her escapeto find her childrens real attackerthat bushy haired stranger . The jurors had doubts. Detective Welch reminded Diane of the assault her sister witnessed in February 1983, in which steve Downs broke Dianes tailbone (Appendix 74, page 1025). She was interrogated without a representative from the defense and was not taped for the most part. Mrs. Fredericksons concern for her daughters emotional state was well placed. She entertained the idea of opening a surrogacy agency but the project never really took off. During a trial, we have to go with evidence only. A long long time ago. The blog tries to bring balance and more objectivity to a case that was TOTALLY one sided and still is. Theres a lot to be said here, still. 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? Considering the circumstances, it is difficult not to be a bit cynical about this grand gesture: relevance? The problem with high profile cases is that the media, the DA, the cops and authors like Ann Rule dictate the narrative and it becomes almost impossible to look any other way unless you are a critical thinker devoid of emotions related to the case. I feel sorry for Diane too. Diane now had the title of dangerous offender. 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.

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