why didn't steve downs get custody why didn't steve downs get custody

If I feel that due process was violated, I will go there anyway. Mr. Here are the pros and cons of sole legal custody. I believe DDs case needs to be re looked at and all evidence reviewed. When they assess the conduct of an inmate, what counts is mostly how she behaves inside through the years and if she shows violent tendencies. The reason Im harsh is because Ive detected that youve paid for this site and therefore cant be wrong. Danny downs did indeed say a man shot him he also blamed a cartoon character. Indeed, Diane Down's murder case was a shocker for detectives. This article is about due process and the legal right to a fair trial for everyone. Everything I outlined should be public knowledge. She even provided the police with her own sketch. Christie NEVER said she didnt know who did it she was just unwilling or afraid to tell on her mother. HUGE conflict of interest. So should I put an addendum saying that Diane contradicted herself or was not satisfied with the sketch? 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. When you hear her in interviews she sounds more concerned with herself than her kids. All Rights Reserved. Needless to say, you seem to have a problem with the American justice systemnot each individual case. 1) Gunshot residue/blood splatter. So there was a transfer, but nothing else was found. Christie was the primary witness in the case against her mother. The lousy men in their lives never took a hit because after all, it was these witches fault. The fact that she and her brother Danny were eventually adopted by Fred Hugi who prosecuted Diane Downs is the most blatant case of conflict of interest I have ever heard of. Diane was found guilty and sentenced to life and she has been in prison ever since. Nobody knows but her. It deserved as much attention as a Unicorn, a song or all the other hearsay floating around because at least, they came from real people signing official documents. The grandparents were babysitting the children often and had several children who were well adjusted. The Diane Downs' Case Was no Small Sacrifice On May 19, 1983, Elizabeth Diane Downs and her three small children were shot on a country road near Springfield, Oregon. There are no facts? Diane didnt ask Knick to leave his wife. And he grew up there. If the media was anything at the time it was favorable towards her. And that Ann Rule took advantage of the situation to sell her book. Jen Taylor . He should have let someone else handle the case or let someone else adopt the kids. That testimony was left unchallenged by Mr. Jagger. If it was not such a high profile case, Diane Downs would have been paroled a long time ago: speculative, Ill stop there. It wasnt until Prosecutor Hugi said Dr. Jamison had labeled Diane a deviant sociopath that Mr. Nevertheless, what was done seemed out of our hands and we could have no contact with them at all. I agree that the phone call from Angel was totally inappropriate. Being a patient of the doctor who saved the childrens lives has nothing to do with the facts of a case. Diane Downs was convicted because she didn't appear "sorry enough" during her TV appearances. What about the terror of being interrogated by strangers and separated from her family? I think that looked at through a more objective lens, many aspects of the Downs case are highly questionable. The cops admitted that they never investigated the tips about a bushy haired stranger. Robert was a married man in Arizona with whom Diane had been having an affair, back when she was still living there. She waseighteen and soon realized that she had jumped from the fire into the frying pan. I wanted to ask you something on this case. I would say so. Is it too late to respond to this? It is said that they didn't go to Steve because he wasn't a fit father or well equipped to take care of children who had gone through such a traumatic experience. No forensic evidence pointing to her, just conjecture based on how mothers should act. http://www.dianedowns.com/Dr.%20Jamison%20affidavit.pdf. Lets not forget that she was presumed to have fired a gun 6 times at close range within the confines of a small car. 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. 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. I also wish that Dianes children have a great life. She also told media she became pregnant without Steve's "permission." 4 Steve has never spoken publicly about his ex-wife, Diane Credit: AP Where is Steve now? Downs is a worthless as the day is long.. Maybe you should read the blog before commenting. Removing the children from her and presiding over her criminal trial? For example, the abhorrent decision regarding Keli Lane: https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.whimn.com.au/talk/news/why-i-think-keli-lane-should-not-be-in-prison/news-story/069a09c79589645c48de5bfa91e4ca0f. No. I lived in Eugene, Oregon for years. Regina, I love your comment! I dont know either if she is guilty or not, but I believe there is a reasonable doubt surrounding the circumstances. This same witness corroborated that Diane did not stop to do something suspicious or dispose of the gun. Nobody near to help. It deserved as much attention as a Unicorn, a song or all the other hearsay floating around because at least, they came from real people signing official documents. As a result, joint legal custody which means parents share in the decision-making 1 is becoming the default decision in many family court systems. She told ABC, The impact of Diane Downs being my mom has altered the course of my life so many times. Instead of shooting the little kids, why didnt the carjacker/killer (CK) simply shoot DD dead and take her car? And she should be allowed parole! Meaning it was unlikely she was the shooter. The detectives and the state failed to act properly and it should not be an accepted practice. A group of ladies formed a group called HELDD which stands for Help Exonerate & Liberate Diane Downs. You can check this link and go online to see her picture with Cheryl and the rest of the family. All the years in prison probably made her way more disturbed than she ever was. And if the fact that cops lied about the gun to close the deal did not bother you, it bothered me because this is not due process. She has come a long way. The story of Steve Downs' children is one of the most shocking to date. Nothing in this blog claims Diane is innocent. The point is our trials need to be conducted fairly and based on evidence. When Dianes youngest daughter, who was adopted after being taken away by the state, found out who her real mother was and decided to reach out to her, the media and Rule grabbed hold of her to promote their agenda. 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. Also, he has never given television interviews about his family or ex-wife, who is now serving time in prison. Ann Rule promotes her books as true crime stories so to this day, viewers believe that the book and the movie titled Small Sacrificesdocument the true story of the Diane Downs case; in fact, it is a mix bag of truth, falsehoods, interpretation and plain fiction. 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. They dont need to be adopted and have their entire identity changed. She said She did it. Downs, born Elizabeth Diane Frederickson, was a 27-year-old divorced postal worker when she pulled up outside a hospital in Oregon in May 1983. Plus, the circumstances of this charade were more than sinister. They finally charged her and she did 10 years for the death of her children. While not evidence of guilt or innocence, it is certainly worth noting as part of the overall wrongs perpetrated during this fiasco of a trial and subsequent appeals. But in their defense, they were told at trial what gun was used by Diane to shoot the kids and it must have been very difficult to overcome the emotions brought on by the words of little Christie even if it was pretty obvious during her testimony that she was confused and unreliable. Did you read her statements to the parole board in 2008? My opinion of why Mr. Hugi adopted Christie and Danny was to seal their lips. That is the reason effective trial counsel challenges the competency of a nine-year-old child to testify in a court of law. I look forward to reading your other blogs. I dont know that it could get worse than writing an asinine comment on a restorative justice website that states that only respectful and constructive comments will be posted. A group of ladies formed a group called HELDD which stands for Help Exonerate & Liberate Diane Downs. She s. ), Interesting suggestion. She did diagnose her as suffering from cyclothymic disorder and treated her accordingly. To this day, there is not enough evidence to prove her guilt or innocence. Therefore, those jagged bones were floating in a cloth wrap, merely resting in a cloth sling. Nearly every point you make here was addressed and disproved or not even allowed into evidence. Probably a 911 button. You are telling me to take my smugness elsewhere because it is tiresome. How do you expect the daughter to have any fair understanding of the situation or any decent contact with Dianes family when the people who have been calling her mother a murderer and a monster are dragging her in the media spotlight in the hope of writing another book or getting a new scoop, but all one sided. I was being sarcastic. A. I told Diane before, but I certainly didnt tell her to She functions best in highly structured environments where she has a sense of control. In her book, Ann Rule made sure to mention that running water was heard by a dispatcher when Diane was at the hospital; insinuating that she was washing her hands and getting rid of evidence. (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.. In Rules book, Diane is portrayed as a horrible selfish mother but her family and friends saw another version; she lovedher childrendearly and worked hard to be a good provider. I stuck to what came out at trial and not the fantasy factory coming from the state, the media and Rule. Agreed. So, what happened to the children's father? It is not, as the blogger frequently refers to, evidence. He was one of the few people who saw Diane, not as the outsider, but as a beautiful woman who was anxious to assert her independence. The tape of Christie and her adoption by the prosecutor are facts. It is called a conflict of interest. Hardly circumstantial or coincidental what are the chances that a bushy haired stranger, masked men, or someone that knew her (take your pick from Dianes ever shifting account) would have the exact same bullets matching to bullets from a gun owned by Diane ? Maybe I should have elaborated more about this comment. The bitches own daughter identified Downs as the shooter. I had never heard of this case and fell upon several videos that had me completely convinced DD was a narcissistic psychopath. The lack of balance and objectivity. It was faulty. So, what is Steve's story? The following article hopes to help you make more suitable choices and get more useful information The most exciting thing about Steve is that he never appeared in public despite the immense case against his wife. Lack of impulse control is also another symptom that might explain why a mother would stop at night to help a stranger flagging her on the road. The US is a very strange bird when it comes to crime and punishment. As you might know, Dianes father passed away after many years of anguish over the fate of his daughter. I say these things if I were on the jury. Usually it isnt there but every once in awhile, it comes out. It gave Anne Rule carte blanche to legally use these labels in her book and it stuck. (LOL!! While I appreciate your empathy for the victims of this crime, I have to wonder if all murderers should be locked up their entire life? They sure forgot to tell us about her pulse racing during these sessions. answer the question why didn't steve downs get custody, which will help you get the most accurate answer. These are no facts its partial truths and conjecture. They now have social media arenas reminiscent of the Romans cheering at the sight of a thumb down meaning there will be a bloodshed. 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. According to Diane, she then saw a man on the road flagging her and stopped thinking he needed help. One of them named Angel, called 15-year-old Christie on the phone. I especially loved reading everyones comments. But Im on track and Im really happy with the way life is.. Sometimes it takes until late in life for connections to be made again. 1st, you came back from a trip? Diane had a few lovers, which Knick refused to acknowledge (Appendix 81, pages 1508, 1520). Her ex-husband has been of great interest, considering his absence from the media despite the case getting significant attention. The fact that the accused in this case was atypical, makes her the perfect target. 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. Diane wanted to wait for her daughter to feel better, be accompanied by an expert and have the meetings taped? The reason she is likely locked up is because she was diagnosed with narcissistic, histrionic and anti social personality disorder, that makes her a very dangerous person (especially since she is a murderer). Her other daughter and son were severely injured. She has an excellent conduct report and never reacted violently to any of the harassment from other inmates. It was cited that she keeps her emotions close to the vest. It isnt there all the time. I do not have to put any statement advising people that I am about to present the neglected aspects of the trial. It is not a run of the mill case. From reading the blog and my little understanding of this case, Ms Downs remains in custody as she is considered a dangerous offender. It means you dont orphan the kids. Due process always matters. The case of Diane Downs and her three children is one of those a horrible tragic case that people still think about 37 years later. After all, she was conditioned this way. No, Im not that gullible, Okay, I just read that she faked throwing her keys. 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. Not speculative? 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. I will change it. That towel should have been soaked in their blood not hers. An attractive woman whose two children were killed in mysterious circumstances and the cops decided to go after her. I go through every new finding and I point out what was done at trial that did not respect due process. What man has ever publicly revered a former secret mistress? I removed the dumb and crass part of your comment. In fact, what investigator Tracy had written in his notes is that the heart monitor jumped because of excitement or intense fear. 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. As a married man, the ball was in his court and he decided togo forit. , The lovely Farrah Fawcett who played in the movie, Anne Rule might have inflamed the case with her book, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), The Diane Downs Case Was no Small Sacrifice. I am a Mortuary science student, true crime fanatic, and have been following the Downs case since it happened. This video of Jagger absolutely looks like the photo that you find on search engines for Fred Hugi. I will not remove anything. As Ms. Patterson left the stand, Diane complained to her attorney that Ms. Patterson had lied under oath. Why would anyone think Christie could remember the night of the shooting anyway?? Actor Robert Blake was found not guilty of the shooting murder of his wife. And the interrogations were not tapedand barelydocumented. A new trial would be out of the question, so to me, parole would be the solution. If they could not find the gun or any trace of a shooting on Diane, and you think shes guilty, it would mean she had an accomplice. This is an extremely tragic case and her children at the very least deserve justice. 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. 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. But you are right to say that it is my site. Diane Downs changed her story so many times, even at her parole hearing. The children had a father. Modernism mixed with Medieval state of mind. 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. Seems like former husband, Steve Downs, should've been the custodial parent after the divorce. 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. It is not a hatefest and I do not wish death or life without parole on anyone. Yes, like many Americans, I think that the US system is barbaric. Anne Rule might have inflamed the case with her book Small Sacrifices and her theory of the crime, but in reality, the case of Diane Downs was no small sacrifice. It was very unfair to raise them away from their grandparents and other blood relatives. They often argued about their financial issues and fought over infidelities. Diane asked for proof that her ex husband was behind the shooting. Therefore, my understanding is that the original sentence is deemed indefinite with parole hearings every 10 years. As a result, he decided not to attend the rest of the trial. That they did not test the outside of the car? She was not in the car when her children were shot. The only reason they kept her in prison even if she had all the right documentation and support, is because she is high profile. But due to a law enacted in Oregon after she first became eligible for parole, she can now only apply every 10 years. I couldnt get my hands on the book nor find anything in librariesso basically it was many years later I dove into knowing more about this case, that kinda haunted me. She was more interested in the affection of men, which on that fateful day in 1983 gave her an idea. In the 1996 Federal Petition, you can find the Anatomy of Brainwashing that can answer any question on this subject. Just like Rule though, your blog is extremely biased, and reads almost as though she told you exactly what to write at times. Diane was right-handed. It goes on and on. It was kind of interesting to hear Mossimo Giannullis lawyer pleading to have his client sent home or put in general population because his mental health suffered drastically in solitary confinement because of covid after 56 consecutive days in solitary. The judge who took away her children presided over her criminal trial. 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. I recently found your website and have enjoyed it a lot. The media keeps talking about several escapes, but there was only one. http://www.salem-news.com/articles/july152013/midnight-med-tb-2.php What disease did Ray Liotta have, and what caused his death? The role of Diane Downs was played by none other than Farrah Fawcett and her lover was played by Ryan ONeal who had been Farrahs love interest in real life. I would like to raise the numerous issues with this blog. 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. Every single one of these questions matter. The implication was not only cruel, in the light of what Diane was suffering, it was also clear. Her mom is still alive and would love to have contact but respect that they wont. But you are right, some members of the jury and public had a reasonable doubt. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. As for where he is now, we'll be honest, we're not completely sure. It is not, nor should be, a Conflict of Interest for a caring adult to Foster one or more siblings. As for where he is now, well be honest, were not completely sure. I am also engaged in other wrongful convictions that have taken place within the US. The case is old and the blog dated, but it is never too late to respond. A long long time ago. Knick never signed the premarital agreement and Diane never married him. The bushy haired stranger that police had gotten a lead on worked at the country club he was at work at that time and had a sever speech impediment. Also Im curious as to how you feel her repeated escape attempts should affect her deserving to be on parole. In 1991, David Brewer, a juror who deliberated Dianes fate in her 1984 trial, came forward to say he and another juror had decided to acquit Downs by the close of the States presentation. Of course buying drugs with three kids in the middle of the night from a guy like that is not the mindful thing to do, but would be more consistent as an explanation for her actions. She is still in prison. One of the flaws was the relationship between the DA and the children. The time was spent waiting for the clock to tick down the final seconds for all appeals to the parental termination to be allowed. It could have been very different at almost any other time or with any other attorneys or juries too. They hated her attitude and thought she was promiscuous and showed no sorrow or remorse. He could then have initiated the licensing process to foster and then adopt the children. 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.. Knick had NOT signed the premarital agreement, but that didnt stay his pursuit of Diane, knowing she was moving 1200 miles away. Instead of talking about her being locked up for so long, answer some very legitimate questions regarding this case. Whether it tugs at your heartstrings or angers you to the core, these stories could have happened years ago, and they still take up space in your memories. CK allowed DD to drive away despite the fact she could identify him and he had a gun? But people never want to touch the high profile cases where the defendant is not likable. I do not discuss her guilt or innocence because this is not what the blog is about, but I personally hope she is released one day. They were in a group home and he was getting unsupervised visitation with them. Just state that at the beginning of the blog. But the high profile nature of the case might hinder the process. Diane was 18 years old at the time and had run away from home to get married. Insulting a woman in prison since 30 years instead of debating the inconsistencies of this case is pretty pathetic. When a unicorn and hungry like the wolf make their way into a court room during a high profile trial, its a red flag. 2. Even Ann Rule in her book, keeps mentioning that they only had a few months to get Christie to talk, otherwise they could not keep her away from her mother any longer. So glad you wrote and provided this information. And by the way, I wrote the blogs about Rule way before she passed. Considering the circumstances, it is difficult not to be a bit cynical about this grand gesture. Fingerprints at the crime scene were not produced by the State. GSR can easily fall off just by brushing your hand against a surface. Diane was sentenced to life plus 50 years. I asked her brother James an answer to your question. There have been behaviors that in the general course of events one may expect from a single parent that in a way have been falsely interpreted as being some form of evil.. Cheryl Lynn followed in 1976, and Stephen Daniel was born in 1979. Devoting ur life to taking down a dead author is a waste of ur talents. They never tried to reunite them with family. Im glad you continued to look for more information as time went on. But they tended to ignore other important aspects. I am so tired of the victims being forgotten. 5. There were posters. Her 7-year old daughter Cheryl died but her 3-year old son Danny and her 8-year old daughter Christie survived. Her children were obviously more severely injuredbecause being captive in the car while a shooter aimed at them gave them less of a chance to wiggle out of the situation than an adult outside the car. Hed left his first wife to co-habitate with (and later marry) Charlene. The chief prosecutor adopting the children beggars belief! I followed the trial. Do you remember probably about four or five days after 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 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. I care about the experts reports written about Diane because they know her situation and mental state. Mainly because the courts have to give every chance possible and all the services necessary to the bio family to try to preserve the relationship. There are documented cases of suicides where the person has no GNR, as well as murder cases. In 1984, the lead prosecutor in the Danie case, Fred Hugi and his wife, Joanne, chose to adopt the children (Christie and Danny). But saying that you are not very smart is useless. I am sorry but I got to laugh a little. I saw footage of Diane herself laughing during the re-enactment of the crime. It was demonstrated at trial that the shooter shot the kids at close range. Foote refused 30 to 50 reports by detectives of sightings or leads about the shooter but admitted reports from people in Arizona willing to badmouth Diane. PAY ATTENTION: Click 'See First' under 'Follow' Tab to see Tuko.co.ke news on your FB Feed, Get the news that matters from one of the leading news sites in Kenya, Kenyans Share Hilarious Memes, Frustrations as KPLC Announces Nationwide Power Blackout, Xtian Dela's Mum Cries Bitterly As She Begs Son to Come Home, Says She's Not Seen Him in 4 Years, Linet Toto's Dowry: 7 Delectable Photos from MP's Negotiation Ceremony, Couple Lose KSh 3.4m on Their Wedding After Guests Don't Show Up: "So Heartbroken", Little Girl Begs Man on the Road for Money, Video Surprises Many, David and Rebecca Muir wedding, relationship, and family, Who is Lil Meech's mom? 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. Transgender CeCe McDonald Out of Prison but Not Out of the Woods. The roller coaster ride had nothing to do with Diane s children and Diane knew it. And they kept at her and made suggestions when she would not implicate her mom. In her case it seems to be more a matter of punishment. Foster Carers says either Australia or England to me. Considering the circumstances, it is difficult not to be a bit cynical about this grand gesture: relevance? However, their marriage wasnt as great as they anticipated as Steve was a player and quite irresponsible and immature at the time. They both would fall in love and decide they want to marry each other. And Steven would hunt her down anyway and charm his way back into her life. Not our place to decide. A steel plate had to be attached and some lead fragments were removed.