Quiet As It's Kept

Quiet As It’s Kept is what happens when two old souls' love for all things pop culture, mess, and murder comes to fruition. Every week we’ll get together to talk about the worst shit you’ve ever heard - from murders to cults to conspiracy theories and beyond.

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Quiet As It's Kept

Prayers Down For Diane

December 09, 2020 • Quiet As It's Kept • Season 1 • Episode 8

0:00 | 59:48

This week, Kristen covers the Diane Downs story.

Diane Downs (10:50)

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Kristen 0:33

Okay. We're recording

D'Janai 0:34

okay. Great. I'm glad it works.

Kristen 0:38

Yes.

D'Janai 0:39

All right, well, hi, everybody.

Kristen 0:41

Hello. Hello. Welcome back.

D'Janai 0:43

Welcome back to another episode of quiet as it's kept the podcast, how y'all doing. No. That's nice.

Kristen 0:53

right.

D'Janai 0:56

Thanks for all coming out. Just kidding. we're either in your headphones or, coming directly out of your phone speaker because you are a lawless individual and you don't care about anybody else clearly, or maybe you have a S you know, blasting in the car. You should be listening to music. I don't know why listening to some, some dark side of podcasts like this, but you know what, to each his own. I do it too.

Kristen 1:19

I used to do that on the way to work when we were going into work,

D'Janai 1:22

Yes.

Kristen 1:23

like the start of the crime junkie episode. And then by the time I get to work, I'm like maybe 10 minutes in. And then

D'Janai 1:31

and next thing you know, you gotta be at your desk and you're listening to. All types of fucked up shit and somebody comes up and scares you. Um, I was famous for that. Don't sneak up on me cause I'm listening to it to, uh, nine 11. Audio is shit and anybody tapping my shoulder don't fucking bother me? I'm in the zone. I'm gonna scare the shit out of me.

Kristen 1:53

Yeah. I'm already way too jumpy for people to just walk up on me unannounced.

D'Janai 1:57

a skiddish individual, please don't scare me.

Kristen 2:00

I met that's right.

D'Janai 2:01

So this is I'm. We do this every time and I'm like, I feel like I should write it down. This is quiet as it's kept. It's a true crime comedy podcast

Kristen 2:09

true crime comedy mess, murder, mayhem.

D'Janai 2:14

et cetera, et cetera.

Kristen 2:16

repeat?

D'Janai 2:18

this week's episode is brought to you by lush the store. I went to lush at Lenox mall. Um, the other day when Serena was in town, me and my best friend y'all um, We went to the mall and it was just like the nicest experience. Like the woman that worked there, she was helping us out. And we spent a long time in there. it was so nice I used to love going there in New York, but I haven't been to one since I've been here in Atlanta and especially, you know, at Lenox mall. Um, cause you know, duck and Dodge and thinking bullets every five seconds

Kristen 2:54

Property value fin to go down, catch me and buck dead.

D'Janai 2:58

exactly. I'm about to buy a condo for$5 because y'all niggas up.

Kristen 3:02

Okay.

D'Janai 3:04

But we all, we evaded getting Swiss cheesed up. Um, it wasn't a shooting, but, I believe it was the next day they shot it up. They shot up Lenox mall like twice. In the last two, three weeks, they shot up the brand new Apple store. but yeah, um, I just made sure that we was in the poor part of the mall because you know, they'd be shooting by the about offending store by, you know, all the fancy stores. I was like, I'm going to be where the destitute are, because if you broke, you can't afford guns. So,

Kristen 3:34

Backpack rubber clean one. And the icing.

D'Janai 3:37

exactly. Oh

Kristen 3:38

you go.

D'Janai 3:39

I was by the bad snacks and everything. I got a cookie, it was two cookies with buttercream inside. It was so fucking good. It changed my life. It changed

Kristen 3:49

I bet it was. I used to love the Eminem cookies with the, just like white frosting. I've seen, I guess, in the center from great American cookies girl. They used to be big when I was a kid like huge cookies and now they just regular total house size. So what's the point?

D'Janai 4:05

Oh, no, no. The cookie I got was like the size of my hand with mad buttercream icing in between. And Jeremy Pippin was so funny. He was like, all right, sweetness.

Kristen 4:29

Go get our suits.

D'Janai 4:31

Oh my God. That, that is honestly y'all. If you know anything about me, you know, that I exclusively like. Bad movies from my childhood and at rush hour too. And Joanna man, so problematic, but especially, do you want a man? Do you want a man as an actual problem?

Kristen 4:50

Do you want em, yeah. Do you want them in his way more?

D'Janai 4:53

I mean,

Kristen 5:00

Phenomenally

D'Janai 5:02

like, She was like, you don't need to be humanities bathroom. You're not getting in my house. You're not gonna get in a little kid.

Kristen 5:20

Oh, gosh.

D'Janai 5:24

take it off. That movie is so funny. Please make more bad movie suggestions. That's what it's going to be, um, in the comments for this episode, I'm going to tell you things already like Norbit, um, rush hour too. And do you want to man, any other problematic, stupid movies that Asher watch CLIs? please comment in this because I'm looking to watch something stupid.

Kristen 5:50

But, you know, a lot of people's favorite installment of the rush hour series is the second one.

D'Janai 5:57

also I used to really like, Pootie Tang

Kristen 5:59

Yeah. Pootie Tang was, it took me some years cause I watched it really young. I was like, There's nothing coming from the radio. Why are people dancing? I was like a, had no business watching this. I don't think at all. And I was just like, I don't get it. And then when I got older and watched it, I was like, this is cinematic history right here.

D'Janai 6:24

I guess I'm going to change it from lunch to. Dumb ass movies. That's what I'm as movies from the two thousands. That's what this episode is brought to y'all by what about you, Kristen?

Kristen 6:37

This episode is brought to you by, Grammy from red table talk who read Jada Pinkett Smith. Her daughter for today. Um, a new episode came out today and. They had on Olivia Jade, who was the daughter of aunt, Becky, AKA Lori Loughlin, who paid$500,000 for her to, well, each daughter, but for the youngest daughter in this case to get into USC and they sat down at the table. It was just Grammy. I don't know if they call her DME or Grammy regardless. Grandmama. Gammy. Okay. Dami, Jada and Willow were at the table. And Jayda was like, you know, we have a guest coming on a day that we fought tooth and nail over. And gaming was like, um, I just want to say, I did not want her to come on. And I was like, gimme, proceeds to go off. She was like, of course this young child, we're not even young child. She's 1920 now, but this girl. Reaches out to three black women, to start her redemption tour. I'm like that shit. And Jada comes back and is like, yeah, but we can't be doing then what they do to us and give him, he's like, I don't give a fuck. They knew what they were doing was wrong. They were wrong in it. They knew at the time. And she's not about to sit here and convince me that she's just this poor defenseless, helpless daughter. Who didn't know what the hell her parents were doing. Cause she knew you, do you, do you do, am I Lisa Ray boys. You do. Okay. And yeah, that story has stuck with me because I'm just like rich people really be dumb because aunt Becky is married to Masimo like the brand that's all up in target.

D'Janai 8:37

I'm about to say target.

Kristen 8:40

I mean, they have points coming out of their ass and their daughter who got caught is like this huge influencer has like millions of followers on Instagram and millions of followers on YouTube and even made a YouTube video about like, I don't want to go to college, but my parents want me to go. So it's like by even make her go, like she's making more money, not being in school. Then she is being in trouble and she don't even want to be here and now someone else's spot and she don't want to be there. And if you wanted, like, that's how I know it's just about bragging rights because y'all could have easily told her, listen, you can do this influencer shit for two years, but you got to get a degree at some point. So that's our,

D'Janai 9:27

Kristen 9:27

that's our agreement.

D'Janai 9:28

whatever the fuck, like get your degree.

Kristen 9:31

They take your ass to UCLA. Or another school in California. Y'all got about 87 million of them in

D'Janai 9:37

The art Institute was always at plenty of seats. Okay. Just get your decree from somewhere pots and pans Academy. They don't give a fuck. and call it a day. Also, I think to get, I feel like they deserve to get read. Simply because what was, I mean, like whatever they did, like whatever, but I'm like, what was the point of having her on that particular platform? Bitch, go on Ellen and start pleading your case. Why the fuck would people care about her being on the red table? I thought this was too. I thought we were pressing future.

Kristen 10:10

right, but this was a. Kind of brilliant PR move on her publicist part because lots of people tune in to red table talk. You would be surprised like a lot, a lot of people tune in and I mean, Jada Pinkett is not some, no name celebrity And Grinny was giving us an a, like this the whole time.

D'Janai 10:31

arms folded with.

Kristen 10:33

blink point because they knew what they were. They knew what they were doing

D'Janai 10:41

I'm not empathizing with you right now. Little

Kristen 10:42

And they're only because they got caught, which is fine, but stand firm in your word and your truth.

D'Janai 10:50

kristen has a story for us about some people who did some bad stuff.

Kristen 10:56

Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yada, yada, yada. All right. Y'all ready to tune in. Tune up. Okay. So All right. So we're going to go to the night of May 9th, 1983. And we have a woman who enters the McKinsey Willamette hospital in Springfield, Oregon. As this woman enters the emergency room, she is covered in blood all over her. And she is bringing in her three young children, Christie, who is eight Cheryl, who is seven and Danny, who is three. This woman would go on to identify herself as 27 year old postal worker, Diane Downs, and from the nurses and doctors perspective, they can see that Diane is clearly shot in her left forearm. And so were all three children. So. She ends up telling the hospital officials that she and her family had just been the target of a brutal carjacking, gone really bad. And she had to speed away from the perpetrator. And she came straight to the hospital because her children and herself have been shot. So a part of rival the hospital. Officials could see that Cheryl who was the seven year old was dead upon arrival.

D'Janai 12:28

Oh,

Kristen 12:28

Already dead. Christie, the oldest, she had suffered a pretty bad stroke from her gunshot wound and it was later revealed that Danny, the little boy, the gunshot pierced his spine. And so he was paralyzed, but Christie and Danny. We're both still alive somehow by the grace of God. And they were clinging to life and fighting for them. Okay. So as the police arrive on scene, Diane explains to detective Doug Welsh that she and her kids had been at a friend's house earlier in the night. And on their way back home, might I add this is at night. She decided, you know what, I'm going to do some sightseeing because her three kids were sleeping in the back seat. And so she decides you don't want to take a rural route back, home along a deserted road because I went to sight-see might I add

D'Janai 13:31

So after a day out with your children and everybody knows how, not in, not insufferable, that's not the right word. Um, tiring, you know, like it's exhausting to be around children

Kristen 13:45

she talking about y'all with kids. I hope y'all are listening.

D'Janai 13:48

Y'all

Kristen 13:49

up.

D'Janai 13:50

Not me, not my problem. Um, but it's exhausting to be around, not one, not two but three children. You were

Kristen 13:58

All under the age of

D'Janai 14:00

all of it under the age of 10, so now she decides that she wants to sight-see in the nighttime. Dance with her dogs in the nighttime.

Kristen 14:10

Yes. So she, uh, told, uh, the hospital and police officials that. She was driving along this road and had stopped in a man kind of pops out and flags her down. And as he came closer or approached her, he lets her know I want your card. And she was an Oregon or a gun or a God, no baby. And she was like, you've gotta be joking. Like, what do you mean? You want my car? Like, what are you doing? And so a scuffle breaks out between her and this unidentified man. Hm.

D'Janai 14:51

in the car, let the door close. Everything's locked. the windows are up and honestly, No, like I'm in the car with my three children. I'm not rolling on the window for shit. I'm sorry.

Kristen 15:05

Do not pass, go do not collect$200. Like you're not getting anywhere near me. And so. He ends up. Diana is trying to block him from getting into the car and he ends up pushing her away. And she tells the police officials that he proceeds to aim has gun and shoot each of her children.

D'Janai 15:28

So he had time to do all this while her foot is on the gas. I mean, on the, on the, on the brake,

Kristen 15:34

No, no, no. She's outside of the car is what she explained. She was out of the, I think she was already out of the car when he approached. So cause she was sightseeing girl. She besides she was looking at the soil.

D'Janai 15:49

hold on. Hold on. I'm sorry. So let me get this straight. She had parked, had

Kristen 15:53

Yes.

D'Janai 15:56

to look at the sites. Did the car not have windows? I'm just curious. Could she not see outside?

Kristen 16:04

She could see.

D'Janai 16:06

All right, Kristen. Continue.

Kristen 16:09

So she explains that the only way she was able to get away from him was that she pretended like, she like threw her keys, like out into the distance, but she, you know, you like fake, like you're throwing something and then pull it back, which caused him to like look away. And so she ended up pushing him, right? Like

D'Janai 16:32

She she's playing fetch with the

Kristen 16:36

Yes. So she was okay, but he was able, you know, he looked away and then at that point she pushes him and she says she gets in her car and she just speeds away. And she had straight to the hospital to save her children's lives. And so the police are listening to her story and it's a young, like I said, she's 27 years old. She's a single mom divorced a few years prior, which I'll get into. And a little bit, and the police are obviously shaken to their core. Cause they're like a gun toting man who shoots children in cold blood while they're sleeping for a car. we possibly have a serial killer on the loose or, you know, something is not right. So they immediately release information to the public and they're like, Asking everyone in the area, please be on high alert. We potentially have a gun toning, wild, wild.

D'Janai 17:41

I found that to be odd though, like to me, if you are a carjacker, I would think that your motivation would be to get the car and that's it. Like, you don't want to shoot anybody. You want to kill anybody. You know, like it

Kristen 17:55

Right. Which you are on there. Cause the police after the initial shot goes away, they're sitting there and they're like two plus two was adding up to 64 and something is not right. And they quickly realize many things in Diane's story are either super suspicious or just simply not adding up. So from one the hospital workers and I'm talking to the police. And they told authorities, like she was extremely calm when she came into the ER and for such a traumatic event. Like she was very mild tempered and she didn't show much emotion if at all,

D'Janai 18:38

We hear this a

Kristen 18:39

people, exactly people deal with trauma in so many different ways. So that's not necessarily a red flag for me too. Again, Diane said that she was sightseeing. It was pitch black out when Diane says this attempted car. Exactly. This attempted carjacking. To play. So for what? And for why are you sightseeing at night? You can't see anything. There's nothing

D'Janai 19:07

right. There's not nothing, no sites to see. Um, and it's in the middle of Oregon, so I'm pretty sure there's no like streetlights.

Kristen 19:15

No, this, this is not like driving down Peachtree at night where everything's eliminated this aura gone. And I never been to Oregon,

D'Janai 19:27

You said a rural Oregon hell no out there, but the horses and they sleep. So I don't know. What are you doing?

Kristen 19:35

Okay. Uh, number three, if this an identified to me in one of the car, what did he. Just have shot her or disarmed her first, the children were sleeping and it is him. And you were, you were the only two people on this deserted road who could even drive or pose a serious threat to him. So a real carjacker, if they were going to take it there, they would air it out. Mom first probably tell him the car, probably not woken the children at all and then drop them

D'Janai 20:10

Right. Or even just. Pick them up. Bye. Bye. and just leave them on the side of the road and make off with the car would have been so simple,

Kristen 20:22

so simple. And finally they were thinking, so each of these children. Very young children were shot dead or near a damn inch of their lives. Why would this unidentified man slash killer fatally wound the children and then only shoot you and your left forearm. And to top it all off, they were like is right. Or they were like, what is going on? And so the police obviously go back to the scene of where she said it took place and they had found 22 caliber bullet casings at the crime scene. But after you know, an extensive search of the area, they could not turn up the murder weapons. They were kind of stuck between. Um, a little rock and a hard place, but as they started examining the forensic evidence, the forensic evidence didn't match her story and forensic evidence really, really lies because there was no blood splatter on the driver's side of the car. no, her, was there any gunpowder residue on the driver's door or the interior door panel? They were like, if he would have shot you in the forearm and you're right by your car there, what about least been splattered in the front seat? On the door somewhere? And powder residue, bitch. I have watched CSI, Miami and gunpowder residue can live up on you put on that fluorescent light and it's going to light up like a Christmas.

D'Janai 22:03

Right, right, right.

Kristen 22:04

So not adding up again.

D'Janai 22:06

I have a question where there more bullet holes, like on the side of the car, within the car, the children were shot and it seems like, like you said, like they were fatally wounded. Um, but if it's nighttime, visibility's low. So what, he was just like a sharpshooter he could see through the car, like, I mean little kids in the backseat, you can't even see them.

Kristen 22:28

From my understanding. I think he either opened the door and aired it out or the Wyndham was down, but I couldn't, I did not see or find in my research that any bullet holes traveled like through the car door, into the car. So I had to be at close

D'Janai 22:45

So I'm going to open the car door and look at all. These children is go pop, pop, pop. No.

Kristen 22:51

Pretty sick individual. Right? So although the police had many doubts, there's still quite wasn't enough to arrest and they still had in the back of their mind. Well, there could very well be like a murderous man still out there on the loose who just murdered a child and. Very near, almost murdered, two more and shot a mother. So they were still exhausting, all possible leads, but then Diane's behavior became really bizarre. So a month after the murder, his Diane began granting interviews to like, News affiliate and baby Diane could talk and would talk and talk and talked all the time to a point where one of the detectives said, because she talked so much, she was her own worst enemy. One of those people who doesn't even realize that, you know what bitch, you, you maybe could have done some shit. If you would've just shut the hell up.

D'Janai 23:51

Right. You could have got away with it if it weren't for you and your big ass mouth.

Kristen 23:57

And so the police have seen these interviews and they're like, it's only been a month after the,

D'Janai 24:04

Right. And she's talking to pots and pans daily girls shut

Kristen 24:07

Right. Right. And so they begin to question her again more about her involvement and trying to nailed down her timeline, stuff like that. And of course, Diane has denied, denying, denying, and in one specific interview, she likes, she said, why would I have taken my kids to the hospital? What did I have made sure they were dead and then cried crocodile tears. That's insane to think that I would do such a thing and then bring the witnesses in myself. That's crazy. And they're going to be like, no, bitch, you're crazy why

D'Janai 24:43

How did we get here?

Kristen 24:44

Right. I did not even ask all that. And so, because this woman went in shit. Now, like aside from the police officials, the public now, um, something is off of this woman and the call was coming from inside the house because not only was she giving all these interviews, her interview demeanor was so kind of lax and downright weird. And if this murderous man is out there, wouldn't, you still be a little bit shaken up that he's

D'Janai 25:19

You're all over the fucking TV. He gonna come do this mystery, man. He would come find you immediately. Oh my God. You know what else? I was thinking. If I was in that situation and I was, uh, outside of my car with my children in the car, and somebody comes up to me and says, give me the keys to your fucking car. I'd be like, here are the keys. Let me, get my kids out. It is fine. We can hook it. They could walk real good. We got our walking shoes on. Yes, it would be like, what am I fighting? What am I a scuffle? Oh, I'm a lady. I'm not going to fight nobody. I'm gonna take my kids and he's gonna walk to the nearest stable, and we're going to find a phone and Oh, they stole my car. Like, what is this? What, what is all this pushback? Like, I feel like a mother would be like my first priority, a mother that wants their kids alive. Sorry. would my first instinct would not be to fight and be like, let me give this man what he wants so I can get me and my kids the fuck outta here.

Kristen 26:15

Yeah, a hundred percent. And so Christie downs, who was the oldest daughter? she was technically the only witness to the crime because Danny and Cheryl. were believed to be asleep at this time at Christie at some point woke up and she's the oldest and she's eight years old. And so I don't know if y'all met eight year olds, but they remember everything.

D'Janai 26:43

will tell on you on your

Kristen 26:44

They won't light your business up and broadcast it every platform. But unfortunately, Christie. Through because of her, gunshot wound, and almost dying, she had suffered a stroke, so that impair her speech and she couldn't actually verbalize to the police what happened for quite some time. So regarding the 22 caliber, you know, there were casings found at the scene. Something was about to be dropped onto the police's lap that would kind of blow this case wide open. So a man named Robert Knickerbocker.

D'Janai 27:27

I don't like that name.

Kristen 27:31

boppity a real one eight. he was a former co-worker. of Diane back when she lived in Arizona, Diane was born and raised in Arizona. Robert Knickerbocker was also a married man and he told the authorities that, you know, he had grown increasingly scared of Diane and her obsession with him. And when she arrived to the hospital, one of the first thing she did was call him and the hospital officials were like, you don't want to know about your kids. You don't want to like, come back. You don't want to walk with us. She's like, I gotta make a phone call. And it was to mr. Robert Knickerbocker and. He had reported to the police that Diane had begun to stalk him before she left Arizona and seemed willing to kill his wife. If that meant she could have him all to herself. And he told him, you know what? I was reading damn leaves when she left for Oregon, because that way I can reconcile with my wife and I don't have this crazy woman blowing me up over some sex that was just supposed to be sex. And now she's over here talking about my wife. I'll kill your wife for, you know,

D'Janai 28:57

you for that. That's not what I ordered. I thought we was just supposed to be bumping uglies. What is all this murder? You bring it into it.

Kristen 29:05

And so then her husband,

D'Janai 29:08

Oh shit.

Kristen 29:10

he pops up see, and Steve downs, who was the father of Christie and Cheryl and Danny, he pops up because Diane and him actually got divorced a few years earlier because when Danny was born, he was like that ain't my child. That's not my kid. I can tell that somebody and he, or he knew her extra marital affairs and decided to divorce her.

D'Janai 29:33

Messy. Okay.

Kristen 29:35

And when Sandy was born, he was like, yeah, not my kid. I'm done, but Steve and Robert, basically the police asked them, Hey, we found 22 caliber casings at the scene. What do you guys know about that? Basically try to just cross them off the list as potential perpetrators, whatever. And they were like, Oh, uh, what I have has a 22 caliber handgun.

D'Janai 29:58

Why is she telling.

Kristen 30:00

let me move my bang. What did you say? She has a handgun, which Diane did not disclose to the police.

D'Janai 30:08

Wait, weren't the, uh, okay. The police needed to be doing their homework cause in their way to search that, like, does this person have a license for a firearm? And what kind of firearm do they have?

Kristen 30:18

She bought the firearm in Arizona. So I don't know. I mean, our gun laws. Our shit today. So back then, I'm sure there was no cross-communication or cautions banality to be like, Hey, she's a registered gun owner here. And she moved to state. So she bought the gun right in Arizona, which is why I think I was able to fly below the radar for so long. Um, and they were unable to find the actual gun, but they did find, unfired casings in her home from that gun. And this was kind of the nail that broke the camel's back. There were multiple witnesses who said, I saw that woman driving towards the hospital and she was driving about five miles per hour.

D'Janai 31:10

Oh, my God. At least make it look believable.

Kristen 31:14

Yeah. If you see someone driving too. So you're gone and remember and make a note of like, what the hell is going on and why are they driving so slow

D'Janai 31:24

Aren't you,

Kristen 31:24

they turning?

D'Janai 31:26

aren't your kids shot. Why are you driving two miles an hour? So everybody sees you.

Kristen 31:33

And so this completely contradicted. Her claim that, you know, I, I was so scared. I was zooming and skirt her in and I would like how to get to the hospital, because clearly you were trying to prolong yourself, getting to the hospital for a damn reason. I don't know about y'all, but my kids had just been shot and I was still able to drive

D'Janai 31:56

driving over y'all's

Kristen 31:57

a Mario karting that bitch, like

D'Janai 32:00

I don't care. I don't care who I'm hitting, but maybe her excuses. Oh, my good arm was it had wait. No, her bad arm was shot. Never mind.

Kristen 32:08

Exactly she should know. Okay. And so based on this evidence and. Additional evidence. Downes was arrested on a February 28th, 1984, nine months after the shooting. And she was charged with one count of murder and two counts, each of attempted murder and criminal assault. And the prosecutors did some digging and found out that Robert Knickerbocker, he didn't want kids. He didn't have kids. He didn't want kids. She took that him saying, I don't want kids. And I don't really want to be with someone who wants kids or has kids as well. I guess I got to get rid of them, which is more harder freaking the fuck out than him, because it is, it's very to say, I don't want kids.

D'Janai 32:55

It doesn't mean I don't want kids at all. Like, I don't want your kids and I want them on, like, I don't want your

Kristen 33:02

what he said.

D'Janai 33:03

want them swimming with the fishes or whatever the fuck. Like he didn't say that. He just said, I personally have made the personal choice don't want any children. It doesn't mean you need to act on it.

Kristen 33:14

right. Right. And so once the trial starts, Diane shows up to the trial pregnant.

D'Janai 33:23

Oh, my God, Chris,

Kristen 33:30

Joe's up very much pregnant. I could not find who this maybe was four by about, but she got pregnant before that trial.

D'Janai 33:42

you

Kristen 33:42

And when asked, sorry.

D'Janai 33:45

No, no, no, no, no, no. I was just going to say I'm wondering if that was her way of saying like, I love being a mother. I'm just, making this one to make up for the one I lost, or some wild, crazy next shit. Cause she's clearly not, well,

Kristen 33:59

she was asked from Porter was like, what? Why did you do this? Yeah. And she said, and I quote, I got, because I miss Christie and I miss Danny and I miss Cheryl so much. I'm never going to see Cheryl on earth again. you can't replace children, but you can replace the effect they give you. And they give me love and they give me satisfaction. They give me stability. They give me a reason to live and a reason to be happy. And that's gone. They took it from me, but children are so easy to conceive. You're an asshole, but you're also want to, in your quote with like yeah. Cause this pussy pop severely.

D'Janai 34:49

Oh my God. You know what I hate? I hate that. I was right, because

Kristen 34:54

Okay.

D'Janai 34:55

you kidding me? There's so easy to come about. I just throw a rock and hit 10 children. Yes, I'm. So, uh, so fertile,

Kristen 35:06

which is why it kills me that hurricane get pregnant just by walking outside and there's women who actually would be such good fucking mothers and so great who can't conceive naturally. And it's like, what the hell is going on?

D'Janai 35:21

It is just pure chaos and anarchy. That is so not right. And I want to know who is the nasty, thick motherfucker who decided to crawl up in that murder? Puss. You, you, you, you really came in a murderer, sir.

Kristen 35:39

Right. Cause at this point she hadn't had any more connection with Christie or Danny because they were taken by the state once they got better. So this was nine months post the shooting. They got better within that time. And the state was like, um, you're not getting your kids back. Story's not adding up peace. So they were taking them out of the state and placed in foster care or whatever. And so of course reporters were like, um, she's doing this to draw sympathy from jurors. Like there was even talk of her trying to seduce some jurors. I mean, this woman was dressed. scamming in her face. She stood firm in her skin. And so actually between the reading of the verdict and the sentencing, the court had to recess because Diane so downs was actually found guilty in June

D'Janai 36:37

Okay.

Kristen 36:38

of 84 and she was sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years. And the nail that was in this coffin was that Christie was better enabled to take the stand. And when she gets up there the district attorney, Fred Huey asked Christie, if she remembered, who shot her and she replied my mom, And that was it. That was all he wrote. And actually Fred huggy hugging H U G I, sorry. I always like put your names. So Christy and Danny went on to live with the district attorney, Fred and his wife. They adopted them in 1986, like kind of a awesome, awesome ending. One of the best too. but the crazy didn't stop there with their biological mother because in 1987, um, only three years into her 50 year plus life sentence, escaped from the

D'Janai 37:47

No,

Kristen 37:52

out, she's out, she's back. She said, call you later. I'm on my hot girl. Shit. She ran out that home. And it only took police though two weeks to track her down. And do you know this grimy as dirty ass bitch was She didn't print again, but she went to the home of another inmate's husband. How

D'Janai 38:22

Oh my God.

Kristen 38:25

do you have to be? And this home was like a few blocks away from the actual prison. So like, you know, she was up at night pillow talking, we're probably like, I'm gonna name her Shelby.

D'Janai 38:37

huh.

Kristen 38:37

I was like, yeah, I got a man. I got a husband. He waiting for me at this address. And then it was like, Oh, say less,

D'Janai 38:43

And how do you spell that street name What is her fixation with other people's men? Like

Kristen 38:51

right,

D'Janai 38:52

She's. Wow. Wow. And he's stupid because if it was me, if I would have successfully Iscar paid from prison, which I don't understand, like this happens like, Oh, he escaping prison bitch. How, like, I don't understand when that happens, but if I would have successfully escaped that you would've seen me in motherfucking, Mexico and Canada

Kristen 39:15

Set it off Jada Pinkett balding my head. I don't know her

D'Janai 39:21

country, new me. I don't give a fuck. Who is who? Oh my God. Yeah. I bet you're sick. I saw her on the news

Kristen 39:29

A mint. And so she ended up receiving an additional five years out on her sentence for being a dumb ass. And, Fred huggy who had adopted her children really was pushing for her to be transferred to a completely different facility out of the state. Um, they were gonna transfer her to, uh, the Salem prison, which was only around 70 miles away from Fred Dougie's home in Springfield. And he was really afraid that if she was to get out again, which I hope not. She's extremely, too close to where her children are. And I know that she's going to try to contact them. And so she ended up getting traded to the New Jersey department of corrections, Clinton correctional facility for women. Shout out to Hillary and bill. Oh, even assume me, I'm sorry. All right. I ain't never been in New Jersey. It shows. Um, And so what glee, the state officials were like, you know what your rights are. She needs to be out of the state and she can not be incarcerated in Oregon anymore. And so she is currently at a prison in California. Actually up for parole and, uh, 2008 and was denied expeditiously. And although she does continue to reclaim her innocence, uh, this was a case that definitely took this country by storm. Um, she, I hope I don't get dragged for this, but she does kind of have. that like all American girl book. And so people thought it was unfathomable that she could do this, but she did that shit. It looks can be deceiving and all over some Dick. Who did it want you to Saturday?

D'Janai 41:35

Sad day, sad day um, wow. You really did all that for some tick that didn't even want you.

Kristen 41:45

and was not coming to pay your bail. Told the police you were crazy. Literally pulled up. I don't know her because we had sex a couple of times and now she's trying to murder my wife. It's it's giving sad

D'Janai 42:03

Yeah. It's um, a wise woman once said desperation is a stinky perfume and it reeks in here. It reeks like. This is the most desperate, not the most desperate, but it's up there. It's up there.

Kristen 42:19

Yeah. But from what I found out, Christy. And Danny went on a live some really fulfilling lives and really had a great childhood with the district attorney, Fred Huey and his wife. And, Amy who was adopted, did do an interview with Oprah a few years back. And she actually had some communication with her mother. I think they were. Writing letters or calling or something. Um, but as far as I know, Christie and Danny have not spoken to their mother, um, since everything happened,

D'Janai 42:56

right. Cause they got shot at, so there's that the little one, you know,

Kristen 43:01

right?

D'Janai 43:02

scape. Thank God.

Kristen 43:04

So Diane Downs and prayers are down for Diane. together and turn them hands to the ground,

D'Janai 43:16

straight to hate, right to Haiti's. Oh my God. Wow.

Kristen 43:23

I know. And I know we, or I have yet again, done another mommy dearest from hell story, but this is just. Uh, shout out to my mom. Who's great. And I cannot fathom people be having mamas. Who'd be willing to murder them. Hell is going on.

D'Janai 43:45

I don't, I don't understand it. I really don't understand it. Because not having kids at, I mean, at that point in the eighties, it's an option, you know, like just don't do it. Right,

Kristen 43:56

right.

D'Janai 43:57

also not to be like, I'm not even trying to be funny with how late is too late to put your kids up for adoption.

Kristen 44:05

TJ, I think you can drop your kids off at a fireplace at any age and I'm dead ass. Like I'm pretty sure you can just rock.

D'Janai 44:18

One thing is after a certain point. I mean, like, if they're a little bit older, like if they're 10, they're going to get right back on the bus and come like, okay, you left me here and I know how to get back home. I they get two bus tokens and they right back in your fucking house. But, um, yeah, I just want to know like how, how late is too late. To be like, actually I have buyer's remorse. I don't want these kids anymore. Um, me. I'm just I'm over it. And my new man, he don't like kids, he not a kid person. So I just, if I could, when is the warranty up? Like I just it's. Are these still within warranty? Can I take these kids back? Because if it was that easy, I wish, I mean, I know that it's not right. But if it was, if that was a possibility, you know, maybe she could have just taken them in and be like, these don't fit anymore. I don't, yeah.

Kristen 45:16

wrong, wrong shoe size. Uh, want to make a return,

D'Janai 45:21

I don't like the way his hair grown in. I'm good. I don't. You know, I don't want it no more and just return to sender. Um, don't give them back to God, do not give them back to God, give them to the fire department. They will know what to do. They will find homes for them. It will be fine. I wish that was an option.

Kristen 45:41

right. Can I go get some help and have them

D'Janai 45:45

right. Um, or like find another way. I mean, there's plenty of ways to get your kids taken from you. Drugs are everywhere. Like there's so many different things that you can do to have these children like disappear other than killing them, but let them find their forever home. It's truly not what you like, let them find someplace else to be so that they can continue to live. And. Be with parents that actually want them there that don't find them to be disposable and easily replaced the nerve of this bitch to show up to the trial 17 months pregnant. It's not about, Oh, it was easy. Yeah. You can't replace children, but you can replace children

Kristen 46:32

And I don't know if it, I mean, this is no excuse at all, but she was 27 years old at the time of this murder and attempted murder of her other two children. And it's like, that's only two years older than me. I can't even imagine. I could not imagine having three children or the age of 27 and her oldest was eight, which means she had to have gotten

D'Janai 47:02

right at 19.

Kristen 47:04

for me 19. I can't. So all she knew. Her whole twenties were raising babies, which is not an excuse whatsoever. Cause everyone knows how babies are made. But I, when I was researching, I was thinking Mike was this possibly also some blank lingering, postpartum was this much for her now being a single mom with three children, like I just. I'm so curious to know what was going through her head, besides the obvious riding the bike. I'm one Dick, and I want to be free. It's sending with three kids. Jesus be a fence

D'Janai 47:45

Yeah. Also a different time too. Like people, we're getting pregnant and having kids so young, so. there were plenty of people who would have gotten pregnant at the same age around the same time and been like, this is great. I love motherhood. And I love being a wife or whatever, but it clearly was not for her. And it showed. And I feel so bad for those kids. I'm so happy. They found like a home with the district attorney and his, and his wife and their family. Thank God for that. Rest in peace to Cheryl. the seven-year-old that passed away. Um, I hope those kids, the, her remaining children. therapy that they need, because cause again, you know, people would be complaining like, Oh my mama whooped me with a, with a broom and a Hemi with her car. Okay. That's bad. But ever got shot at by your mama. Like that's the worst thing

Kristen 48:41

I have you to tail? I'm going to win

D'Janai 48:46

Right? The, my mama sucked games cause I'm going in.

Kristen 48:56

Fuck her. Um, my only takeaway this week is what we already discussed. If you. I hate to say, if you don't want your kids anymore, there are options. Now I feel like where you can not have to take that route. Um, but also don't have children if

D'Janai 49:16

Don't.

Kristen 49:17

necessarily want,

D'Janai 49:18

Right. I mean,

Kristen 49:20

I know it's easier said than done, but there also is a small window where you can actually get pregnant. So yeah.

D'Janai 49:30

right, right, right. Um, say, um, zones ever? I don't think that murder. For Dick is ever a fair trade don't ever do it in your life. It is never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever worth it. Like don't ever do that. If whoever your lover is can accept you and your children is a full package. Okay. This is a bundle is me and my kid. It can't just be me. And guess what? He didn't even want you. So like,

Kristen 50:09

Right. And I couldn't find anything, but who knows if he didn't even plant them seeds in her head? Like, yeah. I mean, like if your kids were gone, like, you know, we maybe could like, Because I don't put anything past men these days or those days, but I know what happened when the police busted up in his face. He said, I don't know her. I've never met her, but did we have sex? Yes, your honor, that I want her no. So he wasn't riding for you when you were literally riding out for him and now are in jail for the rest of your life. For him. He don't claim. That's sad.

D'Janai 50:52

It is sad. It is so sad. It is pathetic. it was just a bad move. Sad, pathetic, desperate, girl. Yeah. Thank you for telling that story. Cause I definitely have heard her name before, Um,

Kristen 51:11

story was huge in the eighties.

D'Janai 51:14

um,

Kristen 51:15

You know, those polarizing, like the Casey Anthony's

D'Janai 51:18

yeah,

Kristen 51:19

huge story. Cause they were like, what? This little, this little old woman, a mom,

D'Janai 51:27

Look and it's it's, it feels like the more we explore true crime, the more we we hear about like all these women taking these kids down by the Lake, and it's just like, I don't know what conversation needs to be had, but. You know, you don't have to have kids. And if you do have kids, there is always a return to sender option. Like leave them at the church, leave them at the fire department. Um, take up a hobby. Crack is a great one. Um, do something. So these kids get taken away from you without, um,

Kristen 52:02

Yeah, open adoptions where you can still. Possibly see your biological child a few times a year, or receive pictures or a closed adoption if you're like. Nope, but I just didn't want to go the alternate route. Sorry.

D'Janai 52:16

Honestly, if my mother put me up for adoption and like 10 years old, um, I would walk, I would walk into the room and spit directly in her face, put on my lip. Exactly. We was watching TV together. All of a sudden now you're now you don't fuck with me. No more bitch. Fuck you. But at least I'll be alive to spit in her fucking face.

Kristen 52:50

Good time, a whole loop from the bottom of your nostrils, baby. I know that's right. I know. That's right.

D'Janai 53:00

Oh Lord, but yeah. Thank you for telling this story. You told it really well. Um, I'm glad I, I now know, the story behind the name and, um, yeah, fuck this bitch.

Kristen 53:12

100%, but thank you guys for tuning in to another episode of quiet as it's kept.

D'Janai 53:18

Wait, wait, wait. I was going to say, I feel like we should, we need to do like a, like a Lightheart and something at the end, like. I don't know. we don't have to do it this week, but I'm trying to think we, we need to like end it on a high note.

Kristen 53:34

I have a highlight this week. Um, I don't want to say it cause you're going to make fun of me.

D'Janai 53:41

Kristen and I are going to try something different. cause at the end of the episode, it's really a downer. Um, so we want to highlight something positive, at least one positive thing. At the end of the episode, we don't have a name for it yet.

Kristen 54:07

Mine is really minuscule, but so I, restarted one of my, can look at each anyways. I say this because she's giving me judgey eyes. Um, I reprinted one of my favorite shows of all time. Grey's anatomy, a few weeks ago, and I'm already back up to. The ferryboat episode, it's the next episode. And I'm going to watch it after this. And I'm already like pre crying because I know what's going to happen, but I'm also very emotional, I just want to say, I love the show. Shout out to Shonda, shout out to shout out to Grey's anatomy for being the best, hashtag justice for George O'Malley and I love Alex crib. So thank you guys for the time.

D'Janai 54:52

I, let me tell you something about Grey's anatomy and chrysin. So when yeah, fold your arms, cause I'm going to tell on you, so. When I first started working at the company where we met, um, I tried to be friends with Kristin and, you know, you know how you see somebody, you want to drop conversation, whatever. And I would see her in like a common eating area, like having her lunch. So I would say like,

Kristen 55:20

Okay.

D'Janai 55:21

we are, I'm already here bought the postcard and everything. So I'm, I see her sitting in the corner with, um, her little plate and the phone like propped up in her headphones and everything. And she's clearly like trying to isolate, but, you know, I'm just like, I'm still gonna say hello because, um, I was raised, right. So I'll come and try to say like, Hey, how are you? And she'd be like, Okay. Real stink and like be fully into her phone. Oh, it's false. No, it's not. And so she'd be fully into her phone. I'm like trying to drive a conversation and she was like, Oh, hi. And then go right back to the phone. I'm like, what if I wanted to say something else? Like, and then she wants monthly there. Well, no. And then months later she wants to be like, Oh, you didn't want to be my friend. You don't want to be my friend. No, I bet you was too busy. Being friends with the phone. You was so deep into that phone that you didn't make any room for anybody to make any conversation with you. So I had to fight tooth and nail to get her to give me more than two words. And somebody had to bring up a whole murder for her to eat. Even like start talking to me, it took,

Kristen 56:33

Okay.

D'Janai 56:33

it, took a murder story to get her to start talking to me.

Kristen 56:40

because with this, basically we had to stagger our lunches. So every time a different coworker of mine. Um, what always go any DJ name. And so my lunch was always a full hour after theirs. So I use, I like to take weight lunches because like the common area would be empty. I could put in my headphones, I could watch my Grey's anatomy. I was also under the vampire diaries at the time. I was also watching, Chicago PD at the time. Like I have my shows. Okay. So it's like, I'm going to just be in my little corner and watch my shows, eat my food and peace. And here comes DJ Nate boppity bop, of course always he's the greatest, best smile. Just like popping up. And I'm like, okay. But like, people are dying. And my phone's like, I'm emotional and you're like, happy, what am I supposed to do? So is she competing? With Grey's anatomy? Yes. interrupting the middle of, did we bond over murder? Yes. Did it work on the long run? Yes. I didn't think anyone was going to be in the common area at that time. And then she would come beat bopping in coffee, or don't know. So it is what it is. Nice. This has been great. And we're on episode eight,

D'Janai 58:15

um, everybody, thanks again for tuning in for another episode of quiet as it's kept the podcast, we'll be back next week with a brand new episode, I will be telling a story but, uh, in the meantime, in between time, if you haven't followed us on Instagram yet, what are you doing? Like follow us on Instagram. Um, if you are listening to us on Spotify, Oh, that's cute. you can't leave reviews or anything, but if you are listening to us on Spotify, you have one job at one job. Only find somebody who listens to podcasts on Apple podcasts. And ask them to give us a rating, preferably five stars and a review, because it really helps us out a lot. We were kind of asking for it nicely, but at this point, um, we're demanding it. We yeah. In your ear. no, please, spread the word. Tell a friend. leave us a review, a comment, a follow us on Instagram. Our handle is quiet as it's kept podcast. Y'all are grown. Figure out how to spell it. Uh, if you want to follow us on Twitter, we're at quake the pod, Q a I K the pod, on Twitter and yeah, is that it?

Kristen 59:25

And that's all folks.

D'Janai 59:27

Oh my God. All right. Y'all. Bye.

Kristen 59:35

To the street.