It was pitch black outside. It seems that a lot of what was written down never came up during testimony and some nurses even strayed from the original content. Susan, I dont know if there ever was a lawsuit against Ann Rule from the Fredericksons family. You do not refute any of the points I made in the blogs. The way this investigation and the trial were conducted only left me with doubts. Diane asked for proof that her ex husband was behind the shooting. But due to a law enacted in Oregon after she first became eligible for parole, she can now only apply every 10 years. Mainly because she is being kept caged due to her name recognition at this point, not her offense. 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. You can check this link and go online to see her picture with Cheryl and the rest of the family. As Ms. Patterson left the stand, Diane complained to her attorney that Ms. Patterson had lied under oath. He freely admitted HE decided to ask for a divorce on his birthday without consulting Diane, who was out of town Someone said to me that any of us, if scrutinized under a microscope, would come out looking pretty bad. (This is why Foote was assigned the case. To have separated Christie from her brother and the rest of the family to be able to get her mom was unconscionable. I have no idea how the social workers and county attorneys justified doing their due diligence in preserving the family (mandated by law) when they were in court. I worked for county child welfare services in Colorado for a decade. 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. And it is not like these two were white as snow. As we have reported in great detail in the past, Diane Downs could not possibly have committed the crime of shooting her children, or there would have been evidence of gunpowder residue and blood. As I stated towards the beginning of my response, Im taking issue with the blog and the subjective language used. This case certainly had its share of circumstantial evidence. What about the facts of the case? And their plan worked. 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. As her brother mentioned, it would not be that farfetched for his sister to stop for someone considering that she was a person who lacked impulse control and the era. Within a few weeks, a judge had placed the surviving kids, Christie and Danny, in protective custody. You make an interesting observation when you say: Anyways. 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. 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. The State produced a witness (Ms. Patterson) to testify that Diane Downs entered the hospital bathroom, left the door open, and ran water in the sink (Appendix 87, page 476). Nobody had any reason for a conspiracy of this magnitude over a literal nobody. She always seems to have not a very close contact with reality. Just my opinion. She had no priors and no history of violence in prison. Celebrity Author Covers Case Ann Rule wrote 'Small Sacrifices,' later released as a movie. In my blog, I was referring to the case of Liysa Northon whose suit was dismissed, but when Ann Rule tried to sue the Seattle Magazine, its editor and Northons husband for their article on her shoddy work, she lost and had to pay restitution. And she went back to her parent's home in Arizona. Right away, the police asked her to go back to the crime scene even thoughshe did not want to leave her children behind. Downs: Oh yeah, I remember the pictures, too. I try to bring out the details that were ignored because Down was so unpopular. She unwillingly followed the cops in spite of being in pain and not wanting to leave the premises. Not that Dianes mental health was not a factor in her letter, but it was definitely taken out of context in some instances. McPherron: I mean, it was plastered all over. 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. The popular TV movie Small Sacrifices was based on Ann Rules book and it painted a horrid picture of the mother accused of shooting her children on Old Mohawk Road. To have separated Christie from her brother and the rest of the family to be able to get her mom was unconscionable. This whole tale is just unbelievable. They hated her attitude and thought she was promiscuous and showed no sorrow or remorse. He may still reside in Arizona, but there is no proof of the same. Nobody near to help. What was the justification? 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 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. Even prosecutor Fred Hugi was seen walking the grounds to try to find the weapon. Nearly every point you make here was addressed and disproved or not even allowed into evidence. The unicorn, the song, her personality. They rarely get a break. You do not have to agree with my general opinion outside of the facts of the case, but I would appreciate some comments on what matters; how this case was handled at trial and during the investigation. The first two children were Diane's kids with her ex husband Steve Downs. They should have taken the time necessary to find enough evidence. Right?? ..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. Melvin Belli How things could have been different. I also found it curious that when Diane was first eligible for parole she was allowed to apply every 2 years thereafter until she either gets paroled or dies in prison. I have no idea whether or not she was guilty of the crime. Nevertheless, when Diane came back to Arizona, the pair united, and soon, on November 13, 1973, to be exact, the couple tied the knot. I actually can relate to things she did and was like, especially chasing after a guy that dont want youi did one night stands during my chase..to try to get over himits was a dumb idea and really made things worse, but it made sense at the time. So appropriate! I cant believe anyone even believes or even follows you. But I would not know what her state of mind is because I did not witness it. Regardless of the facts you point out, there is no doubt in my mind that Diane Downs is guilty. Diane, of her own admission, had plenty of affairs while she worked at the Post Office. Yes, like many Americans, I think that the US system is barbaric. I will not remove anything. Weve become friends. But I will answer the points you raised about the blog. It sounds like this was not the case with Dianes children. ABC MOVIE FOR TV Small Sacrifices 1989 Farrah Fawcett, Ryan ONeal. Everyone in the world can believe something. Why doesnt the innocent project get involved with her case. So Mark, where are you from? Blood spatter is not an exact science, and is interpreted differently by experts. And the interrogations were not tapedand barelydocumented. It had nothing to do with the evidence of the case and represents useless labeling anyway. Page 35 of Case History. This was ridiculed countless times in the media, but frankly, it can be a very honorable endeavor, depending onhow you want to look at it. These women did not show emotions and did not fold when asked to. The underlying basis of this article. I think it posible she brought the kids there to be shot by someone else. Anyway, it takes a good scrubbing with soap and water to get rid of gun powder residues and doing so with only one arm would be quite difficult. I saw footage of Diane herself laughing during the re-enactment of the crime. Tis why at 10 years old I was hearing about this case in Ohio, and family members talked about it around me.it hit with great force that way. So many of the cases Lise writes about on this blog either have no forensic evidence that supports the verdict or have very misleading forensic evidence that may or may not support the verdict, depending on who is interpreting it. Lise,,,,, yes you did. Yep, Downs who was found guilty in 1984, escaped successfully from the Oregon Womens Correctional Center in 1987 and was transferred to Jersey afterwards. Yes, but it is a fact that she was starting to say that she did not know who shot them when it happened. This blog is riddled with inconsistencies, suppositions and a lack of the most basic referencing (e.g. It appeared rigged: Rigged? They dont need to be adopted and have their entire identity changed. That poor girl. On a side note, what do you think of parole of Leslie Van Houton? https://t.co/cPfs75obUg pic.twitter.com/uSnlFF2IRw. Im not arguing the facts of the trial, and Im not about to. In fact, what investigator Tracy had written in his notes is that the heart monitor jumped because of excitement or intense fear. That disinformation was alleged by Mr. Hugi the third day into Jim Jaggers defense and it was never objected to by Mr. Jagger . Q. Diane then replied, so, put her back on the stand and make her tell the truth. He said he would when it was his turn, but never did. 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. Same with her brother. And they kept at her and made suggestions when she would not implicate her mom. The very suspicious aspect of this ballistic saga is that Hugi said they had the bill of sale and serial number for the first Ruger and it was definitely the murder weapon. Take your smugness elsewhere, at long last. Knicks habit of turning on and turning off their relationship was known to Diane long before he admitted it in court a year later (Appendix 81, page 1520, line 21): Q. It does not contradict what I said, but what they said. It sounds pretty fair to me. As usual, Diane had resorted to the soothing comfort of a pregnancy to pretend life would get better; she would create a nest around her, come hell or high water. After graduating high school, Steve went on to join the Navy, and Diane, having a strict religious background, was sent to the Pacific Coast Baptist Bible College. Not our place to decide. 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.. A demonstration in court strongly suggested that the shooter had to be left-handed to have been able to shoot in the car at the right angle. Her family supported her. Cheryl Lynn followed in 1976, and Stephen Daniel was born in 1979. Instead, they treated the Downs with great cruelty long after their daughter was incarcerated and they fought hard for them. She was a first time offender who has shown no violent tendencies and is afflicted with a mental illness. Rule defended her right to earn a living and to tell her story. 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. Thanks again. I agree that the phone call from Angel was totally inappropriate. I am also engaged in other wrongful convictions that have taken place within the US. Reduces conflict because communication is limited. GSR can easily fall off just by brushing your hand against a surface. (Appendix 81, page 1466). Five doctors have observed and documented this phenomenon. It is not, nor should be, a Conflict of Interest for a caring adult to Foster one or more siblings. On May 30, 1983, the McKenzie-Willamette Hospital Chaplain told Dianes father to hire an attorney because the State was going to take his grandchildren away. It simply states the facts of the case. We make them president. Mr. Downs must have had a bad feeling about Jagger because before trial: speculation But I think that in all fairness, many of them dont even know the details of the case and have watched Small Sacrifices instead. 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.