But for what it is worth, I believe she tried to kill her 3 kids. I refer you to this section of the blog: They claimed to have found two lead cartridges in Dianes rifle at home that supposedly matched the ones used during the crime. 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. Giving to charity is a meaningful way to honor someone who has died. But you dont mention that she again has changed her story. Hysteria. It opened a huge can of worms regarding the real identity of the heart full of lies in this case. Police interviewed Steve Downs about his ex-wife and discovered that she owned a .22 caliber gun like the one used in the shootings. And what happened to her little daughter is beyond unethical. Christie became the star witness against her mother and who could resist such a touching testimony? During Dianes examination at trial, Fred Hugi said in front of the jury, in the form of a question, that she had been diagnosed as a deviant sociopath.. If you listen to the recording, Christie clearly says I dont know who did it. She was asleep, thats why. So it was a relentless game totry to reel her in. She then went through the State (Circuit) Court habeas corpus relief for four years to no avail. 2) You mention her youngest daughter, and how Ann made sure she only heard negative information about Diane. 3) You have a photo of Diane before the parole board. Mr. Downs must have had a bad feeling about Jagger because before trial: speculation Whether or not Steve Downs was in some way behind the shooting, the man who fired the weapon was a stranger to Diane. Rule defended her right to earn a living and to tell her story. Wasnt it speculative on their part? In December 1979, she gave birth to her son Danny. It probably makes you feel so good. I have researched the case and pointed out discrepancies and the fact that it was not the slam dunk that they were portraying. Forensics or lack thereof and blood splatter? You paint a picture that is actually inaccurate and misleading. Im from Australia and have recollections of this case. I have worked in Child Protection for over 20 years and have extensive experience in this field domestically and internationally. ?.the fact you are ignoring something SO OBVIOUS is a red flag. According to her hospital records, every 6 hours she was given 400 milligrams of Dilantin (which is noted for causing confusion). I do not declare her innocent. She is a monster and belongs in prison for the rest of her life. It gave Anne Rule carte blanche to legally use these labels in her book and it stuck. Ive not seen the movie or read the book. Christies response: My mom.. Oh 1 more thing I see a lot of comments on pro Diane web sights that say well she drove them to the hospital. Except for Paul Cortez. We will never know what really happened because the authorities acted too hastily and the media was a huge hindrance. Robert Knickerbocker in Chandler, AZ Robert Knickerbocker may also have lived outside of Chandler, such as Gilbert and Tempe. James C. Jagger who was hired by Dianes father was an ex-Prosecutor. Why arent you debating the faulty ballistics, and the fact that the gun they affirmed was used in the commission of the crime was not the right one? We could say that it was suggestive on his part, but considering how this trial was conducted, I tend to believe it happened. Diane is not a killer or a liar! I can only imagine to absolute horror of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca during their horrific murders. There were many problems with her trial and that matters. The next morning Diane appeared in the courtroom with a police report written by Detective Pond a year earlier, in which Ms. Patterson was sure Diane had gone nowhere near the bathroom the night of the shooting (Appendix 62). Too bad she did not interview Diane or her family. Diane described the stranger that shot them on the road and a police artist came up with a sketch. Doesnt change the fact that it was still a conflict of interest. Guilty or not, we should know better than to use the justice system as a psychic tool when theres not enough evidence. Diane didnt ask Knick to leave his wife. A 1951 graduate of Johnson City High School and retired after 20 years from the United Sta If appropriate family members could not be found to take placement of the children then family friends are the next step. Every single one. 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. Our laws are not written that way. 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. Modernism mixed with Medieval state of mind. The Lifetime channel constantly makes movies based loosely on the truth; this approach is an effective weapon aimed at swaying public opinion about high-profile cases. 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. I think that looked at through a more objective lens, many aspects of the Downs case are highly questionable. Three-year-old Danny was believed to have been asleep at the time of the incident. I will change it. 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. It sounds pretty fair to me. We identified 6 records related to "Robert Knickerbocker" in the state of Arizona. To listen to Christies taped conversation, click below. * Historical, vital, and court records and search results may require an additional purchase. (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.. A test for the presence of gunshot residue conducted on Dianes hands the night of the shooting, returned a negative result (Appendix 23). 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. I would like to see her released because I do not believe in life without parole for any inmate with no priors who had a good conduct while incarcerated. A sick kid who had a stroke and traumatized being pressured for weeks to remember her mother killing her? But before you get too deep into the drug stuff with Van Houten, she chose to take drugs. I watched the highlights of her hearing. 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. She unwillingly followed the cops in spite of being in pain and not wanting to leave the premises. But he overestimated the kind of people that would go along with this soap opera. 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. Just a thought. But there is forensic evidence pointing to Diane Downs. Anne Rule made a big deal of a brass unicorn engraved with the childrens names that Diane had purchased. If you had, you would clearly know that I do not claim her guilt or innocence. 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. Ur not showing facts that Ann Rule lied n misled n ruined lives with. If the adult can show capacity and willingness to provide care, love and nurturing to the children, then there is no legal reason to prevent them from becoming Foster Carers. 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. This is not my scenario Tasha. 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. Everything was in the bag and ready for trial. Also, I agree he does look a little like the actor who played Fred Hugi but I think it might be a coincidence. The lousy men in their lives never took a hit because after all, it was these witches fault. The most recent tape of her daughter is not admissible because it is never allowed to bring out tapes that were obtained this way. Dianes father tried to hire Melvin Belli, but the judge refused to give him some time to prepare and come back to the US. Nearly every point you make here was addressed and disproved or not even allowed into evidence. View Robert Knickerbocker's record in Tucson, AZ including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. The tape is real and probably not admissible, but it seems to indicate that her testimony was coerced: Why is it not admissible? And in fact this would have been about the time that Charlene broke a bottle of liquor that you had. I am not one sided. In 2008, a psych evaluation by L. Williams, Ph.D., Chief of Mental Health at Valley State Prison for Women, explained Dianes lack of emotions and its relationship to her case. Are her parents still living (I know they were a few years ago)? Three weeks after the crime, Judge Foote from family courts, removed Danny and Christie from the care of Diane Downs and her family. My beef is with the interference by the media, TV shows and Ann Rule If it was not such a high profile case, Diane Downs would have been paroled a long time ago, considering her good behavior and lack of priors. The whole family were co-conspirators and involved in the crime? If I feel that due process was violated, I will go there anyway. What got her convicted was two things the towel and Christie. This is also a faster route to give the children permanency, and is far cheaper for the child welfare system that is always strained by the budget.
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