They were treated very badly in this matter. It was the story of two troubled young souls trying to survive without a safety net. Sometimes it takes until late in life for connections to be made again. You said that the absence of both prove she couldnt have been to shooter and you claim it takes real scrubbing to remove GSR. The way Christie was coached did not correspond to the reality of the direct evidence. Christie Downs was eight-years old when she was injured and nine-years old when she testified. Im from Australia and have recollections of this case. There was no blood on the front seats so Cheryl was laying down and Christie was asleep laying down and never witnessed anything. An attractive woman whose two children were killed in mysterious circumstances and the cops decided to go after her. ..it is quite possible if she was tried in todays world, with the evidence they hadquite possible it would of went differently we been living in a society that pretty much demand 100% pure forensic evidence proven. She unwillingly followed the cops in spite of being in pain and not wanting to leave the premises. So not addressing the content of the blog and rambling about everything else while asking for a disclaimer is nailing it? 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. Another conflict of interest. Q. Fingerprints at the crime scene were not produced by the State. 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. Diane found a full-time job with the U.S. Post Office in 1981, and was stationed in Chandler. The point is our trials need to be conducted fairly and based on evidence. Yeah, Ive noticed a lot of people thing Jim Jagger is Fred Hugi. She did not fit in and was now anxious to assert her independence and live her own life. If she was such a manipulative person, she would not be in prison for life, would she? Whatever mental illness she has, has gotten worse with each hearing. I didn't get tipsy, I'm pretty good at handling alcohol. I have researched the case and pointed out discrepancies and the fact that it was not the slam dunk that they were portraying. U seem very one sided on every case Ann Rule has ever written just as u claim she did to u. N her parents didnt want custody of the children just like the father. Diane downs. And they kept at her and made suggestions when she would not implicate her mom. The unicorn, the song, her personality. I agree on many points with your comment. The blogger continues, I am not one sided. And the fact that Tracy wrote in his notes that Christies reaction could have been excitement to see her mom but they decided to only mention extreme fear? Yes Gigi, the same judge who had removed the children was also presiding over her trial. They came up with an explanation as to why this was the wrong gun but the jig was up. The following article hopes to help you make more suitable choices and get more useful information And Steven was free to follow her lead or not. 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. Almost from day one, Diane was perceived as a cancer they had to remove. Lockdowns in . This unhealthy marriage survived and became a daily struggle. And the interrogations were not tapedand barelydocumented. That her child was basically forced to admit that she saw her mom shoot them? Five doctors have observed and documented this phenomenon. It is because she is a high profile person. If personal diaries were to be believed, half of the population would be in great jeopardy. But there was a lot left unsaid about this relationship. All the reports and even the warden thought she was not a threat anymore. Or why the fact that he was a con artist made him such a credible guy in this case. And Im really not on the fence the little girl was coachedI believe the ex husband , his freinds, and her lovers were invalid either way. Nobody ignored Dianes demeanor. It wasnt simply her demeanor that got her convicted. Being a patient of the doctor who saved the childrens lives has nothing to do with the facts of a case. It is not a plus, but it is not a crime either. (This is why Foote was assigned the case. 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. 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. Also, the title of the website clearly demonstrates an inherit bias. But there were discrepancies; the tool marks did not matchand the detective lied on the stand about it. It sounds like Diane was trying to tell her to stay away from bad influences. It was known as Manic Depression. Diane was known for her love of all animals whichshe treated with great care, and for her independent and wild streak. A. I told Diane before, but I certainly didnt tell her to Seriously. 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). I was being sarcastic. Downs wanted to get rid of the kids because her new boyfriend didn't want . Instead, there is blood splatter on the ceiling of the car. After all, she was conditioned this way. I wasnt there and the records will never be brought to light as far as the child welfare case. And the state refusing to turn them over to the defense? I go through every new finding and I point out what was done at trial that did not respect due process. I am so tired of the victims being forgotten. I will take a screen shot of the sketch. She did not have the opportunity to clean her hands with the right product to erase all traces and she was tested pretty fast, contrary to many other cases. I will talk to Dianes brother. A. But he overestimated the kind of people that would go along with this soap opera. There is a court sketch artists rendering of him in this video. is this a reason??? Q. They were in a difficult situation becausewithout evidence, they could notcharge her for the crime. How could they expect a normal mother/daughter reunion between a beaten inmate whose mental health had degraded and a daughter trapped in this insanity? It is my hope that Leslie Van Houten and Diane Downs are never paroled. 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. Gun shot residue is not always present. she chose to stay with Manson and his misfits. The old toilet block which could be replaced by a cafe (Image: Adam Postans) A new caf planned for the Downs in Bristol would likely be blocked by a 160-year-old Victorian law . So it looks and sounds like she is getting special treatment because of her notoriety. 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. I am not biased. This video of Jagger absolutely looks like the photo that you find on search engines for Fred Hugi. I mean, yeah, I can see the no contact order with Diane. The State had the same gut feeling and made sure she would pay. They did not want reunification to keep their verdict intact. 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). Gosh Donna, you really dont have a clue. She had a more than competent attorney and a fair trial before a jury and NOT the same judge who handled the childrens matters. Yes, I had to go and sign the lease, yes, sir. Wednesday, March 1, 2023: Today on General Hospital, Obrecht is furious with both Liz and Scott, Finn offers to stand by Liz, and Sonny and Dex bond over a meal. Someone said to me that any of us, if scrutinized under a microscope, would come out looking pretty bad. Everything matters in a trial and investigation. That is pure bullshit. Also, aside from her original mental state, which may or may not excuse her aloofness (doesnt prove shes a killer by the way! The next day, on June 16, 1983, CSD terminated Dianes visitations with her children altogether. Page 10 of Case History. woman quot~ unquote, do you remember anything like that? 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. I do not have to put any statement advising people that I am about to present the neglected aspects of the trial. What they did to her daughter is unconscionable. I write about cases where due process is in question and important aspects were ignored or twisted. And how the letters became so bizarre, paranoid and psychotic that she told Diane to stop writing her. I watched the highlights of her hearing. If I included the ones I dont post, it would need more than a like or dislike button. The gun presented at trial being the wrong one is a fact. And it is not like these two were white as snow. Needless to say, you seem to have a problem with the American justice systemnot each individual case. Only the people who present ongoing threats to the safety of the public in general are the ones this sentence is reserved for. Because she seemed "aloof". she flat out says, they are saying Duran Duran made her shoot her kids!..Im like HUHOkay now this is my favorite groupstill is at 44yrs old.I had to investigate this. They both fainted when they saw their dead child, but it did not count. The fact that they used her daughter and lied about the gun they could never find makes it a wrongful conviction. Movie scene alleging that Christie was scared. If the answer is, revenge, then it has been achieved. 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. Johns Hopkins said lockdowns reduced deaths by 0.2%. Without the media blast and rush to judgment from the police and DAs office, we might have uncovered the truth. it also isnt right that the rules get to keep being changed after the fact as far as how often one may apply for parole. Ruger #14-76187; described as the gun used by Diane and belonging to Steve Downs, was not the murder weapon. Some of your facts arent facts at all. They seem to say she was like that from the very beginning so in my opinion, it should represent a mitigating circumstance instead of a longer sentence. Q. In fact, watching that was the first time I heard her voice and saw her presence, it was a year or so later that old interviews showed up on YouTube. One of the more bizarre scenes in this farce of an investigation was about to unfold. Any thoughts on that? I am interested in the truth. Clearly the social workers were working with the DAs office and taking advice on best interest of the children from them. The strong, emotive language. According to Detective Welch, Steve Downs followed Diane to Oregon, they fought and Steves rage took the last step on the path hed been treading for a long time. Not unlike Diane, Alice did not want to share her pain in public. Her lover and former husband testified against her but it did not represent evidence but character assassination. Not in this case. She goes on to say that she has deep regret and mourns the loss and death of her children. So how she behaved at the time, should not have been a factor influencing the authorities. The GSR? 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. (Appendix 81, page 1466). Ms. Downs makes every effort to avoid emotional stimuli in order to reduce the demands made on her. And what happened to her little daughter is beyond unethical. As far as her innocence goes and the possibility of being paroled if she admitted her crime, Diane strongly maintains her innocence. A group of ladies formed a group called HELDD which stands for Help Exonerate & Liberate Diane Downs. Conflicting reports say Downs also acted as a surrogate during her fourth pregnancy, giving birth to a daughter after her trial in 1984. 2. Doing it without witnesses when she was so sick is underhanded. It gave Anne Rule carte blanche to legally use these labels in her book and it stuck. She even became a surrogate mother to make money and provide two parents the opportunity to have a child. Her quest for love had landed her into an unstable and loveless marriage. (I know that wasnt brought up this time but it usually is.) My opposition to movies about true crime stories is unshakable. What this is evidence of is one more piece of the overwhelming amount of bias that was involved from the start of the case. She said a bunch of really stupid things in the media (my kids were lucky, not me gets the palm) and basically bury herself. Downs is a worthless as the day is long.. Maybe you should read the blog before commenting. The forensic evidence alone is absolutely weak. Her father also insisted shetry to help catch the shooter. Surely before Diane downs, there were other mothers who killed their kids..or allegedly did, however in 83 and 84 it made national news, nothing quite like it had come across the media world, which during that decade was really skyrocketing in sensationalismI believe is where it started, becoming less news and more entertainment. A conviction founded on lies is no conviction at all. Page 50 of Case History This is a scenario pretty hard to believe, but as they say, reality can sometimes be stranger than fiction. For the upcoming Halo TV show, original Master Chief voice actor Steve Downes was recast, despite Cortana voice actor Jen Taylor reprising her role from the iconic video game franchise. But there were discrepancies; the tool marks did not matchand the detective lied on the stand about it. A slightly humorous observation is that you said, and others have, that James Haynes physically resembled the sketch.. I talked about her still being locked up, all these years later, because I really want to know is it because we believe she will commit more crimes or is it because we need more revenge? And when kids are hurt, emotions keep flowing endlessly. Diane Downs is no exception. Rule sued the Seattle Weekly after they published the article titled Ann Rules Sloppy Storytelling, but she lost and had to make restitution. What would have been the conclusion to have drawn without this hate campaign? She said no mother would stop at 10 at night, in the dark, with three young children, to help a Bush haired stranger. It does not contradict what I said, but what they said. As it was getting dark and the young ones fell asleep in the car, their mother decided to head home. It is documented in the blog where I give the source In the 1996 Federal Petition, you can find the Anatomy of Brainwashing that can answer any question on this subject. http://www.manipulatedtrial.de/oregon_s_small_sacrifices_1603.pdf. If you want to defend Diane Downs, more power to you. The absence of the gun or gun powder residues on Diane is fact. Thanks for posting for readers. Even on a worldwide scale, the age of accountability is considered to be twelve years old. In reply to Nick. We already know that. How about dads side of the family? Completely unethical, and not in the best interest of those children. Diane asked for proof that her ex husband was behind the shooting. We make them president. After parting ways, the couple would soon meet again in Arizona which would end up in them reigniting and reconnecting their fling. Bear in mind, that arm consisted of two SHARP bones, cutting at nerves and muscle (1 of bone had been blown out of the arm when the bullet shattered it, leaving three jagged holes in the flesh, out of which bulged torn muscle, and two wedge shaped bones facing each other like dueling swords). They dont need to be adopted and have their entire identity changed. If there is a fair trial and sentencing, I usually dont write about a case, but high profile cases tend to need more scrutiny because emotions run high. http://www.dianedowns.com/Dr.%20Jamison%20affidavit.pdf. On May 19, 1983, Elizabeth Diane Downs and her three small children were shot on a country road near Springfield, Oregon. This happened in 1983, not 1893. 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. Whats wrong with the system is whats wrong with us. You say she made more of a fuss about her arm than about the injuries her children sustained. The guy should have walked away from the case or from adopting them. Being bipolar, she had no impulse control so it should not have surprised anyone. A fair trial is a right in this country, not a judicial suggestion. but later you claim Diane was inside the car and shot the kids in the car and that that BECAUSE she was inside the car she should have had blood splatter on herso WHICH IS IT, I dont know which it is Libby. The fact that the children were in no way protected by Child Protection Services is undeniable. Diane changed her story about the stranger on the road. Moreover, he apparently told her that he did not want children and this statement alone would seal Dianes fate. Not giving you free reign here. While that makes her technically eligible for parole at some point (in her case 2009) it does not actually mean she has an end date or a release date. They were put in an impossible situation. Im not arguing the facts of the trial, and Im not about to. Just goes to show how difficult it is sometimes to find the truth. 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. Hey Jace, I was not going to post your insulting comments but I decided to let the last sentence fly so that I could answer it. She had one arm totally out of commission. James C. Jagger who was hired by Dianes father was an ex-Prosecutor. When I hear some people say that they would have liked to smack that smirk off Dianes face when she interacted with the cops or the media, I sayreadthis to understand accounts of people laughing at the wrong time and how it is related to their personality disorder. 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