The way this investigation and the trial were conducted only left me with doubts. If there is a fair trial and sentencing, I usually dont write about a case, but high profile cases tend to need more scrutiny because emotions run high. The bitches own daughter identified Downs as the shooter. I try to bring up the elements that were totally ignored. The last time I checked, it is my website and if you find it tiresome, no one is inviting you to stay or read the content; which you evidently did not read anyway. But I am more than willing to review any new info. You hit the nail right on the head. 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. Of course. Christie was understandably all over the place and I agree that the way in which her statements were procured were very odd and seemed to be very coached. Uncover Robert's photos, videos, and more , Personal details for Robert may include . She then said she pulled over because she thought the stranger needed help. The best poems for funerals, memorial services., and cards. Common sense will tell this Court, when Diane accidently slammed her mangled arm into the steering wheel of Detective Tracys car, it was ANYTHING but a laughing matter. I think that Van Houten was recommended for parole by a system that assessed that after 40 years, she was not a threat to society and a reformed woman. How about dads side of the family? I was always really bothered by that. The Diane Downs case a case where a woman was convicted of shooting her three children, killing one of them, along a roadway in Springfield, Oregon became the subject of ABCs 20/20 in the episode entitled My Mothers Sin. Stephen Daniel (known as Danny), 3, Cheryl Lynn, 7, and Christie Anne, 8, were all shot multiple times in the May 19, 1983 attack. . Not exclusively a USA trait, this happens also in many countries, but in a technologically advanced superpower like USA this attitude is more shocking, and maybe also more worldwide spread. The poor jury went along and Jagger did not put much ofa defense anyway. There were days she was unhappy to see the staff and her family because she was very ill. That poor girl had a lot of bad moments where she would cry constantly or trigger the machines and to have defined this single incident as one of terror instead of excitement over seeing her mom was biased and self-serving. 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. The rest of the family? Reddit is a social news website where the registered users submit content, in the form of either a link or a text post. He asked her for the car keys and she pretended to throw them away to distract him. Either way he could NOT have seen who shot him unless he has eyes in the back of his head. But Diane was not the one dragging Knick out of Charlenes bed every morning intent on making or breaking his relationship with another woman. I am so tired of the victims being forgotten. If you are not bothered by lack of due process and a prosecutor making up psychiatric labels and adopting kids from a defendant or a judge who gets promoted from family court to criminal court to hang Diane, I am sure bothered by it. Steven and Diane married on November 13, 1973. 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. It was half baked escape plans that were more in her head than anything and that the media enjoyed blowing out of proportions. I am glad you read it anyway and I appreciate your comment. A conviction founded on lies is no conviction at all. Page 50 of Case History. But you dont mention that she again has changed her story.. 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. Her daughter told the media she watched Small Sacrifices several times. It was faulty. They hated her attitude and thought she was promiscuous and showed no sorrow or remorse. One of the more bizarre scenes in this farce of an investigation was about to unfold. She signed an affidavit to that effect and wanted the jury informed of it but it was never done. DA Pat Horton declared early in the game to the local paper that the search for the bearded stranger was not very high on their priority list.. The weird behavior (laughing and joking in the shooting reenactment), bullets found at her home and the constant changing of her story only is icing on her guilty cake. Christie was it though. Instead, the person accused of attacking them and wanting them out of her life, fought for them. I am sorry but I got to laugh a little. Diane had siblings and parents. 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. It wasnt until Prosecutor Hugi said Dr. Jamison had labeled Diane a deviant sociopath that Mr. She has an excellent conduct report and never reacted violently to any of the harassment from other inmates. 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. Even on a worldwide scale, the age of accountability is considered to be twelve years old. I still remember my mother picking up the paper and seeing the headline. Almost immediately, police suspected that something was amiss. She was still trying to extricate herself from a bad relationship with Steve Downs and was in no hurry to repeat the mistake. They would have welcomed them with open arms. Dianes injury had to be quite painful and shewas in shockwhile driving to the hospital and accompanying the detectives to the crime scene. The Downs incident occurred on May 19, 1983, when the 27-year-old mother insisted that she and her three children had been shot by a stranger on a deserted road in Springfield, Oregon. It was a dark and rural road. They never found the gun and she showed no signs of having fired one. I mention in the blog that Dianes mental health is in question so it is obvious that her encounter with her long lost daughter was going to be difficult. 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. I actually do not know what really happened. As far as her innocence goes and the possibility of being paroled if she admitted her crime, Diane strongly maintains her innocence. I will take a screen shot of the sketch. Diane had moved to Oregon only 6 weeks before the tragedy to work in the area and have her parents spend time with the kids. Your entry has exceeded the maximum character limit. Robert Knickerbocker is 66 years old today because Robert's birthday is on 05/15/1956. The DA adopting the children is an integral part of this and definitely needs to be included in the blog. There are no facts? Simply because I researched them. We, who watched her parole hearing a few years ago prayed HARD that she wouldnt be set free, know she is guilty. Again thats opinion, and neither balanced nor objective. 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. All the years in prison probably made her way more disturbed than she ever was. She wanted a lawyer to defend her vigorously but the judge stopped her from getting good representation. I found your blog to be very well written, informative and interesting. I just tried to find a video or article about Hugi and I only get the one or two that I already have. Thats why Diane wouldnt agree to marry unless Knick first signed a premarital agreement that when they divorced, Knick would take nothing from their marriage. You have that part absolutely right, so why was this protocol ignored? Yes, but it is a fact that she was starting to say that she did not know who shot them when it happened. It is not a hatefest and I do not wish death or life without parole on anyone. During the process of the termination (which can take the whole 2 years in question, with appeals) the court is mandated to find family to take the children. From reading the blog and my little understanding of this case, Ms Downs remains in custody as she is considered a dangerous offender. Back to DD, I think she suffered some kind of mental breakdown, her account of the facts was never reliable, all the case appears murky, which points to an incompetent handling of the situation by the police and justice system. As it was getting dark and the young ones fell asleep in the car, their mother decided to head home. Either way, it appears to be a conflict of interest. Diane Downs is guilty beyond any doubt and I do not believe that her daughter was coached. The previous video you sent me shows a Jagger pretty animated and involved in the defense of his client. , 87. Nearly every point you make here was addressed and disproved or not even allowed into evidence. Do not forget that she got letters of support from a warden and psychiatrist. Consider offering these words of comfort if you're not sure what's appropriate. When she resisted, he shot her kids and struggled with her. 3) You have a photo of Diane before the parole board. Whenever your shoot a gun that many times and that close to the victims, theres going to be blood and powder residues. Her family members were quite capable of taking care of the children. I can only imagine to absolute horror of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca during their horrific murders. How.. they attacked him. 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. Nothing in this blog claims Diane is innocent. Right after her first surgery, The Detectives were adamant that they HAD to have Diane right then to recreate the incident- unless of course, you have something to hide. Why am I not arguing the facts of the trial? I dont disagree, I just think it is another example of flaws in our justice system. If Diane was bipolar, the non-stop chatter would have been inherent to the situation. Mr. Jagger read the report and said, you were right. Police witness reports of strangers and confessions were suppressed or not pursued. Robert Knickerbocker first came into the eyes of the investigators when, upon arrival at the hospital to visit her children after the incident, Diane phoned him looking extremely calm. All Filters. 3 records for "Robert Knickerbocker" in "Pima County". CANDLE HAS BEEN LIT CANDLES HAVE BEEN LIT, We are reviewing your submission. I do not declare her innocent. They went after Diane at trial for tapping her foot when they played Hungry like the wolf. She even became a surrogate mother to make money and provide two parents the opportunity to have a child. I especially loved reading everyones comments. The scene described in Small Sacrifices with little Christie hooked up to a machine and her pulse accelerates because she is terrified ofher mother is doubtful and subject to interpretation. It is not a run of the mill case. Where is the blood spatter on Diane? It appeared rigged: Rigged? Mainly because she is being kept caged due to her name recognition at this point, not her offense. Moreover, he apparently told her that he did not want children and this statement alone would seal Dianes fate. All the reports and even the warden thought she was not a threat anymore. (This is why Foote was assigned the case. Child Protective Services takes confidentiality to the extreme (warranted in most cases). Thanks again for bringing this to my attention. So appropriate! You fail to mention what her daughter actually said about her communication with Diane, like Diane telling her that a very powerful person, a secret man, has been watching her, and that if she loved her son she would move away or else her son will grow up to be a murderer. The diagnosis of the psychiatrist for the state is also clearly documented. I encourage you to read all the facts before being so sure that she was guilty or that she acted alone. Regardless of the facts you point out, there is no doubt in my mind that Diane Downs is guilty. Its tiresome. A. I told Diane before, but I certainly didnt tell her to Of course I saw movie first, then read the bookI wanted more, sadly early Internet days, there wasnt much out there, as far as info or video, picturesnothing really. If there is one thing Diane knew about her lover, is that he was fickle and did not like trouble of any kind. They both fainted when they saw their dead child, but it did not count. No. I did not shoot my children.. It wasnt until Prosecutor Hugi said Dr. Jamison had labeled Diane a deviant sociopath that Mr. Doing it without witnesses when she was so sick is underhanded. On May 19, 1983, Diane and her kids visited a friend to look at her new horse, and then went for a drive; not at all unusual for this family not living according to middle class rules. Being forgotten to make money and provide two parents the opportunity to have a photo of Diane the! 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