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. But why was the judge in family court hopping over to criminal court? A trial should be based on facts and solid direct or circumstantial evidence. Im glad you continued to look for more information as time went on. 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. Yet in their mind, she was already guilty. Yet that didnt stop Knick from asking Mr. Frederickson for a job and for Dianes hand in marriage (Appendix 81, page Case History Page 25). After all, many cases of domestic abuse and even neglect do stem from alcoholism or drug abuse. The most frequent remarks I hear about the case when confronted by the state misconduct and the lack of evidence are gut feelings I dont buy it Shes guilty She did it I know she did it Her story makes no sense Shes evil Shes crazy. It had to be her.. They are the ones who considered Dianes children as Small Sacrifices. Any thoughts on that? 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. 3. In an earlier comment you stated that Diane had met all of the requirements for parole. When they recaptured her, she was very docile. I actually do not know what really happened. Washing soda is your best bet: It includes, among its ingredients, the exceedingly corrosive carbolic acid. Lise lasalle you mention THIS When she (Diane) resisted, he shot her kids and struggled with her. However, their marriage wasnt as great as they anticipated as Steve was a player and quite irresponsible and immature at the time. It appeared rigged and the fact that Ann Rule sat in the courtroom ready to produce a Masterpiece of Guilt could only help the prosecution. It is beyond belief that the State of Oregon allowed the prosecutor to adopt those children. She always seems to have not a very close contact with reality. Instead of grieving, Alice went partying and had sex. After Diane was convicted, the two living children were adopted by the prosecutor in the case and his wife, and it was Christie who ultimately pointed to her mother being responsible for the shooting. In fact, with her continuing to deny committing the crime or expressing remorse, she may never get out. I am quite bothered by what happened in that courtroom and in the media. 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. 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. I especially loved reading everyones comments. At least two of those school mates reported Christies tortured confession to their mother Exactly Libby why did they say during the trial that he saw his mom? You are already subscribed to our newsletter! 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. The DA that put away their mom is not an appropriate placement choice. TIL On May 19, 1983, Diane Downs shot her three children and drove them at 5-7 mph to the hospital. Most people described Dianes injury as minor or superficial but in reality, it was a very serious injury. No forensic evidence pointing to her, just conjecture based on how mothers should act. I dont know the woman. Our legal system is not perfect. She wanted a lawyer to defend her vigorously but the judge stopped her from getting good representation. In the blog, there is a link on the subject of bipolar people who tend to laugh at the wrong time. Your prayers were answered. The detectives and the state failed to act properly and it should not be an accepted practice. ABC MOVIE FOR TV Small Sacrifices 1989 Farrah Fawcett, Ryan ONeal. 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. I try to bring up the elements that were totally ignored. . According to The Cinemaholic, Steve was found to not be a good fit to care for his kids who would need specialized care and had been through a very traumatic event. I guess he did not want too many people to know about the improprieties that happened in his courtroom: I guess? The car was splattered with blood, but Diane had none on her. Not meaning to sound disrespectful, but you seem to be doing what you accuse Ann Rule of doing. Seeing her giggle and laugh during a videoed reconstruction gave me, as a mother, a sickening feeling. ..a little over year before the shooting had a surrogate babypregnancy and giving the baby awayumits donnoits the gal already had a fragile mentality.may not have been the best idea. 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? We dont know what the Hugi family was doing during this time, probably seeing the kids regularly and getting licensed and approved to take the kids home with them. Due process always matters. She has been in prison for so long that we dont know what her mental health situation is so it is a moot point for me. You can check this link and go online to see her picture with Cheryl and the rest of the family. I will take a screen shot of the sketch. she chose to stay with Manson and his misfits. Another conflict of interest. One of them named Angel, called 15-year-old Christie on the phone. I will not remove anything. Nothing in this blog claims Diane is innocent. Brewer freely declared that Diane Downs would never have been convicted except that he believed the lie Jim Jagger permitted Fred Hugi to enter into the record. 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. Thats the point. 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. She never hurt anyone in the process of escaping. 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.. I will talk to Dianes brother. 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. Dilantin is known to cause mental confusion and you can check it online, but consider the dosage she was on and it needs no clarification. It was omnipresent in the courtroom as well as the Duran Duran song Hungry like the Wolf that supposedly was playing when the children were shot in the car. Danny said several times that a bad man shot them and it was written in the nurses notes, but never that his mother shot him. That conflict of interest alone would incline Christie to testify against her mother. 2.Diane herself has stated that the shooter was outside the car and shot THROUGH the window, no blood spatter. The innocence project gets so many requests and they have limited resources. Its too late for me to call myself a murderer (when I am not) just to purchase my freedom. In her case it seems to be more a matter of punishment. I am a strong believer that pregnancy can do serious harm to some women. Were they involved in the plot too?? Her daughter told the media she watched Small Sacrifices several times. Many people have wondered why the two separated after seven years of marriage. That says it all. In what world is that O.K. That she had no blood or gun powder anywhere when she allegedly shot at close range? How asinine. She has an excellent conduct report and never reacted violently to any of the harassment from other inmates. I mention in my blog that when her adoptive dad said that she was coerced and thats why she said she did not know who shot them, that of course she was because this is what she does when under pressure. It does not get any bigger than this. She had the right to a fair trial as much as anyone else out there. If it was not such a high profile case, Diane Downs would have been paroled a long time ago: speculative, Ill stop there. Diane was in the hospital for a bone graft from June 2nd until June 6th, 1983. My opinion of why Mr. Hugi adopted Christie and Danny was to seal their lips. Then feel free to correct the facts and to provide evidence to support them. The story of Steve Downs' children is one of the most shocking to date. Her children deserved the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I know better now than to accept blindly the truth presented to us on a silver platter by the media and the judicial system. Her lover and former husband testified against her but it did not represent evidence but character assassination. They went through the process which demonstrates a certain level of commitment in itself. They were tons of witnesses that saw him at work. Im not saying I know for a fact in my mind shes innocentbut there is NOT enough evidence for her to be guilty. Open ended sentences like this are meant to provide a means of control and public safety when considering dangerous offenders who may pose a continued risk to the public. 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. Jump through the States hoops, or find a noose around your neck. Tina, if you look at family pictures of the Downs, Christie is the eldest and this is her picture. He separated from his wife and was going to follow Diane who, by now, had decided to move and work in Oregon to be closer to her parents. This was all logged in Christies hospital reports and is found in the Appendix of the petition filed in Federal Court in 1996 in the section Hospital Reports.. But you are right, some members of the jury and public had a reasonable doubt. She was also shot twice andifshe had been sitting up, the seats would have been covered with blood spatter as well as the shooter. He has lived a life outside the public eye and hasnt ever come out to give interviews to the media about his ex-wife. In fact, if appropriate family is found, termination is not required. She keeps her emotions under tight control, presenting only socially acceptable feelings and burying other contradictory feelings.. 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?!). So, why didn't Steve Downs get custody? This is what Mrs Downs had to say about the situation. 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. As a rule, any child under the age of ten prompts counsel to question the competence of any testimony that child might give. I am so tired of the victims being forgotten. We make them president. The bitches own daughter identified Downs as the shooter. Will Cheryl ever be let out of her grave? (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.. You hit the nail right on the head. When you hear her in interviews she sounds more concerned with herself than her kids.
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