Farrah Fawcett did an excellent portrayal of her in the movie “Small Sacrifices” except for two key factors: she was beautiful, and she possessed a soul.
She does gardening because she's doing soul searching for a soul she doesn't actually have. She still will not admit she shot her kids. She takes no genuine responsibility. Despite all her sobbing and carrying on she still does not get it and she never will. Throw away the key. She should never be released.
Never, ever, should she be released...being a psychopath and killed her own children, lies & fantasy world are her deal...escaping & trying to escape is astounding...just wow...she deserves nothing at all but sit in a lonely cell til she passes away
She seems more upset about not being able to talk about herself. I am sure she could spend hour upon hour upon hour talking about herself. She hasn’t learned a thing about how her actions destroyed lives and took the life of an innocent child
I completely agree, narcissism has a variety of elements & there are different forms...sadly we are all a bit cuz of our ego's but, in this situation, this person, takes the desperation of craving attention for her self to a different realm for me...I have 0 sympathy for her, however like you stated...I am not sure she could handle taking responsibility for her actions or even have anything but a very cold n evil heart...her eyes, face & how she carries herself, gives me the hebbie gebbies, she is a cringie woman to me... I agree wholeheartedly, not only did she ruin lives (her own babies, they have a deceased sibling along with their issues n problems)but she proceeded to have an other child while in prison...those poor babies (adults now if still alive, I know the last child is, haven't updates myself on her case & the murders n asinine fantasy world she lived in, still seems like it too, maybe 85% worse intentionally opinion...my heart hurts thinking about her roaming the country freely...oh boy...I just pray for better in the human race every day...much love to everyone ♡♡♡
If she's sharing a cell with five other women, there's no way she could spew like that without someone beating the shit out of her. If I was her cellmate, I'd probably get sent to "the hole" on a regular basis for such a thing but it might be worth it to get away from her.
@@mo-anniemc8227 you know that’s an awful thing! does anyone else ever wonder if there’s a mean bone in whoever created us? or maybe theres just not any creator? but how did we come from a source if no creator? I can’t imagine how one woman can do that to any child and not even have a caring bone in her body to even let what she did cross her mind?…. I have questions!
That’s absolutely not true. They absolutely do feel empathy, which is why they are narcissists. I’m gonna make it very simple so you can understand. Narcissists: feel empathy. Sociopaths : do not feel empathy. Psychopaths : do not feel empathy from birth. All are narcissists, but the ones that feel nothing either from birth or having learnt it are sociopaths and psychopaths. Diane Downs is a sociopath….
Exactly!! I’d let Betty Broderick out before Diane . At least Betty said yes I did it , I meant to do it , I’m not sorry I did it , and I have no regrets. More respect for her than this psycho !
I have no problem at all with Diane being released from prison. When her daughter walks out of her grave, then for me it's fine for Diane to walk out of prison..
@@londonsapphire1326 100% word salad. After all that long nonsensical answer she gave to that one guy, she NEVER once said she was sorry for shooting her children. She said she was sorry for bringing them into her drama or world etc. that’s a LOT different! I could take my kids to the top of a cliff where they accidentally fell off, or I could push them off. Two completely different scenarios. Number one,I would feel extreme guilt for putting them in that situation. Number two, would be Murder, at which 30 years later I should feel great guilt and remorse for pushing them off! All she did was tell how the women in the group were supposed to feel. Not how she felt! Word salad!!!!!
@@londonsapphire1326 Word Salad, fr! Reminds me of a scene in the movie Small Sacrifices, where Diane was pregnant and fighting with her father in the kitchen…and her father screams at her “Diane, you talk too much…talking nothing but nonsense!” Talk about art imitating life!
@@girrlove12321 Her daughter was deathly afraid of her whenever she was allowed to visit her in the hospital. I’m sure her daughter has incredible psychological trauma from this whole ordeal; the fact that she testified in court that her own mother was the shooter must have been unbearable. That would be a terrible burden for an adult, much less a child.....😔😔😔. I’m sure she couldn’t process the fact that her own mother could do something so horrible, so I’m not surprised that she recanted. I do believe that Diane did it. Absolutely unfathomable crime.
Chynna doll im sure her daughter was deathly afraid of her after the police brainwashed her daughter into believing it was her mother that hurt her. I remember that too sarah. How wrong of them to do that to her.
If she doesn’t admit to her crime they won’t ever release her. You need to convince them you changed, taking responsibility is a start. As long as she denies everything she will remain in prison for life.
That shipped has sailed. If she had come out and taken full responsibility for everything, the parole board would rightly ask what triggered this change after 37 years. And what is even worse, if she now admits it, she will have demonstrated an ability to LIE to all of the previous parole boards.
The way she answer the very question: what program? The tone of her voice, the arrogance...This woman didn't change one bit. And even if she did change, she should never be allowed to walk free again.
She's still got those cold, dead eyes. She's still a dangerous woman no matter how old she is. Society is safer with her behind bars. I doubt she'll ever be released.
She is awful, but do you real think she is dangerous? I think she should stay in prison because of what she did, but I dont think she is a danger to society.
If the children were coached into going against her at the time, then they are adults now and can support her quest for a release. She's right where she needs to be.
There is a problem with false memories, but Down's happy giddy behavior when describing her children getting shot made her look extremely guilty. The two children were adopted by the prosecutor and have a much better upbringing than they would have had with their flaky natural mother.
Not necessarily. They were very young and I’m sure this was traumatic. It’s possible they don’t remember or don’t remember exactly how any of it happened.
not only should she not be considered, but she shouldn't be given a voice as she is given here, either execution, or locked up in a room, for good, until it's dead
Unless your sentenced to life with no possibility of parole, every criminal deserves a parole hearing. She,ll never get out. This is just a process. And really, does she even want to get out? There's nothing waiting for her on the outside. She'd end up in some lousy halfway house and would probably be homeless. She's made a life in prison. She's got free room and board, 3 squares a day, and is involved with many activities, education, free counseling.
Reason they do these hearings, is to show WHY, these folks should not be allowed back into society. Psychopathic narcissists, will always be psychopathic narcissists.
Inmates by law who have a sentence with a minimum and a chance of parole have the right to a hearing doesn't mean their going to be granted parole. In Diana Downs' case, she is very unlikely to be granted parole because she digs her own grave by monologuing subjects, events, and theories that have absolutely no connection to her crimes. As a result, the parole board, despite her endless rambling, their inner voices must be saying, "Where that denied stamp already?" Or "Here we go again, just shut the hell up Downs." They have the patience of saints.
They may want to say every little thing that they ever wanted to say. Only if they had that desire. She would lie about everything anyway. And for the record, she was a terrible mother. No food in the refrigerator, dirty clothes and kuds. She hated being a mother. She only enjoyed pregnancy. She told everyone that she thought her kids were ugly, especially Cheryl RIP.
She mentions Christie and Daniel, but not Cheryl. The kid who died. I think she suspects the living children can hear her and she can manipulate them. Cheryl is dead and so beyond manipulation, therefore she doesn’t even bother to acknowledge her.
Also she doesn't mention her because she's afraid she will slip up and doesn't want to acknowledge anything about her death because of how she would look to other people. That's my opinion only tho
@@KingJackson11355 they have done interviews I believe. Or atleast I think Christie has. So has her youngest she was given up for adoption. They are on RU-vid
She (allegedly) is a narcissist. She probably thinks that her thoughts are so interesting that other people can read her mind because they're so fascinated by her thoughts.
All I know is I read the book and I will never forget the ending when Anne was filling the reader in on a bit more detail. The oldest daughter told a story of how Diane took the kids to that same field like the week before. Super late, super dark. She told the kids they were gonna play a game and she just disappeared… now these poor babies are out in a field, pitch black, late at night and mom wants to play a game? Diane popped out of the trees screaming AHHHH scaring the absolute sh/t out of the kids. She tried to play it off as a game but she wanted to do it that night or maybe she was testing how isolated the area was. Idk but Diane is a freak show, super smart and very cold. Petty af. Never forgets a slight. We have enough mess going on out here without crazy fools like her adding to the confusion. THE DOOR IS CLOSED 🚪
@@AshleySpeaks09 Thanks for the clarification. Although I believe she shot her children, this shows pre meditation on her part. I have one son and could never imagine shooting him. For, I love him so much.
The hero in all of this terrible crime, is the man who adopted the two remaining children and gives them the most normal and loving life of all. Hope the children are well.
It was the lawyer I believe. I lived in Vegas during the Beau Maestos case. Him and sis killed (1 of 2) little girls. Over salt the girls mom sold him as meth! Youngest died and other one paralyzed for life. The lawyer or prosecutor adopted Christy. I was so happy. Some lawyers are good. Sorry for the novella. Semper Fi
She should NEVER be let free.She just cannot see what she has done.Theres not an ounce of remorse.Typical narcissist.She feels so sorry for herself.She believes herself lol.Oh woe is poor Diane 🙄
I have had to go before the judge for a traffic stop before and I was humble as hell. Diane is talking to these ppl like she’s out for lunch w the girls. That ego is still just as big as ever, that condescending tone still pisses me off. Then she’s pleading for her children to come and validate her pathetic shred of guilt. As if they want to see this demon? Diane is so scary because she knows exactly what she’s doing. She is always looking for a new sucker, a new dummy because that’s all she needs to fxck stuff up. Anne Rule put her on blast decades ago, Diane will never change. I think her real anger is at her children and that lawyer.
So, although she's been in prison she knows it's illegal to park in a handicapped zone if you are not handicapped. Did she not know that attempted murder is illegal? And then there's the "pesky problem " ( which I use in a completely sarcastic, scathing tone ) that the victims were her OWN CHILDREN. She is not safe for release EVER!
By the time Diane's parole hearing is over with, the board members are utterly confused, disoriented, their brains are fried by her constant spinning of tale after tale, etc. She wants it that way. It's her way of manipulating them and anyone else who will listen to her. She believes that if she confuses the board members and the others at her hearing enough, they will allow her to go free. My mom and other family members are exactly like this. That's why Diane Downs' case is so interesting to me.
In her 2021 Parole hearing she actually sounded like she was crying, we couldn't see her I think she was faking. She kept saying she needed to see her children so she could apologize, she just wants to see them for her own selfish reasons. Her children are adults and if the wanted to see her they would make contact. No matter what question was asked she changed the subject, The whole thing was a big pity party for Diane Downs, I don't think she will ever be a free woman again and that's best for everyone.
@@joycewilson1675 So disgusting 😣 Thanks for the update. It sounds like she’s desperate to get that “high” or fix that abusers get when they’re hurting someone. The apology is probably just her cover story so she can gain access to them. I hope they continue protecting themselves and not allowing her anywhere near them. It would be terrifying to have her back in our society!
How can a so-called mother kill her child and laugh! NEVER... NEVER LET HER OUT!! SHE LITERALLY ESCAPED AND WAS FOUND WITH AN INMATE'S HUSBAND! ONLY THE GUILTY ESCAPE!!
It's her parole hearing. She's answering questions about her life. What else should she talk about? Also - for several minutes she expresses deep remorse for what she has done to her children. Wether this is genuine or not, it's quite remarkable as it's the first time she speaks like that. Before that she never admitted having done anything wrong in her life.
@@0308frank I agree...I found the beginning to the middle to be SHOCKING....I have NEVER heard her seem so human....towards the end it sounds like she went right back into making excuses, but I have to be honest, she did not seem as batshit crazy as she did before. Maybe there is hope.
@@0308frank she doesn't have any remorse mate and she still will not admit she shot her kids . So glad you are not on the parole board if you're this gullible .
She started crying when hypothetically talking about telling a victim that you are angry and that you hate them. She literally hates her children for surviving and ratting on her.
The trick is to keep them talking because eventually, they hang themselves. She started out pretty well, talking about the programs she was in and how good they were for her... then she started slipping just a little, things didn't quite make sense, and then BAM! Down she went, right off the cliff. The moment she said she had only one escape attempt, they should have said, "Thank you, Ms. Downs, we'll see you in ten years. "
think it was pointless waste of time to even have a hearing at all ..i guess its fair for everyone is the only reason, but she will never get out until at the very least, she admits it, and she should have lead with it for even an inkling of a chance
For someone who thinks they’re the smartest person in the room, she’s pretty foolish. Nobody believes her story. If she hasn’t figured that out by now, she never will.
It's unfortunately quite common for individuals with pathologically high levels of narcissism with it's attendant grandiosity to minimise the intelligence and abilities of others while overestimating their own. Downs is a walking stereotype of NPD if not actually possibly Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) which many non-clinicians refer to variously as sociopathy or psychopathy although clinicians argue about these matters. Research suggests there are more incarcerated women, particularly those convicted of murder (as well as white-collar crimes like embezzlement, extortion, and fraud), who have ASPD than has previously been believed. Such women are better able to disguise the ASPD due to both being inclined to express aggression relationally rather than physically (as is the case with men with ASPD) and being more adept at manipulation and feigning empathy when it suits them. At this parole board meeting Diane Down comes across as utterly lacking in any genuine insight let alone accountability and remorse for the deaths, injuries, and harm she caused. She remains essentially unchanged from the days when she was first incarcerated being as blinkered to others' views and feelings while only being focused on promulgating the same false narrative she began to tell hospital staff and law enforcement.
Confucius said…” If you are the smartest person in the room, then you are in the wrong room!” She never grew to understand that. Thereby increasing her self righteousness and narcissism, causing her brain to stay stuck in a never ending loop of delusion and insanity while she maintains, at least to herself, her status as “the smartest person in the room.” Apparently that is, until she’s in the room with the Parole Board! She’s failed to grow. She’s a danger to society. She shall remain in prison until death.
Exactly she thought she has everyone fooled when she doesn’t she didn’t give a Frogs fat Ass about those poor children. She right where she needs to be and can Rot there for all I care.
That's the beauty of her "chance at parole" She will have to take responsibility which is something she's incapable of doing. The judge knew what they were doing. Parole is part of her punishment. She will NEVER get out. Mostly because she's not capable of self improvement
I grew up in Oreo and remember her being all over the news enjoying the limelight. Evidently she has learned nothing from prison and is still a narcissistic liar and a fraud.
Poor little Steven had his spinal cord severed. He is wheel chair bound because his mother thought it best to shoot her children and then maybe later have more since they are so 'easily conceived."
Oh darlin, no worries. I read Small Sacrifices as a teen and it got me hooked on true crime, and I am too familiar with this because of that. Her husband was Stephen Downs, but Danny was the result of one of her numerous affairs but she had him. He was paralyzed by the shooting. He is some kind of computer engineer now.
Diane is the one who talks aaaaall day long! She takes zero responsibility for anything. Everything is always someone else's fault. No matter what, nothing is her fault.
Read the book by Anne Rule, several years ago. Just finished watching the movie on RU-vid. I have several other true crime books by Anne Rule, she is a great author.
I'm listening to this while multitasking. I've had a particularly hard week at one of my two jobs. I'm finding myself getting emotional, because I would love to have more time to do crafts and play in my garden and study, as Diane apparently does. I'm limited in time, though, because I work to pay taxes to support Diane's education and hobbies.
@Kim - ignore the crappy comments - they don’t get what you’re saying. I understand thinking that Diane in prison is provided "leisure" activities that you are unable to do as you are too busy working 2 jobs & that money you pay in taxes supports her. That's true...we all pay to support prisons. >>Keep going, don't give up...your hard work will pay off & the day will come when you can enjoy the fruits of your labor. 🙌😉 Best wishes to you!🙏
I can't forget what a doctor, who was caring for her daughter in hospital, said. The child was on life support with no certainty of either death or recovery. He said, D.D. asked for life support to be switched off. He was shocked that she was prepared to end her daughter's life when there was still hope. That says it all to me.
In all the years I have been following this case in every interview, even back to when it happen.. she has not shed ONE . SINGLE . TEAR . about the shooting of her kids. she is heartless.
I’ve never been certain I totally understood the meaning of narcissism of sure if I had ever met someone who had that tendency. Listening to her, I’m 100% positive Diane Downs is a narcissist. Anyone who grants her parole is as nutty as she is. 🤦♀️
@tmo4330 oh my goodness!! What I don't understand is what made her so attractive to men? She's really not that pretty. In fact, she's sort of manly looking in my opinion.... lol
I think she's full of crap. She deliberately wanted her children out of the way of what she really wanted, her wanting her freedom from her kids. I wouldn't trust her to be released.
28:00 she says it’s her kids right not to want to forgive her but she realizes it’s not the storyline she’s been going with and steers the direction to living a careless life and taking her kids with her everywhere. She got close to admitting the truth but backed off for her own foolish egotistical reasons. Her ego still drives her poor decisions, I can’t see her ever getting paroled, she’s unable to take responsibility after almost 40 years.
It sounded almost like a confession. She even said sorry, which is the first I've ever heard her say that when you watch interviews from the 80's. Maybe because she has no proof in being "innocent" and already doing time, she might as well pretend to have some remorse to gain parole.
@@JAYNEDOE_ reminds me of when she shot her kids, they wanted a reenactment with the car and she was reenacting it in front of the police and she wasn’t even acting normal. She was laughing and she hit her cast on the car door and she started to say that hurts almost as much as and then she shut Up. Anybody that’s ever watched that thinks she was almost going to say that hurt almost as much as it did when I shot myself.
well, the shooting part was old news - the crocheting was new news that ppl probably not know about her ... hey, maybe she's trying to sell commissioned crochet projects online.... [can't paint like jwg]
The scary thing is is some kid out. There might have some quilt he randomly got and doesn’t know that it was whittled together by a sociopath who murdered her own kid and tried to kill the other two.
I like how the guy interviewing her simply listens to her… doesn’t even attempt to sway her into telling the truth. They know she never will. The woman is exactly where she belongs.
Geez she's pissing me off with her "so there you go" after weakly attempting to explain away something. So I know it has to feel like a slap in the face to them.
She killed her daughter Cheryl, wounded Danny, which paralyzed him from the waist down, wounded Christie, and then while Christie was in the hospital tried to coerce her to testify on Diane’s behalf, which Christie bravely did not do. The only good to come out of this horrific case at all was that the prosecutor and his wife adopted Danny and Christie and raised them.
I will never forget the evil 😈 this woman portrayed, her whole demeanor was a disgrace. I don't honestly care what she's doing now regarding her work. She never admitted to anything regarding her children.
I'll never forget this because it happened 2hrs from where I live. This MONSTER shouldn't see anything except bars and prison gates. She'll never admit that she did this horrific crime.
The way she explains and then she throws out “So ; there you go” , it’s like she’s seeing if they’re absorbing her lies . Her tone when she says it is like she doesn’t give a crap if you believe it or not . 😂
It seems like in the beginning she was starting to show true remorse but by the end she just continued with her usual lying sociopathic ways with an excuse for everything.
R u fing kidding me her even. Getting a parole hearing they. Would a dually let this b out Then there go nnA let ss out n 2024.the. Justis system zucks
The one and only "crime" she's copped to, wooden shelves, is actually, according to her, a beneficial thing that helped everyone. So as usual she's confessed to how absolutely wonderful and great she is, if she do say so herself.
Omg. This woman is terrible. There's absolutely no remorse for her children, she answered not one question with any humility or remorse or ...idk ..there are not enough words to describe her. She's where she needs to be.
I’ve gotten 3/4 of the way through and can’t listen to her anymore. Thank you for taking the time to create this audio version of diane’s parole hearing.
Thank you for this video! I am a true crime aficionado and this crime! Ann Rule's book and the movie have forever affected me. This woman is not rehabilitated. Never let her out!
Thank you, ma’am. I appreciate you sharing your opinion. However, I feel that everyone wants to super-scrutinise every word she says. But I’m no expert; you maybe right.
First, she says there were no programs, then we find out that she was in closed custody much of the time because of her conduct. Even when she could take programs, she refused for a long time. She fake cries. She lies most of the time.
Just thinking, she shot and killed her Children almost 40 years ago.How much of a Lifetime she took away from them,and she still gets to live her life.😏😤
At least she’s never getting out and she’s living in prison. I know it’s probably never going to happen but it would be interesting to hear from the Victims
That's why solitary confinement was discontinued at that women's facility. Inmates who break serious rules are now punished by being put in a cell with Diane. 😂
Wow. I almost felt sorry for her when she got emotional. She seemed to almost reach reality, and then she snapped back out of it. She is truly delusional. I don’t think another person in history has been like her. She is where she belongs.
She committed these crimes in my neck of the woods. I’ll never forget it. I had just had a baby. Read Ann rules book and it was excellent. My sister was at U of O earlier and was at that same hospital after a car accident.
I used to admire Ann Rule, until I saw & heard her on a TV documentary about Diane Downs. She knew full well about the horrendous abuse Diane suffered as a child, adolescent and adult, but did not mention any of this during her interview. No one is excusing her crimes, but since she never learned to "attach," she is incapable of feeling the way the rest of us do. Since the law never investigated her parents for sexual abuse & neglect, we can understand her rage. Since her parents forbade her to cry, she had to stuff down her feelings. A tragedy all the way around.
I have been to that hospital I live in Eugene but have used many times. I just watched her last parole hearing and she still denies shooting her kids. She is never getting out even if she admits to it. She is crazy.
My neck of the woods as well. I was born in the hospital she took her kids to (before this happened). My parents knew a lot of the people who handled the Downs case (late father was an attorney). I was very young when the shooting happened, but over the years, I’ve run into people with connections to the case in one way or another. Hearing what they had to say was interesting. Basically, it was a lot like the Chris Watts case in terms of demeanor. From the start, Downs behaved in such a bizarre way that one really couldn’t put it down to grief showing in ways that are, on the face, strange. No one wants to blast someone for not grieving “correctly”, but it was more than that. There was this disconnect from reality and no effort whatsoever to at least pretend to grieve or even be distraught. However, none of that is proof of guilt, and the prosecutor and law enforcement had their work cut out for them just to put together a strong case. At that time, Lane County really was hit hard by economic crisis, and there are lingering effects of that to this day. This is an area that tends to struggle economically anyway, so for the State to put as much time, resources and labor into the case as they did is saying something. There are still people who do believe Downs is innocent. There are some things I’ve always wanted to look more into. But for the most part, people do believe Downs shot her children, killing one of the three and very nearly the two surviving children. You mentioned Ann Rule’s book. I’ve had people tell me that even after the trial, they didn’t think Downs was guilty. Then they read Small Sacrifices, and that was what convinced them she was. It was written that well, and thoroughly researched.
@@HouseofHighSpirits I lived in Salem at the time and it was such a shocking story. She escaped twice didn’t she? She cried about wanting her kids to be able to tell her how they feel about her knowing full well that they will never have anything to do with her. They were footed by the prosecutor if I remember correctly and spent years trying to recover mentally and physically. She mentioned at one point that “living with criminals” in prison has taught her things but didn’t seem to mention that she was one of them. She is still disassociating herself from “them”. When she talks about “criminal thinking” she includes that everyone has criminal thinking so that makes her the same as everyone else in her mind and minimizes her crime. I find this troubling.
She says she cares about her family. She never cared about her children. She should have put them first before any man in her life. She is a psychopath and narcissistic woman. She should remain in prison for her natural life. Her 2 surviving children should feel safe that she will be in prison without receiving parole. God Rest her child that died 🙏
Narcissists see themselves as victims 100%. She was literally a ditch digger and explained how hard it was. She has no understanding how she comes across to people. Her story about escaping to find the shooter that someone told her about, is so Ridiculous. The fact she hid with a prisoners exhusband and made no attempt to find the so called shooter , just shows what a liar she is.
I've followed this case for years--used to live in Springfield, Oregon. When she escaped, I expected them to find her...pregnant. Probably would have if it had been the right time of the month.
Oh so the escape sentence hasn’t even started yet I thought it was ongoing with this I didn’t even think of that are you sure not trying to be rude just asking?
Gotch thanks that’s what I was thinking of but didn’t know the word any ways she needs to stay in there they let her talk to much she’s so boring and such a pathological liar it makes me sick
