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. How.. they attacked him. It seems they all went the easy way. I do not post rude comments. She took care of herself not her children. I like your approach. She signed an affidavit to that effect and wanted the jury informed of it but it was never done. Thanks for the link. ..maybe it was lack of Internet and cellies *shrug)..years later, my Co worker at burger King (I was 16)told me about the small sacrifices movie she watched the night before. Click to read The Case of Liysa Northon Who Said True Crime Does not Pay? 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. She never mentioned that before, and she doesnt mention the FBI agents name. Send a note, share a story or upload a photo. I can only imagine to absolute horror of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca during their horrific murders. Except for Paul Cortez. 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. The fact that she was driving five miles per hour to the hospital says it all as a mother myself, I dont care how hurt or mentally damaged I was, I would drive that car 100 MPH to get my children to safety. Diane and her family fought for them but were blocked from day one. It would be about November 20th that you would have gone back with Charlene, what, the next day? Robert L Knickerbocker, 63. And Ann Rule said that the unicorn that was omnipresent in court was part of the premeditation. Knickerbocker reported to the police that Downs had stalked him and seemed . The car was splattered with blood, but Diane had none on 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. Then, they accused her of shooting her kids at close range. Diane changed her story about the stranger on the road. If the media was anything at the time it was favorable towards her. You cant possibly shake off all the gun powder residue and avoid all the blood. 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? Whats wrong with the system is whats wrong with us. Find 77 people named Robert Knickerbocker along with free Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok profiles on PeekYou - true people search. please express them and I will print them. There were a few calls and on one occasion, The most frequent remarks I hear about the case when confronted by the state misconduct and the lack of evidence are gut feelings , So the hell with no gun, no GSR, no blood and no witnesses except a sick child who denied knowing who shot them until she could not anymore and happened to be adopted by the prosecutor; making it look like she could never change her mind and reveal that she has no memory of the shooting and maybe have the case reversed. Barry Sheck and bis crew of investigators should get involved. She folded it neatly around her arm. Diane nowhad the title ofdangerous offender. The price of celebrity for her was losing her freedom and her children for life. And Hugi seemed pretty sure he would get what he was asking for. Go to the hate groups for that. I then question how she would not have blood splatter if she shot them inside the car at close range. In one of them, he knew her name and in another one, she had answered a call and been told to meet someone. The US is a very strange bird when it comes to crime and punishment. If you want to defend Diane Downs, more power to you. They never found the gun and she showed no signs of having fired one. Leaving out a lot of info that should be included and presenting a very one sided take on these things. Not speculative? The way Christie was coached did not correspond to the reality of the direct evidence. None of this is EVIDENCE of anything in regard to the murder trial, and not once did I read that it was. Any thoughts on that? She had one arm totally out of commission. The trial was a whole miscarriage, that seems undeniable. Theybrought out the big guns to unload on the public, their idea of the truth: Diane Downs was a horrible creature and a jilted lover who shot her three children in cold blood to be free to pursue a relationship with the man she was obsessed with. Lived In Clarksville TN, Bountiful UT, Gilbert AZ, . It had nothing to do with the evidence of the case and represents useless labeling anyway. She unwillingly followed the cops in spite of being in pain and not wanting to leave the premises. They are still part of their birth family. You paint a picture that is actually inaccurate and misleading. The interpretation of blood splatter is different than no blood splatter. They finally charged her and she did 10 years for the death of her children. Needless to say, you seem to have a problem with the American justice systemnot each individual case. Downs was born in Phoenix, Arizona, on August 7, 1955, to Danish and English American parents Wesley Linden and Willadene Frederickson. 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. We could say that it was suggestive on his part, but considering how this trial was conducted, I tend to believe it happened. She was judged very harshly for her character and her defense was dismal. As Ms. Patterson left the stand, Diane complained to her attorney that Ms. Patterson had lied under oath. You indicated you were not going to get a divorce? 3. But you sure did comment like a true asshole, huh? 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. 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. (This is why Foote was assigned the case. She was extremely intelligent but her emotional IQ was no match and her desire for freedom, love and affection were dangerously dragging her down a path of self-destruction. Cheryl was shot twice in the back and one of the bullets ended up on the floorboard. David Kessler's top 4 tips for dealing with holiday grief. Robert has lived in Tucson, AZ in a single family house with Lori. I think it would give the blog more integrity and transparency. Many individuals associated with the the child welfare system, for one reason or another, choose to adopt children. I appreciate this whole blog just want to give you a heads up. 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. In 1992 I became involved in this work following my interest and research into a notorious murder trial that was held in Oregon many years ago. Being bipolar, she had no impulse control so it should not have surprised anyone. 132 records for Robert Knickerbocker. It appears that you have to be a perfect mother with no lovers and not afflicted with any mental illness to be considered innocent until proven guilty in America. A demonstration in court strongly suggested that the shooter had to be left-handed to have been able to shoot in the car at the right angle. Yes Gigi, the same judge who had removed the children was also presiding over her trial. We cant. In an interesting development, in 1986, Christie and Danny Downs were adopted by Fred Hugi, the lead prosecutor who put their mother behind bars for the rest of her life. More reason to have investigated the case more thoroughly. If you listen to the recording, Christie clearly says I dont know who did it. She was asleep, thats why. View Dean Knickerbocker's profile on LinkedIn, the world's largest professional community. Maybe someone needs to read Part two in Dr. Billings in-depth review of the Diane Downs Murder Case in Oregon. Hugi got the evidence needed to convict after numerous meetings with Christie. A fair trial is a right in this country, not a judicial suggestion. I am not biased. I do not care if the bushy haired stranger made no sense or if they could not explain the why of the tragedy, I do not care if she was madly in love with a guy because all that counts is proof and evidence in a court of law, and there was definitely a reasonable doubt. Do you REALLY believe she expected them to live especially since she drove at less than 10 mph. Facebook gives people. Dianes father tried to hire Melvin Belli, but the judge refused to give him some time to prepare and come back to the US. that you told Diane to tell steve that she was Knicks I agree that the verdict may have been very different. I will agree that it was suspicious that Diane got away with one bullet in the arm, even if the injury was severe, but she was outside the car and many scenarios are possible to that effect. You seem to believe everyone is innocent. I see that Downs had a parole hearing in late 2020 but I cant see the outcome. Up. College: SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY. The blog tries to bring balance and more objectivity to a case that was TOTALLY one sided and still is. They lied about the ballistics. Yes, but it is a fact that she was starting to say that she did not know who shot them when it happened. I was a patient of the doctor who worked so hard to save her childrens lives that night. There are documented cases of suicides where the person has no GNR, as well as murder cases. 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. Christie became the star witness against her mother and who could resist such a touching testimony? 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. View theaffidavits. It was very unfair to raise them away from their grandparents and other blood relatives. Robert has lived in a mobile / manufactured home in Tucson, AZ with Christian. Picture 2, Downs in ; Picture 3, Robert Knickerbocker entering the courtroom with his wife Charkene and sheriff's detective Doug. Van Houten has made her choices and needs to own up to her actions and stop putting all the blame on drugs and Manson. In high school, she met handsome Steven Downs who saw her for the great beauty she had become. 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. They rarely are, especially in the US. You have funeral questions, we have answers. She states, I did not shoot my children and I cant say I did. The american system often reminds me of what Charles Dickens talked about in his novels. Add a Memory Send a note, share a story or upload a photo. This is basically the book best kept secrets in condensed form full of outlandish theories. Diane was sentenced to life plus 50 years. Her attorney, James Jagger, did a poor job for Diane. ANNE RULES BOOK IS A LIE, ,ALL MADE UP CRAP. (Appendix 3). Diane was right-handed. Too bad it triggered you, maybe try to stay away from sites that might not go along with the mob mentality and usual media narrative. I also grew up in as time of the most infamous case in Australias judicial history: Lindy Chamberlain and the dingo stole my baby. If Oregonians were not all convinced at first, the media and the crown made sure they would be. Mission accomplished. Maybe dad relinquished, it sounds like he may have. That they did not test the outside of the car? I do not declare her innocent. So how she behaved at the time, should not have been a factor influencing the authorities. Be the first to post a memory or condolences. Robert was a married man in Arizona with whom Diane had been having an affair, back when she was still living there. The only living witness to the crime was Christie, whose stroke impaired her speech and made her unable to speak to police. For Downs, this was the last straw in a series of culminating disappointments in her life. Wow does he ever look different than how they portrayed him in the TV movie. The inconsistencies and obvious lack of evidence in this case should have called for a wider investigation instead of solely focusing on their prime suspect. 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. 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