Newly Uploaded: Small Sacrifices Movie & Interviews - A mother shoots her three children

I realise this is off topic but I feel this is such a powerful movie and would likely be of interest to many here, if not I understand it may be moved.

I have just uploaded Small Sacrifices as a four part movie video including a summary and interviews at the beginning and update at the end.

It's a powerful movie well worth watching imo, and although long, its reasonably true to the book by Ann Rule.

For those that are not aware, Diane Downs shot her children, killing one and critically injuring the other two (1983) so she could be with a married man that didn't want children

It's an unbelievable story of Diane, with a histrionic and sociopath(eti)c personality that never fails to leave me incredulous each time I watch it.

The first 5 minutes show the basics of the story with some outrageous interviews by a mother that did not shed a tear when recounting her version of the 'bushy haired stranger' that shot her children at point blank range in her car. (Diane's version)

Particularly troubling is at 4.30 mins where she was complaining she couldn't tie her shoelaces for two months, because of a (self inflicted) gunshot to her arm. Meanwhile, one child died, one was paralised after a gunshot to his back and the other child suffered a stroke after loss of blood from two gunshots to her chest.

How could a mother do that?

The following 15 mins gives an insight into the case with more interviews, followed by Part 1 of the movie at 21 mins

Part 4 of the movie is heart rending as her eight year old daughter, who was unable to speak until just before the trial, was asked by the prosecutor 'Who shot you?'. She answered "My mom'. (The prosecutor and his wife adopted the two children following the trial.)

Shortly after the trial, and before sentencing, Diane Downs gave birth to a baby who has recently come forward to identify herself. I have included clips from the Becky Babcock interview as well as an update on Diane's recent parole hearing where she surprisingly showed emotion, but only about her parents.....never did she shed a tear for her children....

How strange,I am just getting to the end of that book for about the 5th time! I have been looking for others on this crime but have had no luck so far.I remember watching that movie on TV,FF played a good part I thought.

From memory, the book was fairly true to the book, which of course, was the true story.

I have to say that reading the book originally, back in 1989, inspired my current curiosity with criminal behaviour and what contributes to the mindset of different types of criminals.

In the case of Diane Downs, although she has recanted the abuse from her father, I tend to consider that abuse of a particularly horrifying and sexual nature would, logically, create a personality that would create a detachment from 'feeling' and 'empathy' and may have been the reason she was so unemotional.

Certainly, the reason behind criminal acts does in no way exempt them from accountability and hatred towards them, but I have always felt that to step back and use the 'reason' (abuse) as a tool to research prevention in the future from young children that are being abused right now, who have a tendency to repeat the abuse in later life.

It occurred to me that if a child was sexually abused, and were later a criminal abuser, it would be of a sexual nature. If a child is physically abused they would become a violent abuser. Also, I was curious whether 'rapists' had a history of a dominant mother figure.

I attempted some research and searched here in Canada for statistics on this. None were available.

I contacted police departments who put me in touch with the Criminal Profiler for Canada. I was shocked, not only to learn that these statistics did not exist, but that she asked me to let her know if I found any!

I then contacted FBI in Quantico and spoke to John Douglas, whom I later learned was chief of the FBI's Behavioral Science
Unit!

He confirmed my belief and explained that the reason statistics are not available is because it needs to be calculated after a criminal is found guilty and to assess how their childhood has affected them is not possible as they are not aware of what is 'normal' as well as not telling the truth in case it is detrimental to their parole.

However, he sent me (by courier the following day) several (about 100) articles of FBI research, even taking time to highlight several pages.

There was one 'study' using 1000 participants that certainly 'confirmed' that childhood abuse can influence the type of abuser that adults become.

One thing he told me which can be read on the last page of his book 'Mindhunter' is that not every abused child with an unhappy childhood becomes an abuser, but most violent criminals have been abused in their childhood. (not exact words).

Is this what happened with Diane Downs I wonder?

Did childhood abuse contribute to the unbelievable monster she became?