Similarities to other Cases. Melinda Duckett, Diane Downs and more

New Posts

Status
Not open for further replies.
I'm not sure there's any well known cases that I know of that compare very well to Casey's. The others followed through on their murder plans, but Casey didn't by letting the car have so much evidence. I think she had more victims in mind but could have lost her nerve or waited too long. Based on things we know, she reminds me more of these black widow type women who murder their whole family for profit.
 
cecybeans said:
Not only her inappropriate behavior and laughter (on several taped occasions) was similar to KC's rather sociopathic demeanor, her story was almost as stupid.

What guy stealing a car would bend over, reach in and shoot three kids before incapacitating the driver? She also went to great pains, IIRC, to make it look like she was "Mother of the Year".

I also remember how she lit into Ann Rule on an Oprah show years ago, right after Ann's book was published and DD had recently been convicted. She was trying to take minor inaccuracies and turn them into exculpatory big facts and rip Ann a new one as if it completely invalidated all of the mountains of evidence that indicated her guilt. It reminded me so much of the Gonzal-E phenomenon, or the White Dog Proves Zanny reasoning. And her anger was a lot like KC's whenever disagreed with her or put any obstacle in her way.
Click to expand...
BBM. This article discusses some of the similarities between Diane and Susan. Both had new men in their lives that didn't want children. I wonder how much weight Tony's statement, about only wanting boys, was given by Casey.

At the end of the article borderline personality disorder is discussed. This description seem to describe Diane, Susan and Casey. I would love to read a professional opinion on the similarities in these three.

"Borderline individuals tend to overdramatise situations and act impulsively. They can superficially look like loving mothers but they save most of their true feelings for themselves. The mother sees the child as a commodity, like a doll that she can dress up for society to admire. But like a doll that is tired of, the baby is ultimately expendable especially if a new boyfriend, new career or potential new lifestyle is the reward."

http://www.shotsmag.co.uk/mothers who kill/Mothers Who Kill.htm
 
This article describes Dianes parole hearing in 2008. It is bizarre to say the least. She has changed her story about the bushy haired stranger several times now (remind you of anyone ?). There is more about the hearing at the link, it's an interesting read.

Board denies parole for Diane Downs

Over the years, she has maintained her innocence, as she did Tuesday before a parole board refused to free her. But her story has varied wildly.

First, it was a bushy-haired stranger who shot the children. Then, it was two men wearing ski masks. Then a man she stopped to smoke marijuana with.

Downs now claims she was dating a man who purported to be an FBI agent. Her family, she says, was attacked by a man who flagged her down on May 19, 1983, as she was driving to meet a stranger who claimed to have documents for an investigation.

Her daughter, 7-year-old Cheryl Lynn, was killed. Two other children, 3-year-old Danny and 8-year-old Christie Ann, were seriously wounded.

A jury found Downs guilty and she was sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years.

http://www.katu.com/news/35805944.html
 
I don't know if this has been posted elsewhere, but I just noticed that this week's 20/20 episode is going to focus on Diane Downs. Psychologists will assess various interviews Downs gave after the crime.

Within a month of the shootings, with her two surviving children still in the hospital, Downs began giving a series of bizarre interviews to the media.
'She couldn't keep her mouth shut,' Welch said. 'She talked all the time. In a sense, Diane was her own worst enemy.' ...'People would see little sound bites of her talking on television, and I think they started getting the feeling that there's something really wrong with this person,' Jaeger said."

Two short videos accompany the ABC story:
Why Did Diane Downs Plot to Kill Her Kids (video)
1983 Video: Mom Who Shot Kids Speaks (video)

Episode airs Friday, May 14 at 10/9 central
 
Purple Iris said:
Whoa.........that is some disturbing clip.
Her laughing, making light of the entire thing.
Sick and pretty twisted.
Click to expand...


I read a lot on the Diane Downs case earlier this year...some weird detached feelings there.

Both women killed their children in order to get a man.

Difference was Diane reported it from the beginning as a SODDI defense...but KC...just wanted everything to go away...

And "quite frankly" I think that is her hope still that all this would just go away...having to listen to lawyers, go to court, etc....
 
southernbrunette said:
Just like KC! And, like KC, Downs continues to blame SOD and will not, literally for the life of her, admit to what she'd done. She's institutionalized in California which is pretty liberal about letting criminals out, and they won't because to this day she won't admit it. She's eligible for parole sometime this year, after being denied once in 2008. I think KC, even if convicted and sentenced, will maintain her innocence. Perhaps she has some made up fantasy in her head of being on her deathbed and finally giving people the truth. JMO
Click to expand...


I have wondered if both these women...Diane and KC...actually have created a fantasy world that they didn't do it. That they have repeated the lie over and over to themselves...that they actually believe it is the truth. Which is far more dangerous then anything....IMO
 
Sassynic said:
I'm sure this has been brought up somewhere in here *looking under the couch* but anyone else notice the eerie similarities between this case and the Trenton Duckett case? His young mother Melinda was a "person of interest" in his disappearance right here in central florida.

They still haven't found Trenton's body at all but at the time there were theories of Melinda selling her toddler son just like with Caylee's case.

It's very scary that there are places here that someone can "dispose" of a person without that person ever being found. (Alligators, swamp-land, *shudder*).

Anyways, just lots of crazy similarities with Melinda and Casey. I just hope this case doesn't go unsolved like the former. :confused:
Click to expand...


IMO, ICA is more of a Susan Smith than MD!

Both initally blamed and invisible person as the culprit and that of a specific ethnic group..

Both had their lovers tell them they didn't want children...or to that effect. TonyL had mentioned to ICA, when he had children, he would want sons not daughters..

SS's lover told her, he didn't want the extra baggage of raising someone's children..

The only difference, when faced with her inconsistent statements, SS broke down and told what she had done...she strapped her boys into a carseat and allowed that car to get submerged in a lake, while her boys were still alive..how horrible for those children...she truly should have died for her actions and ICA is a close second in that she may die for her actions...JMHO

Justice for Caylee

ETA
I didn't read through the entire thread to please forgive me if this was already mentioned...
 
Jolynna said:
This week more information has been released about Trenton Duckett's disappearance including the FBI's case analysis. The FBI thinks Melinda killed Trenton and that she reported Trenton missing to cover the homicide up.

IMO, there are parallels between the two cases.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/media/acrobat/2010-05/53689314.pdf
Click to expand...

Thanks Jolynna, I have been wanting to read this doc and missed it!

I do think that Casey was very familiar with the Trenton case, as it was huge news here at the time. Many similarities between the two women - both very manipulative.
 
nancy botwin said:
I don't know if this has been posted elsewhere, but I just noticed that this week's 20/20 episode is going to focus on Diane Downs. Psychologists will assess various interviews Downs gave after the crime.

Within a month of the shootings, with her two surviving children still in the hospital, Downs began giving a series of bizarre interviews to the media.
'She couldn't keep her mouth shut,' Welch said. 'She talked all the time. In a sense, Diane was her own worst enemy.' ...'People would see little sound bites of her talking on television, and I think they started getting the feeling that there's something really wrong with this person,' Jaeger said."

Two short videos accompany the ABC story:
Why Did Diane Downs Plot to Kill Her Kids (video)
1983 Video: Mom Who Shot Kids Speaks (video)

Episode airs Friday, May 14 at 10/9 central
Click to expand...

The italicized paragraph above sounds just like Cindy Anthony to me.
 
nancy botwin said:
I don't know if this has been posted elsewhere, but I just noticed that this week's 20/20 episode is going to focus on Diane Downs. Psychologists will assess various interviews Downs gave after the crime.

Within a month of the shootings, with her two surviving children still in the hospital, Downs began giving a series of bizarre interviews to the media.
'She couldn't keep her mouth shut,' Welch said. 'She talked all the time. In a sense, Diane was her own worst enemy.' ...'People would see little sound bites of her talking on television, and I think they started getting the feeling that there's something really wrong with this person,' Jaeger said."

Two short videos accompany the ABC story:
Why Did Diane Downs Plot to Kill Her Kids (video)
1983 Video: Mom Who Shot Kids Speaks (video)

Episode airs Friday, May 14 at 10/9 central
Click to expand...

Thank you, Nancy, the interview on whether Diane was a psychopath or not was interesting. Describes KC big time IMO
 
Jolynna said:
This week more information has been released about Trenton Duckett's disappearance including the FBI's case analysis. The FBI thinks Melinda killed Trenton and that she reported Trenton missing to cover the homicide up.

IMO, there are parallels between the two cases.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/media/acrobat/2010-05/53689314.pdf
Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing that, it was a fascinating read. Melinda seemed to have many more outwardly showing behavior problems than KC. Her violence with family members including biting and scratching them, the repeated threats of harming Trenton. Scary person. Her talking points for the Nancy Grace show were interesting and did remind me very much of KC, for instance deflecting blame from herself, making excuses for her lack of emotion regarding her child's disappearnce.
 
Jolynna said:
This week more information has been released about Trenton Duckett's disappearance including the FBI's case analysis. The FBI thinks Melinda killed Trenton and that she reported Trenton missing to cover the homicide up.

IMO, there are parallels between the two cases.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/media/acrobat/2010-05/53689314.pdf
Click to expand...

Thank you for posting this, Jolynna!

Remember when Cindy and George filled out those forms about Casey early on? Cindy painted a much too rosey picture of her daughter and the investigator mentioned this to her.

I'm sure the BAU has also done a profile on Casey and much of it will be similar to Melinda Duckett's.

As the State pointed out at the hearing the other day, this is only filicide cases they have tried WITHOUT mental illness being an issue.

By reading this document and omitting references to Melinda's mental illness, you have Casey Anthony to a T!
 
nancy botwin said:
I don't know if this has been posted elsewhere, but I just noticed that this week's 20/20 episode is going to focus on Diane Downs. Psychologists will assess various interviews Downs gave after the crime.

Within a month of the shootings, with her two surviving children still in the hospital, Downs began giving a series of bizarre interviews to the media.
'She couldn't keep her mouth shut,' Welch said. 'She talked all the time. In a sense, Diane was her own worst enemy.' ...'People would see little sound bites of her talking on television, and I think they started getting the feeling that there's something really wrong with this person,' Jaeger said."

Two short videos accompany the ABC story:
Why Did Diane Downs Plot to Kill Her Kids (video)
1983 Video: Mom Who Shot Kids Speaks (video)

Episode airs Friday, May 14 at 10/9 central
Click to expand...

The synopsis on my cable guide says that they will have the surviving child, Rebecca, talk about her life. Says this is the child she was pregnant with when sentenced. It says DD's other three children were murdered. IIRC from the movie only 1 died, one was paralyzed and one lived to testify. Is that all creative licensing? Sorry if this is OT.
 
strawberry said:
The synopsis on my cable guide says that they will have the surviving child, Rebecca, talk about her life. Says this is the child she was pregnant with when sentenced. It says DD's other three children were murdered. IIRC from the movie only 1 died, one was paralyzed and one lived to testify. Is that all creative licensing? Sorry if this is OT.
Click to expand...

You are correct only one was killed. One was paralyzed. The one that was paralyzed was the one old enough to testify.
 
I watched this 20/20 with fascination. I have never seen DD speak. I did not see one word out of her mouth that indicated she had any self-awareness of true feelings. In keeping with the focus of this thread, she reminded me of KC. She spoke of the inconveniences to HER, the pain to HER. She actually said that SHE was the unlucky one and that her children were lucky...because they would have been dead if it weren't for her. Scratching my head at her reasoning.

Asking for a correction. The child that testified was NOT the one who was paralyzed, was she? I thought it was another child. I understood that one died, one survived after injuries, and one survived paralyzed.

Of course, I was watching with sleepy eyes and brain.
 
texaslb218 said:
I watched this 20/20 with facination. I have never seen DD speak. I did not see one word out of her mouth that indicated she had any self-awareness of true feelings. In keeping with the focus of this thread, she reminded me of KC. She spoke of the inconveniences to HER, the pain to HER. She actually said that SHE was the unlucky one and that her children were lucky...because they would have been dead if it weren't for her. Scratching my head at her reasoning.

Asking for a correction. The child that testified was NOT the one who was paralyzed, was she? I thought it was another child. I understood that one died, one survived after injuries, and one survived paralyzed.

Of course, I was watching with sleepy eyes and brain.
Click to expand...

IIRC the three children were around 8, 7, & 3 yrs old. The 7 year old died & the 3 year old was paralyzed. It was the oldest child who testified against her.

I missed this 20/20. I wish I would have seen it. Small Sacrifices was the first true crime book I ever read. Does anyone know if it's online?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

DNASolves

Who is Escambia County John Doe (1989)?

Members online

... and 167 more.
Total: 4,355 (members: 168, guests: 4,187)

Online statistics

Members online
168
Guests online
4,187
Total visitors
4,355
Totals may include hidden visitors.

Forum statistics

Threads
592,600
Messages
17,971,601
Members
228,839
Latest member
Shimona
Back
Top