That was the extent of her investigation of Dianes side. Fred Hugi was pretty upset when Ann Rule went Hollywood with his case. What about the son saying that man and nurses noting that. Cathleen was murdered in Feb. 1982 in her home in Brighton. The fact that the judge who presided over the child welfare case and the criminal case was the same individual is absolutely a conflict of interest. Do you remember probably about four or five days after Our legal system is not perfect. Most importantly why would anybody shoot 3 children potentially fatally and leave the adult with a wound in her arm. 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. Considering that the daughter she murdered will never get a second chance, it will never be long enough unless its for her entire life. I do not care if the bushy haired stranger made no sense or if they could not explain the why of the tragedy, I do not care if she was madly in love with a guy because all that counts is proof and evidence in a court of law, and there was definitely a reasonable doubt. It seems that the Downs were totally ignored. This is not the reason she is still locked up. At the time, among 49 prisoners denied parole, the board had given only four inmates, including Downs, a 10-year wait. Conflict of interest on steroids!! (Yes in the 1980s a ten yr like myself was not as mature as say todays 10 yr olds. Diane was instructed to reenact her response to the attacker who murdered her daughter. The following article hopes to help you make more suitable choices and get more useful information Great blog post, thank you. ), years in solitary confinment Whats wrong with us?! Without her daughters testimony and the lies about the gun, they could not have found her guilty in a fair trial. 3 yr. ago. 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. If you had commented on one of the elements contained in the blog, it might have been enlightening. She was in solitary confinement for years and even escaped from prison once but was recaptured. LMFAO!!!! Diane was in the hospital for a bone graft from June 2nd until June 6th, 1983. Instead of blaming societal problems and working at finding solutions, prison always seem to be their option. 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 Conflicting reports say Downs also acted as a surrogate during her fourth pregnancy, giving birth to a daughter after her trial in 1984. Whats wrong with the system is whats wrong with us. 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. 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. Barry Sheck and bis crew of investigators should get involved. They felt safe there. 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. Moms were working more, we were becoming the latch key generation, as in we let ourselves in alone while still in elementary school.when I mentioned before about maturity of a 8, 9, 10 year oldwe loved playing outside on bikes, and playing with our dolls, boys usually had their action figures..lol.and we loved our moms, even if they were young and liked to go out and sent us to babysitters..the book and movie, Im quite sure, over did the situation..and Im sure there was more on both sides, the family of diane, diane herself, but well never know all the details. Hugi didnt rush in and take the kids, he had time to consider. I guess Diane forgot to have that part engraved on the Unicorn. The definition of deviant sociopath does not even exist in the DSM-HI: Downs lawyer at the time should have objected as the term was non existent. I cannot be more transparent than that and integrity was one of the missing pieces of the entire case. The time was spent waiting for the clock to tick down the final seconds for all appeals to the parental termination to be allowed. 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. Every single one of these questions matter. No one bothered with these details so I did. 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. I especially loved reading everyones comments. As it was getting dark and the young ones fell asleep in the car, their mother decided to head home. Let me tell you, it wasnt just the investigators and the prosecution that didnt believe herwe, Oregonians, (who ACTUALLY live here and watched what was happening) believe she is guilty. I find it interesting for you to observe this because it should be more scientific and empirical today than it was in the 80s, but is it really? why didn't steve downs get custody. The person who shot the kids was leaning inside the car because they were shot at close range. Danny downs did indeed say a man shot him he also blamed a cartoon character. They claimed to have found two lead cartridges in Dianes rifle at home that supposedly matched the ones used during the crime. It was a harrowing, shameful miscarriage of justice. Lets not forget that she was presumed to have fired a gun 6 times at close range within the confines of a small car. 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. The forensic evidence alone is absolutely weak. Basically then at that And the interrogations were not tapedand barelydocumented. We, who watched her parole hearing a few years ago prayed HARD that she wouldnt be set free, know she is guilty. Nevertheless, what was done seemed out of our hands and we could have no contact with them at all. The children had a father. The jurors had doubts. I had visited Dr. Billings site several times and it is too bad that it was removed. Within three weeks, Diane had lost custody of her remaining wounded children and had become the number one suspect in the eyes of the police department and District Attorneys office. The american system often reminds me of what Charles Dickens talked about in his novels. You said that the absence of both prove she couldnt have been to shooter and you claim it takes real scrubbing to remove GSR. I am a firm believer of where there is smoke there is fire. It seems that not being American might help us view the case and Rules narrative with more objectivity. 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? Her attorney, James Jagger, did a poor job for Diane. Im not saying I know for a fact in my mind shes innocentbut there is NOT enough evidence for her to be guilty. http://www.manipulatedtrial.de/oregon_s_small_sacrifices_1603.pdf. Why did CK shoot the kids multiple times and DD once? Her father also insisted shetry to help catch the shooter. At the point Diane jumped into the car, her broken arm (resting in a sling in front of her) slammed into the steering wheel. Christie could not speak but after some rehab, she said repeatedly that she did not know who shot them. No. But you dont mention that she again has changed her story.. Robert Schlosser, Cathy's father, lives in a 900 . I hope she is granted parole. I care about the experts reports written about Diane because they know her situation and mental state. http://sputniknews.com/us/20150620/1023613662.html#ixzz3djEXlSAC // The Prison State of America Dec 28, 2014 Chris Hedges, http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/the_prison_state_of_america_20141228 rudy francisco rifle analysis / ford employee profit sharing 2022 / why didn't steve downs get custody. Most get through it fine, maybe some complications or pain, maybe even some post pardum. The case was so one sided that it is about time some of us bring up the other side. This whole case is flawed. As was his habit, Knick failed to take into consideration what Diane or his wife had to say on the matter. View theaffidavits. ?.the fact you are ignoring something SO OBVIOUS is a red flag. There were good reasons to look at this mother, but the detective admitted on the stand that they stopped looking at anyone else after two weeks and the stranger on the road became a joke. She has an excellent conduct report and never reacted violently to any of the harassment from other inmates. Meaning it was unlikely she was the shooter. Spending 35 years incarcerated with time in isolation and often as a target is not going to improve mental health. Carol Kirkwood shared an insight into her recent holiday to Norway with fianc Steve Randall on Wednesday as she shared their first social media post together.. We make them president. John Shea who played Fred in the TV movie Small Sacrifices even looks like him. It was flawed. Brewer changed his mind. The tape is real and probably not admissible, but it seems to indicate that her testimony was coerced. She claimed she . He could not during the marriage so he walked away. 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. She was expelled and reunited with him against her parents wishes. Gun shot residue is not always present. Children under the age of twelve may cognitively grasp the concept of truth and lie, but lack the conscience which compels people to apply the concept to their lives, or the strength to maintain the truth when adults coerce her to lie. An earlier commenter wrote that it doesnt matter that the trail or the investigation was faultyWHAT !? A. I told Diane before, but I certainly didnt tell her to The goal is always to keep family ties intact. When analysing this blog, look at three statements from the blogger: Diane Downs and Alice Crummins were considered sluts 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. Thank you for presenting a side of the story & case apart from the usual narrative. Her father passed away in October 2017 after having fought relentlessly for her release. The detective said to leave that up to the police. They were the small sacrifices. And these men in black perceived this as an act of war, and proceeded to go after them with every legal or illegal means at their disposal. Why did they let her daughter testify when she could not know who shot her and said so incessantly until they made her say what they wanted? In a perfect world this would always be the case. That is the way she was brought up,especially at the demand of her rigid but verydedicated father. They should have taken the time necessary to find enough evidence. A test for the presence of gunshot residue conducted on Dianes hands the night of the shooting, returned a negative result (Appendix 23). I must humbly admit that I had not questioned the facts of the case before readily accepting this image of Diane as a cold blooded killer. Actor Robert Blake was found not guilty of the shooting murder of his wife. 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). Downs is a worthless as the day is long.. Maybe you should read the blog before commenting. He could then have initiated the licensing process to foster and then adopt the children. Needless to say, you seem to have a problem with the American justice systemnot each individual case. Same with her brother. I watched and worried through her escapeto find her childrens real attackerthat bushy haired stranger . Danny was the product of an affair. To the authorities, it was a ridiculous notion that they would not entertain so they did not follow on numerous leads coming from people who had seen someone corresponding to that description. The ballistics, gun, speed at which she drove the car, her demeanor, etc. This video of Jagger absolutely looks like the photo that you find on search engines for Fred Hugi. There is no way that a jury would convict Diane today, based on the clearly coached testimony of Christie. They both fainted when they saw their dead child, but it did not count. Diane wanted to wait for her daughter to feel better, be accompanied by an expert and have the meetings taped? Right away, the police asked her to go back to the crime scene even thoughshe did not want to leave her children behind. 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. 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? I agree on many points with your comment. Instead, it is Diane who fought to keep her children. 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. Have you actually read the transcript of the trial?? Diane Downs is no exception. And Ann Rule said that the unicorn that was omnipresent in court was part of the premeditation. Steve Bannon won't be detained before trial on charges of contempt of Congress after he failed to comply with subpoenas from the House committee investigating January 6. Without the media blast and rush to judgment from the police and DAs office, we might have uncovered the truth. A reader told me that I should have a website with all the comments. That poor girl. I wish she could get a new look. Like I said, the 2 years make it a bit more of a gray area. (her family confirmed that she had a mood disorder, possibly bipolar 2), So when Dr. George Suckow from the Oregon State Hospital in Salem was called as a States rebuttal witness and he made a professional diagnosis of Diane as histrionics, antisocial and narcissistic, he openly said in court that he interviewed Diane for 1 hour and read evidence presented by the state to make his diagnosis.. Mr. There are no facts? There was no blood on the front seats so Cheryl was laying down and Christie was asleep laying down and never witnessed anything. Im glad you continued to look for more information as time went on. I am not saying that Diane was a saint or Ann Rule a demon. They should have taken their timeto investigatethis case thoroughly and without prejudice. It could be argued that he developed a relationship with the children and genuinely wanted them to join his family. Of course, because this is what she does when people put her on the spot and ask questions concerning her mother and the shooting. It does seem time has done worse to her. The Lifetime channel constantly makes movies based loosely on the truth; this approach is an effective weapon aimed at swaying public opinion about high-profile cases. But you told Diane Downs to go ahead and get an apartment? I agree. Q. That same gun turned up at a police raid years later in Perris, California, and it did not match the ballistics from the shooting site. Ive been to London to Fly the Queen ~ and Back to Collect Artifacts, Haleigh Cummings Was Once Lost but Now She Is Found, Meet Rene Acoby: In-House Female Dangerous Offender, Kelli Stapleton- A Mothers Wuthering Woes. The court can just do an APR, Assignment of Parental Rights. Yet, that is exactly what the videotape showsDiane laughing hysterically about hurting her arm. I have nothing to gain and I am not making up songs and dances about a unicorn. He is in his 70s now and his photo is not on his linkedin or anywhere I could find. No way. Many troubling elements of the case were discovered after the trial, but there was enough during the proceedings to be asking questions. We cant. She could have stayed on the side of the road. Rule even talked about writing a book about her but it never materialized. The men in her life were in no shape or form called on their irresponsible or wild behavior. She took care of herself not her children. And thats fair enough. You read a few comments. Just a thought. I remember when Diane shot her kids and there are some facts Id like to correct from your blog. Not unlike Diane, Alice did not want to share her pain in public. I do not know what happened on Old Mohawk Road on that dark evening, but I know that they did not have enough evidence totry andconvict Diane Downs. 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