Five doctors have observed and documented this phenomenon. She had no blood spatter or gun powder residue on her hands,clothing or hair. 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. Not meaning to sound disrespectful, but you seem to be doing what you accuse Ann Rule of doing. Her 7-year old daughter Cheryl died but her 3-year old son Danny and her 8-year old daughter Christie survived. Insulting a woman in prison since 30 years instead of debating the inconsistencies of this case is pretty pathetic. It turned out to be a mistake because he was married to a County Circuit Court Judge who would become a colleague of Foote and he had no intention of defending Diane vigorously. Exactly Libby why did they say during the trial that he saw his mom? The whole family were co-conspirators and involved in the crime? You said yourself that the title was revealing. 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. You make an interesting observation when you say: Anyways. Fingerprints at the crime scene were not produced by the State. Thanks Kit, It is a bit of a mystery to me that not more people see that if we removed the high profile name and the accompanying media storm, the case was no slam dunk. Her power to manipulate is why she is where she is to begin with. Id like to challenge some of the bloggers claims. 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. By the time Danny was born, they were having intense arguments about infidelity that Steve got convinced that he wasnt his biological son. During cross-examination, she said that she witnessed the murders while sitting up and that Cheryl was sitting up on the front seat when she got shot. But the Parole Board refused to hear her. She attacked her husband and ripped his neck open in a jealous rage (Appendix 81, page 1520), tearing from his neck the gold chain he still wore from his first marriage (a gift from his first wife). When you hear her in interviews she sounds more concerned with herself than her kids. The former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader sparked a romantic relationship with Howey and shortly after her career took off with a little help from the Something Borrowed actor's father, who was an. Why is there virtually no info on him? Moreover, it was not a suicide case, but of a woman who supposedly shot herself in the arm and her 3 children several times. Just state that at the beginning of the blog. Diane was pregnant during the trial so if found not guilty, how would she have regained the love of her life? Messed. but I think there are some extreme cases that knock women in a bad psychotic way that can be life threatening. They rarely get a break. The gun presented at trial being the wrong one is a fact. Andthe DA adopted her other two children. The case of Diane Downs and her three children is one of those a horrible tragic case that people still think about 37 years later. If Hugi got attached to the children, why did he wait 2 years when little Christie was starting to say she had no clue who shot them? Is it too late to respond to this? These women did not show emotions and did not fold when asked to. If you are not bothered by lack of due process and a prosecutor making up psychiatric labels and adopting kids from a defendant or a judge who gets promoted from family court to criminal court to hang Diane, I am sure bothered by it. Downs wanted to get rid of the kids because her new boyfriend didn't want . Yes, I had filed for divorce and then I canceled it. 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. You simply are a rude individual looking for a reaction. There were a few calls and on one occasion, The most frequent remarks I hear about the case when confronted by the state misconduct and the lack of evidence are gut feelings , So the hell with no gun, no GSR, no blood and no witnesses except a sick child who denied knowing who shot them until she could not anymore and happened to be adopted by the prosecutor; making it look like she could never change her mind and reveal that she has no memory of the shooting and maybe have the case reversed. So should I put an addendum saying that Diane contradicted herself or was not satisfied with the sketch? Judges are subject to certain ethical standards and have a duty to be impartial. I also wish that Dianes children have a great life. One of the more bizarre scenes in this farce of an investigation was about to unfold. Guilt or innocence no longer need to be debated in this case. Her parents Willadene and Wes were old school Baptist parents who raised her under strict guidelines without much warmth but complete devotion. A prosecutor inventing a new psychiatric category in court and labeling the accused is kind of unsettling. 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. The whole blog claims the trial was flawed. If she was such a manipulative person, she would not be in prison for life, would she? Bannon, a former adviser . So she could not have shot her kids at the distance determined by the state unless she changed her clothing and it did not come up at trial. Hugi did not want that. 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 did it. Is there any update? No one bothered with these details so I did. I would love to hear your answers to them. 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. Surprisingly, he accepted the new child and learned to love him dearly. I do not have to put any statement advising people that I am about to present the neglected aspects of the trial. And in fact this would have been about the time that Charlene broke a bottle of liquor that you had. Have you actually read the transcript of the trial?? I mean if a guy admits to killing children over and over, shouldnt we pay attention to that? The absence of the gun or gun powder residues on Diane is fact. Steves surviving children had endured a horrifying experience performed by someone they loved and cared about. The fate of Steven Downs, a 47-year-old nurse from Auburn, Maine, is now in hands of a 12-person jury in Alaska. Christie became the star witness against her mother and who could resist such a touching testimony? Posted by October 30, 2021 apush gilded age test on why didn't steve downs get custody The way it was. 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. Ann Rule did not leave a great legacy as far as honest reporting goes, and she is not the only one to have commercialized a criminal case for personal gain. 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. No. Gosh Donna, you really dont have a clue. The notes taken daily by the nurses became a point of contention at trial. Not giving you free reign here. I was being sarcastic. Great blog post, thank you. It was writtenrepeatedly in the daily notes that the children were happy to see their mom and asked for her. 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. You can check this link and go online to see her picture with Cheryl and the rest of the family. The timing of her arrival at the hospital should have been discussed and explained in more details. I dont know either if she is guilty or not, but I believe there is a reasonable doubt surrounding the circumstances. Doesnt change the fact that it was still a conflict of interest. Maybe because of her notoriety and the victims were children. Steve was among the few individuals who saw Elizabeth Diane as a beautiful young lady rather than an outsider. In her case it seems to be more a matter of punishment. For all my life I have thought I was not that smart, but now I can tell myself, hey cheer up could be worse. You can click here to read about the case of Alice Crimmins during which the lead detective was heard telling the other cops before the bodies of the children were ever found:You take the husband, Ill take the bitch.. Therefore, it is hard knowing where he is right now, considering his low profile of keeping away from the spotlight. 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. They made her out to be a monster, but in Beckys case, it becomes redeemable. This case flew under my radar so to speak because it happened before my time. Her attorney, James Jagger, did a poor job for Diane. Jeff, you mention being harsh as if there was a justification for it. In a fairly good knot which would have taken time to do one handed and teeth. Most people described Dianes injury as minor or superficial but in reality, it was a very serious injury. All smoke and mirrors to fit a certain scenario. The child was adopted and was later named Rebecca. Foote refused 30 to 50 reports by detectives of sightings or leads about the shooter but admitted reports from people in Arizona willing to badmouth Diane. Her ex-husband has been of great interest, considering his absence from the media despite the case getting significant attention. Inside, outside, top to bottom. That makes no sense. That is not a quick process and is very invasive to a familys privacy. One of the jurors finally declared. The towel and a girl who had a stroke, was separated from her family and was constantly questioned without being recorded or accompanied by a loved one and testifying to facts that do not match the testimony of the forensic expert is not being reduced to conjecture? 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. You seem to forget that even a few jurors started by voting not guilty on some of the charges. In fact, Diane and her lawyer wanted Christie to be able to heal before being questioned and to be accompanied and taped during the sessions. And the interrogations were not tapedand barelydocumented. She is still in prison. Why did CK shoot the kids multiple times and DD once? When they graduated from high school, the two reunited and rekindled their love despite their brief separation. I have nothing to gain and I am not making up songs and dances about a unicorn. She was the prosecutions only hope. The fact that she was driving five miles per hour to the hospital says it all as a mother myself, I dont care how hurt or mentally damaged I was, I would drive that car 100 MPH to get my children to safety. 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? She followed all the correct Parole Boardprocedures for two years with no hearing. Diane, 18, had run away from home to do so. Right after the shooting, little Danny would ask the nurses, Why did the mean man shoot me? and it would be written down in the daily notes. In my opinion, the investigation was too hasty and only focused on Diane. So I start with that bit of history in mind. John Shea who played Fred in the TV movie Small Sacrifices even looks like him. Lise lasalle you mention THIS When she (Diane) resisted, he shot her kids and struggled with her. danny also said a cartoon character shot themalso he was SHOT IN THE BACK how could he see the shooter????????? I just read your opinion on the Pamela Smart case and the Scott Peterson case. Because she had driven that area for years for her work. There were a few calls and on one occasion,Christie said They just, they knew that, you know, that she did it and I should say that she did it. When asked if she thought her mother did it or someone else did it, she replied, I dont know if she did it or someone else did, cause I dont know. Then Angel says: They told you that was the right thing to do, huh? Christie responds, But like the person, my attorney, and thats who Fred is, that Im living with, hes the guy, he works for me.. But, their marriage was far from what either of them had expected. 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. Her family members were quite capable of taking care of the children. 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. Because Foote was already familiar with the case, the presiding judge assigned him the murder trial after Downs was charged with the shootings. You are wondering about the question why didn t steve downs get custody but currently there is no answer, so let kienthuctudonghoa.com summarize and list the top articles with the question. She was harshly judged because of her demeanor. http://www.dianedowns.com/Dr.%20Jamison%20affidavit.pdf. When they recaptured her, she was very docile. #corrupt. Seems like she was her worst enemy. The notions of humanity and rehabilitation have been left on the wayside long ago. In 1984, Diane Downs was convicted of shooting her three children, 3-year-old Danny, 7-year-old Cheryl, and 8-year-old Christie. 5. I do not believe that this type of abuse would occur today. ..it is quite possible if she was tried in todays world, with the evidence they hadquite possible it would of went differentlywe been living in a society that pretty much demand 100% pure forensic evidence provenprobably over 10 years or longer, people expect trials to be that of a law and order TV show..I cant say thats a bad thing, or makes what happened in the 80s on back bad. This is an extremely tragic case and her children at the very least deserve justice. Her children deserved the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Substituting reasonable inference and evidence for tarot cards? I lived through the media coverage. The flesh and muscle had been cored three days earlier, but the steel plate and bone graft could not be effected for two weeks (a precaution against infection). It was omnipresent in the courtroom as well as the Duran Duran song, The judge instructed them to continue on to force a verdict. The proverbial expression It takes two to tango applies here. They should have taken the time necessary to find enough evidence. Critics said she deliberately became pregnant in order to garner sympathy from the jury.
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