By the way, Dianes parents mourn the loss of their grandchildren to this day. Completely unethical, and not in the best interest of those children. Needless to say, you seem to have a problem with the American justice systemnot each individual case. But I am so tired of the enough time has been served and other criminals have been paroled. I think that she has done enough time and should be released. I will talk to Dianes brother. One of the flaws was the relationship between the DA and the children. The casing from the bullets exactly matched, just like a fingerprint, the bullets that Diane had in her home from her own gun which was never found. Either way he could NOT have seen who shot him unless he has eyes in the back of his head. Some cases are so one sided that you feel like exposing or at least, discussing the other side. Why? It does not get any bigger than this. 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. Great question. Her 7-year old daughter Cheryl died but her 3-year old son Danny and her 8-year old daughter Christie survived. Whenever your shoot a gun that many times and that close to the victims, theres going to be blood and powder residues. What they did to her daughter is unconscionable. You paint a picture that is actually inaccurate and misleading. I appreciate this whole blog just want to give you a heads up. The most recent tape of her daughter is not admissible because it is never allowed to bring out tapes that were obtained this way. I try to bring out the details that were ignored because Down was so unpopular: this blog is clearly one sided. On a side note, what do you think of parole of Leslie Van Houton? 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. Now she claims she was dating an FBI agent at the time, was holding some top secret pictures for him, and she was on the road to meet someone to pass them off, at the instruction of her FBI boyfriend. They are the ones who considered Dianes children as Small Sacrifices. Where is Diane Downs' husband now? 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. Mission accomplished: Relevance? And, when she got assigned to the mail routes in the city of Cottage Grove, Oregon, as a part of her job with the U.S. postal service, he didnt have any qualms with her taking the children. Just goes to show how difficult it is sometimes to find the truth. 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). But you dont mention that she again has changed her story.. Lack of blood spatter is not evidence of innocence Especially when a shooter is leaning in and shooting into a box (car) while standing outside. This coercion came to Dianes attention in January 1989 (Appendix 39). Page 41 of case history. And yes, its your site, but dont act like a site is open for discussion if its not. Don't get butt hurt. And the flat affect and sometimes inappropriate smiling would come with the territory so you cannot judge her actions without taking into account that she might not have been acting according to the norms. The Case of Liysa Northon Who Said True Crime Does not Pay? In her case it seems to be more a matter of punishment. But saying that you are not very smart is useless. I encourage you to read all the facts before being so sure that she was guilty or that she acted alone. I just read your opinion on the Pamela Smart case and the Scott Peterson case. Where are Steve Downs children now? Diane Downs' ex husband, Steve Downs, lost a lot in May 1983 when his ex wife shot their three children, following their divorce in 1980. They did not like her attitude and she did not behave the way they expected a grieving mother to act. 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. She had a more than competent attorney and a fair trial before a jury and NOT the same judge who handled the childrens matters. Her parents Willadene and Wes were old school Baptist parents who raised her under strict guidelines without much warmth but complete devotion. Conflicting reports say Downs also acted as a surrogate during her fourth pregnancy, giving birth to a daughter after her trial in 1984. And to make her story believable, she shot a round in her arm before going to the hospital, claiming that she was a victim of a terrible carjacking. Instead, there is blood splatter on the ceiling of the car. I never found a photo of James C. Jagger online. What would have been the conclusion to have drawn without this hate campaign? Halo's Master Chief TV Show Actor Won't Try To Replicate Steve Downes Lets not forget that she was presumed to have fired a gun 6 times at close range within the confines of a small car. A. The tape of Christie and her adoption by the prosecutor are facts. (This is why Foote was assigned the case. In the blog, there is a link on the subject of bipolar people who tend to laugh at the wrong time. I felt there was something that should be done, but I was at a loss in how to cope with the Court that had given the children to the prosecutor and allowed false testimony to seal her fate. Despite all of this: that the attorney became a Foster Carer irrelevant, inflammatory, subjective and bears no reflection on the trial, or indeed the trial outcome. He may still reside in Arizona, but there is no proof of the same. Diane nowhad the title ofdangerous offender. After parting ways, the couple would soon meet again in Arizona which would end up in them reigniting and reconnecting their fling. Instead, it is Diane who fought to keep her children. Only the people who present ongoing threats to the safety of the public in general are the ones this sentence is reserved for. I am not her advocate, but I think she did not get due process. The harm done to families by unscrupulous district attorneys who bully children into falsely testifying against their parents has been recorded in a documentary called Witch Hunt by Sean Penn about Kern County (CA) District Attorney Ed Jagels. I still remember my mother picking up the paper and seeing the headline. 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.. At the very least, she should have been released by now. I wanted to ask you something on this case. They never tried to reunite them with family. I never read the Ann Rule book, but saw Small Sacrifices as a kid and have had an interest in this case ever since. It became judicial kidnapping to obtain a coerced confession: inflammatory Who is Diane Downs' ex-husband Steve and where is he now? Actor Robert Blake was found not guilty of the shooting murder of his wife. The men in her life were in no shape or form called on their irresponsible or wild behavior. Every single one of these questions matter. There was no blood on the front seats so Cheryl was laying down and Christie was asleep laying down and never witnessed anything. Downs: And there was a big reward, too. 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. It took a lot of time to research this case and present the other side of the coin. Basically then at that I know several people who know or knew both of the surviving children as well as Diane. From the time Diane was a teenager, when a physician ordered visterol in an emergency room situation, it has been documented again and again that sedatives ingested while Diane is in pain, provoke a chemically induced hysteria in her. But without proof, Diane couldnt implicate Steve Downs any more than she could shoot him as he violated a restraining order threatening to beat her AGAIN. Diane was cooked the minute she walked in that courtroom. Criminalist James Pex was pretty clear about this. Rule made up stories to sell books and the rights to a movie. (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.. What disease did Ray Liotta have, and what caused his death? It was the story of two troubled young souls trying to survive without a safety net. I know people who know or knew people is not a valid argument. I am not biased. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPLkIcSzftE&ab_channel=DianeDownsArchives. Nobody ignored Dianes demeanor. In an earlier comment you stated that Diane had met all of the requirements for parole. She was a first time offender who has shown no violent tendencies and is afflicted with a mental illness. The powers that be knew they had nothing on Diane so Christie became their sacrificial lamb. Now if the shooter was this James Haynes guy, someone who apparently Diane Downs knew from buying drugs, then that would explain why she stopped in the middle of that road. 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. This video of Jagger absolutely looks like the photo that you find on search engines for Fred Hugi. I research cases that in my opinion, were poorly tried. And she should be allowed parole! I agree on many points with your comment. Christie Downs was eight-years old when she was injured and nine-years old when she testified. We will never know what really happened because the authorities acted too hastily and the media was a huge hindrance. This case certainly had its share of circumstantial evidence. Plus according to an expert at trial, her testimony did not match the blood spatter analysis in the car. Ur not showing facts that Ann Rule lied n misled n ruined lives with. The case was so one sided that it is about time some of us bring up the other side. Guilty or not, the case was handled with prejudice and many errors occurred. Diane downs. But I think that in all fairness, many of them dont even know the details of the case and have watched Small Sacrifices instead. The powers that be knew they had nothing on Diane so Christie became their sacrificial lamb: opinion, not fact did he have eyes in the back of his head.???? The next day, on June 16, 1983, CSD terminated Dianes visitations with her children altogether. Page 10 of Case History. The kind of TV series that they produce on high profile crimes will make sure to turn public opinion. The parole board in Oregon was asking to provide reasonable cause to show she was not a danger to society and it had to be supported by a psychiatrists report or a Wardens letter and Downs provided both. I think you may be right that she is likely still locked up due to her diagnoses of antisocial, histrionic and narcissistic, but again, no one would care and this crappy diagnosis wouldnt have been bought and paid for if not the high profile nature of the case. Jesus Ortiz Paz's parents, net worth, wife, and daughter. If he was getting too close to the witness emotionally he should have stepped away from the case. I found nothing. I care about the experts reports written about Diane because they know her situation and mental state. By the way, this not a Diane Downs is innocent blog. It is a lets examine the facts of the case with hindsight and try to explain some of the inconsistencies and the role of the media and crime writers. And lets wonder why the US think that letting people die in prison is the answer when most civilized countries have reached other conclusions. Cheryl Lynn followed in 1976, and Stephen Daniel was born in 1979. Blood spatter is not an exact science, and is interpreted differently by experts. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Someone can have an evil vibe and not be guilty of a 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. 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. If you read the blog, you will see many examples of media hype and character assassination. The bio family should have been given the same opportunity to see the kids and demonstrate their ability to be the guardians. She is a monster and belongs in prison for the rest of her life. 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. Hysteria. But the fact that the prosecutor called her a deviant sociopath in court without any assessment became another nail in her coffin. 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 dont know the woman. They dont need to be adopted and have their entire identity changed. And being the mother of three only served to propel Diane in a more manic state. The details about the gun missing, the daughters testimony and the fact that she had no blood or gun residues are facts. WTF? They should have left her alone. I do not post rude comments. The best policy for Diane Downs would have been to remain silent, but she fought back and smiled at the wrong time and according to them, enjoyed the attention. "I knew within 30 minutes of talking with that woman that she was guilty": Surgeon who helped save one of Diane Downs' kids in 1983 after she shot her recalls chilling interaction. Lise,,,,, yes you did. The ballistics, gun, speed at which she drove the car, her demeanor, etc. Yes, Im sure this stranger wanted to kill her kids but only wound her, who, coincidentally, had a towel handy neatly folded on her wound. Up. On May 19, 1983, Elizabeth Diane Downs and her three small children were shot on a country road near Springfield, Oregon. Back in Phoenix, Arizona, in Moon Valley High School, Steve Downs met Elizabeth Diane for the first time. In one of them, he knew her name and in another one, she had answered a call and been told to meet someone. Not meaning to sound disrespectful, but you seem to be doing what you accuse Ann Rule of doing. Im glad you continued to look for more information as time went on. Rule sued the Seattle Weekly after they published the article titled Ann Rules Sloppy Storytelling, but she lost and had to make restitution. This was very stressful. If Diane was bipolar, the non-stop chatter would have been inherent to the situation. 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. There were many problems with her trial and that matters. Even on a worldwide scale, the age of accountability is considered to be twelve years old. Also Im curious as to how you feel her repeated escape attempts should affect her deserving to be on parole. 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. I read the letter they sent to the Downs when they were fighting to see their grandchildren. This is a conflict of interest. Many troubling elements of the case were discovered after the trial, but there was enough during the proceedings to be asking questions. After the trial that convicted Diane Downs, Fred Hugi, the Prosecutor adopted Christie and Danny (they were in foster care for 2 years before he decided to adopt them), the two surviving 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. So, what is Steve's story? They removed them and proceeded to interrogate the poor girl until she gave them what they needed. Click here to read the complaint. Conflict of interest on steroids!! It really doesnt matter that much of the trial and due process was faulty, because its so obvious that Diane is the one who did it and that justice was served. After completing his education and their short-lived high school romance, Steve Downs would move on to join the navy. I have no dog in this race. She (Diane) managed to jump in the car after getting shot in the arm. I do not have to state anything at the beginning of the blog. Clickhere to read about faulty ballistics.. I actually do not know what really happened. Maybe because of her notoriety and the victims were children. Jen Taylor . Some of your facts arent facts at all. A very reasonable request that was rejected. The unicorn, the song, her personality. According to various sources, Steve chose to separate from his wife after discovering that Stephen Daniel, their third child, was the product of her wife's relationship with a colleague. Lets also remember that this is the US of A and we dont lock people up for being narcissistic, antisocial histrionic individuals. If she was such a manipulative person, she would not be in prison for life, would she? but I think there are some extreme cases that knock women in a bad psychotic way that can be life threatening. Therefore, those jagged bones were floating in a cloth wrap, merely resting in a cloth sling. Diane was known for her love of all animals whichshe treated with great care, and for her independent and wild streak. ABC MOVIE FOR TV Small Sacrifices 1989 Farrah Fawcett, Ryan ONeal. 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. Nuts maybe, but not threatening. As an adoptive parent I cant even imagine trying to justify to my daughter our adopting her if we had in any way been a part of the case to terminate her from her bio family. Unfortunately, Danny Downs was permanently paralyzed from the waist down because of a bullet injury in his back. This whole tale is just unbelievable. Meaning it was unlikely she was the shooter. Then feel free to correct the facts and to provide evidence to support them. And to try not to bash Dianes Downs character and stick to evidence instead. Christie was the primary witness in the case against her mother. Melvin Belli How things could have been different. A group of ladies formed a group called HELDD which stands for Help Exonerate & Liberate Diane Downs. From what Ive read, she gets a parole hearing every decade and the next time in 2030 she will be 75. Even if I have no doubt that Hugi loved the kids, we have to wonder why he adopted them two years later just when little Christie started saying she had no clue who shot them. But why was the judge in family court hopping over to criminal court? So there was a transfer, but nothing else was found. Not our place to decide. 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? Diane Downs is guilty beyond any doubt and I do not believe that her daughter was coached. She complained about it, but that does not mean she did not suffer for her kids.