The fact that she took the kids to the nearest hospital, andtwo of them survived kind offlies in the face of their murder at all costs theory. Were they involved in the plot too?? How about dads side of the family? And the interrogations were not tapedand barelydocumented. The proverbial expression It takes two to tango applies here. I will post it when I get it. She attacked her husband and ripped his neck open in a jealous rage (Appendix 81, page 1520), tearing from his neck the gold chain he still wore from his first marriage (a gift from his first wife). For all you readers of this blogger, I lived through the Diane Downs case. Dianewas jealous ofthe other woman, but Robert Knickerbockers wife said that she foundher rather friendly during their encounter. No other shooter involved in her case. A test for the presence of gunshot residue conducted on Dianes hands the night of the shooting, returned a negative result (Appendix 23). The states own witness, Dr. George Suckow and Dr. Polly Jamison denounced Prosecutor Hugis practice as improper and unethical (Appendix 101 and 104). It sounds like this was not the case with Dianes children. Inflammatory and speculative The fact that the DA adopted the children, since it was after the trial, is more of a gray area. When the trial began, Christie Downs, then nine-years-old, had recovered the ability to speak and she provided extremely damaging testimony for the prosecution. For some people, the best send-off is one that they would have loved to attendthemselves: a big party. Yes, but it is a fact that she was starting to say that she did not know who shot them when it happened. Your entry has exceeded the maximum character limit. Makes no difference to me. Her persona allowed them to build this ironclad narrative when in fact, it was far from definite. This is what I try to do when I research a case that was deemed to be a slam dunk. The jury verdict was guilty on all counts, but there was a mixture of votes. 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. 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. Theres a lot to be said here, still. James C. Jagger who was hired by Dianes father was an ex-Prosecutor. She took care of herself not her children. Then, they accused her of shooting her kids at close range. Problem with that is Diane has said during an interview with detectives that the sketch looks nothing like what she described. At least two of those school mates reported Christies tortured confession to their mother That is the reason effective trial counsel challenges the competency of a nine-year-old child to testify in a court of law. 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. She was harshly judged because of her demeanor. Her flat affect is even more pronounced now and it did her in at the time, but she was lucid enough to clearly see that Rule and the media used Becky for their personal gain. 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. The tape is real and probably not admissible, but it seems to indicate that her testimony was coerced. It sounds pretty fair to me. I would love to hear your answers to them. Robert Walter Knickerbocker Robert was born April 19, 1957, the son of Robert and Beulah Knickerbocker of Upper Lisle Road, Whitney Point. As she walked away, Detective Welch called after her, If you dont testify against Steve, youre going to lose everything. Diane turned back to say, Show me proof, and walked away. 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. The american system often reminds me of what Charles Dickens talked about in his novels. None of this is EVIDENCE of anything in regard to the murder trial, and not once did I read that it was. Ways to honor Robert Knickerbocker's life and legacy. Her next parole hearing will be in 2020. There have many times children have had to testify against their parents so the fact that many cant believe it was ever allowed should honestly research more. Whats next? 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. In reality,the whole caseturned out to beno small sacrifice for Diane Downs, but it was a huge victory for the State, the media anda very lucrative deal for theQueen of crime fiction herself; Ann Rule. On May 30, 1983, the McKenzie-Willamette Hospital Chaplain told Dianes father to hire an attorney because the State was going to take his grandchildren away. Even put in different hospitals. This is an extremely tragic case and her children at the very least deserve justice. But I am more than willing to review any new info. The prescribed normal dosage for a full grown man is 30 milligrams per day. Q. So obviously, she was the prime suspect. I care about the experts reports written about Diane because they know her situation and mental state. Blood, cuts, limo driver who saw him come in, the shoe print, the blood in the car and on the socks in his bedroom. She is supposed to be locked up for murder, etc. Diane Downs changed her story so many times, even at her parole hearing. Or be mentally ill. It would not benefit you, my children, or society for me to perpetuate that lie. Christie was only eight, had suffered gunshot wounds and was in shock. I am so tired of the victims being forgotten. No. In the 1996 Federal Petition, you can find the Anatomy of Brainwashing that can answer any question on this subject. She did it. The fact that the children were in no way protected by Child Protection Services is undeniable. No one bothered with these details so I did. I remember when Diane shot her kids and there are some facts Id like to correct from your blog. Dianes automobile was secured and examined and no gun was found. In the blog, there is a link on the subject of bipolar people who tend to laugh at the wrong time. Meaning it was unlikely she was the shooter. 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. The DA that put away their mom is not an appropriate placement choice. This case had many similarities to the Alice Crimminsstory. (He WAS shot in the back remember). Diane Frederickson was born August 7, 1955 in Phoenix, Arizona. . She even became a surrogate mother to make money and provide two parents the opportunity to have a child. Receive a notification when services are updated. 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. They would have tried to reopen the case. While these are all good questions, (and were maybe all asked in the jury room during deliberations) I doubt the answers even matter anymore. The GSR? On the night of May 19, 1983, Downs was driving with her three children. I think you may be right that she is likely still locked up due to her diagnoses of antisocial, histrionic and narcissistic, but again, no one would care and this crappy diagnosis wouldnt have been bought and paid for if not the high profile nature of the case. I appreciate this whole blog just want to give you a heads up. It simply states the facts of the case. She talked to Diane for 15 minutes, there was thebizarre and partialOprah interview that was basically a lets bash Diane event and she wrote to Diane in jail to ask her what she thought of Hugi adopting her children. That conflict of interest alone would incline Christie to testify against her mother. Three-year-old Danny was believed to have been asleep at the time of the incident. On May 19, 1983, Elizabeth Diane Downs and her three small children were shot on a country road near Springfield, Oregon. This is a fascinating and informative article that has answered some questions I had, and prompted others: 1. 2023 Warner Bros. Wasnt it speculative on their part? Charlene would call Diane at all hours of the day and night to threaten violence if Diane continued on with her husband. Join Facebook to connect with Robert Knickerbocker and others you may know. I dont care what Diane Downs says at the parole board hearing, except if she is innocent or guilty. At that timeand now!! Email Address: r CNKF @amphi.com +1 email. Diane was found guilty and sentenced to life and she has been in prison ever since. Fingerprints at the crime scene were not produced by the State. And she clearly remembered the April 1983, rape that Mr. Downs would later refer to as love making. They checked her nails to see if she could have buried the gun and they were clean. The Case of Liysa Northon Who Said True Crime Does not Pay? He further added that he was relieved when she was transferred to Oregon because he could then successfully reconcile with his wife. He failed. Not optional, kids should not be in limbo that long, but it happens all the time. They finally charged her and she did 10 years for the death of her children. Its as if they cant control it. Aint no one gonna tarnish my guys lol. Thank you Lise. Considering the circumstances, it is difficult not to be a bit cynical about this grand gesture. The interpretation of blood splatter is different than no blood splatter. The prosecutors in the case said that Diane had committed such a heinous act in the hopes of getting back together with one of her previous lovers, Robert Knickerbocker, who had made it known that he didnt want children in his life. Thanks Kit, It is a bit of a mystery to me that not more people see that if we removed the high profile name and the accompanying media storm, the case was no slam dunk. Send a note, share a story or upload a photo. Her 7-year old daughter Cheryl died but her 3-year old son Danny and her 8-year old daughter Christie survived. Mission accomplished. The board said that her mental or emotional disorder makes her a danger to society. She was judged very harshly for her character and her defense was dismal. Their goal was to make Dian look crazy, because sane people dont shoot their children. Page 6 of Case History. One should also wonder why their biological father who was so eager to bash his ex on the stand was not given custody, and did not stay in contact with his two remaining children. They lied about the ballistics. Even if the nurses notes indicated countless times that the children asked for their mother and enjoyed her visits, they cut them off from the only family they knew and loved; supposedly for their own protection. They never found the gun and she showed no signs of having fired one. View Dean Knickerbocker's profile on LinkedIn, the world's largest professional community. Phone Number: (520) 293-QPFP +2 phones. I tried to contact you by email but my email wouldnt acknowledge you email address. That poor girl. The police admitting on the stand that after 2 weeks, they stopped looking at suspects appears to be a fact. And being the mother of three only served to propel Diane in a more manic state. The diagnosis of the psychiatrist for the state is also clearly documented. Even if they say that she did not get involved in rehabilitation programs, she did participate, but obviously did not admit to killing her daughter and injuring the others. In the moment of who shot youmy momhave a hard time believing that could be coached. No worries. Fred Hugi looks nothing like Jim Jagger. In 1979, headstrong Diane gave birth to Danny who was not Stevens biological son because he had no desire to be a father again. Also, the title of the website clearly demonstrates an inherit bias. . I have no dog in this race. I know several foster parents and social workers. And their plan worked. That is not a quick process and is very invasive to a familys privacy. According to Downs, they had visited a friend in the nearby town of Marcola and were driving back to Springfield along a lonely stretch of highway. Every single one of these questions matter. She wanted a lawyer to defend her vigorously but the judge stopped her from getting good representation. 2.Diane herself has stated that the shooter was outside the car and shot THROUGH the window, no blood spatter. Did you read her statements to the parole board in 2008? The only reason they kept her in prison even if she had all the right documentation and support, is because she is high profile. I agree. But there is forensic evidence pointing to Diane Downs. From the very beginning, the DAs office had their ducks in a row because in an unprecedented move, Judge Gregory Foote who had denied access to the children by all blood relatives and given their care over to the State, was promoted from juvenile to senior judge to preside over the trial of Diane Downs. This is a conflict of interest. ?.the fact you are ignoring something SO OBVIOUS is a red flag. He freely admitted HE decided to ask for a divorce on his birthday without consulting Diane, who was out of town In fact, Diane and her lawyer wanted Christie to be able to heal before being questioned and to be accompanied and taped during the sessions. He gave temporary custody to Dr. Wilhite. It did not matter that they had no evidence; they did not like her attitude and she was going to pay for it. After graduation, Steven joined the Navy and Diane was sent to Pacific Coast Baptist Bible College where she failed miserably at remaining pure and chaste, not unlike most girls of her generation who rejected their strict religious upbringing. They now have social media arenas reminiscent of the Romans cheering at the sight of a thumb down meaning there will be a bloodshed. To have separated Christie from her brother and the rest of the family to be able to get her mom was unconscionable. Even more now with hindsight because of the gun and the fact that her daughter kind of recanted by demonstrating that if pushed, she will say what is expected of her. He said all the police needed was for Diane to bear witness against her ex-husband. Do you remember it would have been around say November 19th of 82 that you would have left Charlene at one time? and so on. Basically then at that It could be argued that he developed a relationship with the children and genuinely wanted them to join his family. The grandparents were babysitting the children often and had several children who were well adjusted. Mrs. Fredericksons concern for her daughters emotional state was well placed. And they kept at her and made suggestions when she would not implicate her mom. Why on earth would anyone recommend leaving the kids with the grandparents? Simply because I researched them. (witness statement the gentleman who was behind her for at least 10 minutes). Having recently done research on the Liysa Northons case which was the subject of a book written by Ann Rule titled Heart Full of Lies,I came across some very interesting information about the Diane Downs case because Rule attended the trial and also wrote a book about the case called Small Sacrifices. 3 records for "Robert Knickerbocker" in "Pima County". You may leave a message for the family by clicking here. Saying that I seem to be doing what I accuse Ann Rule of doing is kind of ironic because the point of this blog is to try to stay away from innuendo and fantasies like unicorns and songs that might have been playing or not during a tragic murder. Say Her Name - But Spell It Right - The Tale of Breonna Taylor, Scott Peterson Was not Entitled to a Perfect Trial, but he Was Entitled to a Fair One He Received Neither. She was a first time offender who has shown no violent tendencies and is afflicted with a mental illness. Surprisingly, he accepted the new child and learned to love him dearly. If you want to defend Diane Downs, more power to you. 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. Then feel free to correct the facts and to provide evidence to support them. 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