I almost felt bad for her.that being she seemed so lost in her lies..she just hangs in limbo now. Maybe I'm dramatic but I no longer want to watch it . 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. She had a more than competent attorney and a fair trial before a jury and NOT the same judge who handled the childrens matters. Diane changed her story about the stranger on the road. Thanks again. 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. Needless to say, you seem to have a problem with the American justice systemnot each individual case. They did not like her attitude and she did not behave the way they expected a grieving mother to act. As far as Hugi is concerned, it was a total conflict of interest. Also, aside from her original mental state, which may or may not excuse her aloofness (doesnt prove shes a killer by the way! In an earlier comment you stated that Diane had met all of the requirements for parole. There is a court sketch artists rendering of him in this video. They never tried to reunite them with family. One of the more bizarre scenes in this farce of an investigation was about to unfold. But there was a lot left unsaid about this relationship. The fact that the children were in no way protected by Child Protection Services is undeniable. A demonstration in court strongly suggested: Suggested, not confirmed. But you are right to say that it is my site. Additionally, homicide or assault victims shot by someone else can test positive for GSR. Susan, I dont know if there ever was a lawsuit against Ann Rule from the Fredericksons family. And the state refusing to turn them over to the defense? Celebrity Author Covers Case Ann Rule wrote 'Small Sacrifices,' later released as a movie. Mind you, it is before the trial. 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. So yes I think she did it, I think ration left her a long before she did itI think post pardum played in this, I think, she was scattered all over the map.againjust hearing it in her own words. Brewer stood ready to testify in June 1991, that it was because of Prosecutor Hugis lie that he changed his mind to convict and that he alone was responsible for silencing the dissenting votes of two other jurors (Appendix 97). Nobody knows but her. Five doctors have observed and documented this phenomenon. I find it interesting for you to observe this because it should be more scientific and empirical today than it was in the 80s, but is it really? If thats what you want then dont pretend its anything but. But I know that there were major problems with this case. Dilantin is known to cause mental confusion and you can check it online, but consider the dosage she was on and it needs no clarification. 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. Mission accomplished: Relevance? But the guy who said to several people that he was the shooter happens to resemble the sketch they came up with at the time for a reason. The jurors had doubts. Mr. In fact, Knick admits Diane took that gold chain as collateral against a $500 LOAN she made to him. Farrah had trouble with the law because of a passionate love affair with a movie director. It appeared rigged: Rigged? You mention that her attorney should have raised objections. They sure forgot to tell us about her pulse racing during these sessions. While these are all good questions, (and were maybe all asked in the jury room during deliberations) I doubt the answers even matter anymore. Did she act like a average person? There was never a real motive for the crime even if the State insisted that Diane wanted to be free to pursue her love interest; using her journals to support theirclaim. It is not, as the blogger frequently refers to, evidence. 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. In fact, if appropriate family is found, termination is not required. It opened a huge can of worms regarding the real identity of the heart full of lies in this case. They lied about the ballistics. Britney Spears's ex Kevin Federline gets increased custody of sons Christie is a married woman and gave birth in 2005. Something that would never stand in court now. As she is incarcerated, her fate is already sealed, servicing her life sentence in prison. Reasonable doubt is most certainly lacking. Maybe she didnt want to admit she was there for drugs, but you need a really tiny brain to worry about that in such a situation. I watched the paroles hearing in 08, was lucky to find it, it was streamed live at the timemy sister, who is a whiz with computers, found it for me. It is normally done (in fact in many jurisdictions, can ONLY be done) by going through the process in a different state or county then the one the applicant works with. 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. Instead of grieving, Alice went partying and had sex. 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. why didn't steve downs get custody - dtdigital.net I go fishing with a jurors husband. You mention her youngest daughter, and how Ann made sure she only heard negative information about Diane.. In hindsight Im sure the grandparents wish they had pursued visitation more aggressively. The US is a very strange bird when it comes to crime and punishment. The problem was, Diane has a long-documented history of adversely reacting to tranquilizing drugs. They rarely get a break. 5. Also on old footage of the trial, as there was no cameras aloud, the drawing of Christie Downs from court artist also complies with the testimony given in the book, as far as her pain and crying. According to The Cinemaholic, Steve was found to not be a good fit to care for his kids who would need specialized care and had been through a very traumatic event. I've just seen that in Halo's new tv series, Steve Downes isn't going Conflict of interest on steroids!! Their first child, Christie Ann, was born in 1974. Great question. USA population seems to shun complex ethical problems preferring to deal with absolute evil in order to exert absolute power to crush it. Do you remember about two days after that the two of you signing a lease on the apartment? 6. And she went back to her parent's home in Arizona. An earlier commenter wrote that it doesnt matter that the trail or the investigation was faultyWHAT !? Is. Can you imagine your little boy growing up to beat to death (with his bare hands and boots) Is she referring to her ex husband? In fact, Diane had consulted a psychologist after the tragedy and after months of consultation, she was never diagnosed as a sociopath. It means you dont orphan the kids. But what happened to Diane Downs' husband? Diane Downs and Alice Crummins were considered sluts and cold-blooded women and were judged on their unusual character. Maybe that her mom was obviously not well after spending her life in prison so it would have been a good idea to meet the Downss family quietly and get the jest of it. In fact, what investigator Tracy had written in his notes is that the heart monitor jumped because of excitement or intense fear. From what Ive read, she gets a parole hearing every decade and the next time in 2030 she will be 75. Its as if they cant control it. I appreciate this whole blog just want to give you a heads up. They should have left her alone. And some are even contradictory: shes mentally ill, but also not mentally ill; the site owner wants to focus on pure facts, yet ignore other facts; things happened in court, but those are irrelevant to what else what also happened in court, etc. This is especially if it comes with a history of erratic behavior following the use of these substances. May be the guy who says he did it. I dont understand how the family court managed to isolate 2 severely traumatized and grievously injured children from their entire family. Ms. Downs makes every effort to avoid emotional stimuli in order to reduce the demands made on her. By the way, Dianes parents mourn the loss of their grandchildren to this day. They would have welcomed them with open arms. In what world is that O.K. In the moment of who shot youmy momhave a hard time believing that could be coached. Her mom is still alive and would love to have contact but respect that they wont. 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. N u pleaded guilty of murdering ur husband. They played the tape in the courtroom, and the fact that Diane did not break down but tapped her foot to the music, was supposed to be another proof of her guilt. I try to bring up the elements that were totally ignored. Not optional, kids should not be in limbo that long, but it happens all the time. It was one of the most disturbing stories I've watched. In fact, watching that was the first time I heard her voice and saw her presence, it was a year or so later that old interviews showed up on YouTube. They were in foster care for two years before the prosecutor adopted them. Her quest for love had landed her into an unstable and loveless marriage. Then ask yourself if thats how you want your son to grow up. So not addressing the content of the blog and rambling about everything else while asking for a disclaimer is nailing it? 1) Gunshot residue/blood splatter. For all my life I have thought I was not that smart, but now I can tell myself, hey cheer up could be worse. Wow. Belli filed a motion for a 2-week extension to familiarize himself with the case because he had to be in Italy, and declared Diane innocent in a press conference, but Foote denied the motion and declared you have an attorney, use him.. The proverbial expression It takes two to tango applies here. The prescribed normal dosage for a full grown man is 30 milligrams per day. And by the way, I wrote the blogs about Rule way before she passed. She should have had the lawyer of her choice and if they wanted to charge her with the crimes, they should have stuck with what evidence and circumstances they had. No conflict of interest there? had to wait for Christie to be able to tell them who did it. They were in a difficult situation becausewithout evidence, they could notcharge her for the crime. It was pitch black outside. Halo's Master Chief TV Show Actor Won't Try To Replicate Steve Downes The lack of balance and objectivity. And even when confronted by the wrongful practices used at trial to get her convicted, are ok with her being locked up for life. Sometimes it takes until late in life for connections to be made again. They hardly investigated any other lead after a couple of weeks. ABC MOVIE FOR TV Small Sacrifices 1989 Farrah Fawcett, Ryan ONeal. Same with her brother. I research cases that in my opinion, were poorly tried. Plus, the circumstances of this charade were more than sinister. Rule sued the Seattle Weekly after they published the article titled , Ann Rule promotes her books as true crime stories so to this day, viewers believe that the book and the movie titled, This reminds me of what a jail counselor named Rachel Roth said at the trial of Debra Milke , They already had made up their mind that Diane was the perpetrator so they laughed off the idea of the , When I hear some people say that they would have liked to smack that smirk off Dianes face when she interacted with the cops or the media, I say.