20/20 - General Discussion

[Melina22]

45 minutes ago, sainte-chapelle said:

I think there is more to the story that neither family is disclosing.

No doubt there is, and that probably goes for most of these stories. I felt like Molly had a lot more issues than they let on. She walked out on her first husband to be with Amber, who seemed to really love her, then abruptly left Amber for James, who she knew had a wife and children.  You could tell it hurt Amber a lot. If she felt any guilt or remorse about any of this, they didn't show or mention it.

This in NO way means she deserved to be murdered, but I do think she was a lot more complex than the sweet naive young woman they're portraying her as. 

 

[sainte-chapelle]

20 minutes ago, Melina22 said:

No doubt there is, and that probably goes for most of these stories. I felt like Molly had a lot more issues than they let on. She walked out on her first husband to be with Amber, who seemed to really love her, then abruptly left Amber for James, who she knew had a wife and children.  You could tell it hurt Amber a lot. If she felt any guilt or remorse about any of this, they didn't show or mention it.

This in NO way means she deserved to be murdered, but I do think she was a lot more complex than the sweet naive young woman they're portraying her as. 

 

Amber seemed like a very nice woman. I felt bad for her and I hope she is in a loving relationship. No doubt Molly had issues that were glossed over as is often the case on these shows. I do think he preyed on her and her insecurities  but she was hardly a naive lamb, she knew he was married and demanded he break up with his wife but also wanted the daughter to be in her wedding…it is all so odd and delusional. They also hardly mentioned her son. Did she have custody ? He is disabled and needs a lot of care if I remember correctly.  I still don’t understand why he killed her. Wasnt this a smaller community? I think after 7 years the whole county knew what was going on. Again She is a victim of a horrific crime and her fiancée is 100 percent the villain 

Edited January 9, 2022 by sainte-chapelle

[Annber03]

Yeah, the whole thing with Amber was a really interesting, strange element of the story, too. They seemed pretty happy together, and then boom, all of a sudden she's off with this James guy.

I thought it was interesting that they interviewed some of the people who were helping to prepare Molly's wedding, like the women who worked at the bridal shop and the recorder and so on. I think about that sometimes when watching some of these kinds of stories. All the people who do things like officiate weddings, or who work at bridal/tux shops or flower shops, or cater or perform at weddings, or so on and so forth  - a lot of them have been in their respective lines of work for so long and they've helped so many couples prepare for and celebrate their wedding day. I would imagine some of them, after a while, can start to kinda tell which couples have a good chance of making it and which ones don't.

Granted, they may not always imagine some of the more questionable relationships will end in murder, no, but I think they can definitely tell when something seems...off about the couple in question. And I could see them feeling like they might want to say something in those moments, too...but they can't or don't, because they would naturally feel it's not their place to do so. Their job is to just do what they can for the couple's wedding and leave it at that. That'd be kinda hard, I'd think. 

[UsernameFatigue]

On 1/8/2022 at 8:38 PM, sainte-chapelle said:

Amber seemed like a very nice woman. I felt bad for her and I hope she is in a loving relationship. No doubt Molly had issues that were glossed over as is often the case on these shows. I do think he preyed on her and her insecurities  but she was hardly a naive lamb, she knew he was married and demanded he break up with his wife but also wanted the daughter to be in her wedding…it is all so odd and delusional. They also hardly mentioned her son. Did she have custody ? He is disabled and needs a lot of care if I remember correctly.  I still don’t understand why he killed her. Wasnt this a smaller community? I think after 7 years the whole county knew what was going on. Again She is a victim of a horrific crime and her fiancée is 100 percent the villain 

Not that Molly deserved to die, but she was hardly an innocent victim as you say.  She left her first husband for Amber, then left Amber for James. I did shake my head at Amber saying that she told James that he had broken up their family. But Amber broke up her own marriage, and Molly broke up hers, to be together. As the saying goes, the way you get 'em is the way you'll lose 'em. 

Molly seemed extremely immature. I have never understood the need to do You Tube videos (or whatever SM platform she was using), or understand why someone would want to watch them. But Molly parading around in her wedding dress (one of two) for her audience was OTT. Not to mention, as a 35 year old divorced woman with a special needs son, she was planning a Disney themed wedding? WTF? 

Hubby and I were wondering who the wedding invitations were sent out to on James' side? Did he intercept them, since of course anyone on his side would know he is already married. And did he really have three weddings/divorces before the age of 28 when he married his 4th wife? Seems unlikely.

I don't think his daughter was to be in the wedding, I think Molly just wanted to have her there to get hair and makeup done. I would imagine the info of the daughter wanting to get hair and makeup done with a friend was relayed by James (or should I say made up by James) sine it seems that his daughter was at home with her mom, totally unaware that her dad was planning a wedding with another woman.

I was also confused as to what happened to Molly's parents. She moved in with them after she left Amber which I guess was around 2011 since she was with James for 7 years. But when the brother talked about the balloon coming into his workplace, he made it sound like they had passed? Or maybe that was explained and I missed it.

I did feel sorry for James' first or fourth wife, whichever she was. Naive yes, but at least she divorced him. I did say to hubby that any spouse who's significant other has a room that is off limits needs to check that room out. Stat. 

Edited January 12, 2022 by UsernameFatigue

[truebluesmoky]

I did a little Facebook digging and figured out that Molly’s son has a pretty cool life… he is disabled and in a wheelchair but has a supportive seeming dad and stepmom and a pretty serious scuba diving hobby! 
 

I think the stuff with James’s daughter being in the wedding was him putting Molly off as long as possible. “Yes, honey, of course Emma will be in the wedding and get hair and makeup done with you.” “Yes, honey, of course Emma will still be in the wedding, but she’s going to get her hair and make-up done by a friend.”

[UsernameFatigue]

1 hour ago, truebluesmoky said:

I did a little Facebook digging and figured out that Molly’s son has a pretty cool life… he is disabled and in a wheelchair but has a supportive seeming dad and stepmom and a pretty serious scuba diving hobby! 
 

I think the stuff with James’s daughter being in the wedding was him putting Molly off as long as possible. “Yes, honey, of course Emma will be in the wedding and get hair and makeup done with you.” “Yes, honey, of course Emma will still be in the wedding, but she’s going to get her hair and make-up done by a friend.”

But could she be in the wedding without having actually having picked out a dress, etc? Or even met for that matter, other than the first time? I know Molly seemed fairly delusional, but that seems a bit much, even for Molly.  I think Molly likely did want her in the wedding (despite only having met her once and being introduced as a "friend"), and James likely kept putting Molly off, to the point that Molly was just happy to have her "step daughter to be" have her hair and makeup done with her. Which of course got changed as well by James. But who knows. This actually seemed more like a Dateline episode, where sooooo much was left out.

Good to hear about Molly's son. They certainly let that drop in the show. Which makes me wonder if the ex got custody even before Molly was killed? 

Edited January 9, 2022 by UsernameFatigue

[EtheltoTillie]

The structure of this episode is weird too. They don’t do as good a job with this show as they do with Dateline. 

[Cozytea]

This episode was 2 hours. From the previews I had seen , I knew he killed her, I knew he was still married . So for 2 hours they  explained nothing. 7 years in a relationship and she never went to his home? His brother acted as if he knew Molly ,so did Molly go around his parents and siblings? Where did they "get together "? She lived with her parents and he with his wife. Where were they planning on living? The wedding was 2 days away, did they have a home set up? The whole thing is confusing. 

 

[pdlinda]

14 hours ago, sainte-chapelle said:

i feel like poor Molly likely had self esteem issues and deep down knew he was lying to her. Her text messages and the way she clung to him in the office gave me that impression. She also knowingly dated a married man for many years, not judging but she put up with being the mistress for many years. This guy didn’t exactly do a great job of covering his tracks. 

I agree with you about the "self esteem issues"; however, she had many talents and abilities, a close, loving family and, from what they said, an active social life with other men.

That she chose to carry on an affair with this cipher of a "man" for many years bewildered me. 

He was emotionally distant (even the later texts of endearment toward her seemed "canned") and certainly didn't shine in other areas (that I could see), so the relationship didn't "compute" with me.  

This was a very sad case.

[Annber03]

2 hours ago, pdlinda said:

He was emotionally distant (even the later texts of endearment toward her seemed "canned") 

When he gave her that card, was it shortly before she died, where he was going on about how she was the best thing that ever happened to him and he was finally the happiest he'd ever been and blah, blah, blah, my mom was like, "I wonder how often he said similar things to the other women he's been with?" 

[Pi237]

Murdaugh Family story is fascinating. So much more to unearth there. You don’t steal that kind of money just to do drugs. And the only remaining son? Out partying in Vegas like nothing is going on? So much more to unpack there. But the father is probably in tight with powerful political people and will end up an actual ‘suicide.’ Before any answers come out. 

[Melina22]

I can't believe I'd never heard a thing about this family until this episode. So many unexplained deaths! 

Awhile ago in our small city we had a very high profile and mysterious murder in one of our richest families, and every aspect of it was covered exhaustively by the press. I can only imagine the frenzy that would have ensued if this murder had been followed by 3 or 4 more unexplained deaths, , plus a suicide attempt and multiple fraud charges. 

There's no way we've heard the last of this one. I look forward to updates, assuming more information comes to light. 

[BusyOctober]

The whole Murdaugh clan is morally bankrupt.  Alex and his sons were involved with so many crimes ( not “allegedly”, most definitely).  But Alex’s brothers are guilty of covering up sh** too, IMO.  The settlement for the Satterfield family, offering legal services in the death of Steven Smith, the embezzlement at the law firm, protecting Paul by saying what a good kid he was…I get wanting to protect your family, and your legacy. But in the face of ALL the criminal activity associated with Alex, I think the family name would be more salvageable if they came forward and made a statement that they will step back and let independent, non-Hampton County authorities do full investigations into all the accusations.  “While we will support our brother and nephews during this difficult time, we want justice for all of the victims.” Buster should be investigated as well.

The two sons and Alex look like weasels with their beady little eyes.  The gene pool was definitely more shallow on that side of the family tree. I don’t know how weasel-face Paul was attractive to any girl, other than the money and power behind him.
 

 

[IntrovertRed]

I haven't watched this episode yet, but just had to comment because this whole saga has been fascinating to follow.

3 hours ago, BusyOctober said:

I get wanting to protect your family, and your legacy. But in the face of ALL the criminal activity associated with Alex, I think the family name would be more salvageable if they came forward and made a statement that they will step back and let independent, non-Hampton County authorities do full investigations into all the accusations.

Most families might think this way, but the Murdaugh family is an exception. I've been following this family for a while now, and just when you think nothing can surprise you, something else comes to light.  Alec is a true sociopath in my unprofessional opinion, I mean, killing your own wife and child in cold blood (yes, I think he did it). 

I follow a couple podcasts on the Murdaughs and it's been said that many people are still afraid to come forward against Alec (and likely the rest of the Murdaughs) for fear of being harmed, particularly if Alec is granted a lower bond.  I really hope the judge keeps his ass in jail.

[Melina22]

Is there a podcast about this case that you can recommend? 

[TVbitch]

Dateline did 2 hours on this not long ago. Was hoping there would be more new information at the end. 

I do watch 20/20, but it totally annoys me how they have to chop every freaking sentence up and have three people say a little bit of it. I do not enjoy all the quick cuts to a new talking head every fifth word! I guess they think it is more exciting that way. 

[Melina22]

I might see if Dateline did an episode on their podcast. I'm having trouble finding one I like. 

[iwantcookies]

I fell asleep and missed the end of the Molly episode. 

Going to see it later.

[IntrovertRed]

One podcast is Murdaugh Murders - the podcaster Mandy was interviewed for this 20/20 episode. Her voice takes some getting used to on the podcast but it's very thorough.

The other podcast is The Murdaugh Family Murders - the two podcasters were both just on an Oxygen program about the Murdaughs as well.  I didn't learn anything new from the Oxygen program, but for those who aren't familiar, you might enjoy it.

I will say the two podcasts I mentioned are very different so keep that in mind.  The Reddit thread is also interesting, but be careful because it's real easy to go down the Murdaugh rabbit hole!

[iwantcookies]

Daddy Alex either

1. killed them himself 

2. hired someone to do it

This family is interesting all right

[Guest]

12 hours ago, iwantcookies said:

This family is interesting all right

They look like a casting call for The Hill have Eyes. 

Edited January 16, 2022 by PsychoKlown

[Melina22]

7 minutes ago, KLJ said:

One podcast is Murdaugh Murders - the podcaster Mandy was interviewed for this 20/20 episode. Her voice takes some getting used to on the podcast but it's very thorough.

I made it 5 minutes in and her voice drove me away. Maybe I'll just bite the bullet and try to get used to it. 

[iwantcookies]

So Molly settled for Jimmy because she was overweight/getting older? She had to know he had a living wife. I don’t get it. I truly don’t. 
 

I feel bad for her brother: his parents and sister are deceased.

 

[LittleIggy]

Why do people believe the Murdaugh boys were involved in Steve’s death? I was out of the room and missed some of that part.

[CrazyInAlabama]

https://www.inquisitr.com/6496520/did-buster-murdaugh-kill-stephen-smith-to-cover-up-their-relati

I know the Inquisitor is a tabloid, but it's not behind a paywall.

The varying reports about Stephen Smith's death, and the ridiculous hit-and-run story is obviously a cover up.    However, I disagree about their conclusion, I think Stephen was killed because he was gay.   I don't think it was to cover up a relationship with anyone.     I wonder if there were any other cases similar to this one?  

[iwantcookies]

17 hours ago, PsychoKlown said:

They look like a casting call for The Hill have Eyes. 

Yeah the beady little eyes are creepy 😂

[Court]

I think Dateline covered this crazy family a fee months back. I don't remember the brothers being on there. It's all so bizarre! I think we could have used another hour 

[Melina22]

I just listened to the Dateline podcast but it was too short. They barely scratched the surface 

[Veronica]

On 1/15/2022 at 1:00 PM, Melina22 said:

Is there a podcast about this case that you can recommend? 

The Murdaugh Family Murders: Impact of Influence

Murdaugh Murders  this one is hosted by Mandy Matney who was interviewed on 20/20.  Some do not like this one as much because Matney annoys them. 

[Melina22]

1 hour ago, Veronica said:

this one is hosted by Mandy Matney who was interviewed on 20/20.  Some do not like this one as much because Matney annoys them. 

Yes, I started this one. I'm very sensitive to voices and her voice was unbearable to me, both on the TV show and on the podcast, very grating with so much vocal fry. I'm sure otherwise she did an excellent job, but to me a pleasant voice is a crucial component of a podcast. 

Thanks for the info though. 

 

[Peace 47]

 

On 1/15/2022 at 7:06 PM, TVbitch said:

I do watch 20/20, but it totally annoys me how they have to chop every freaking sentence up and have three people say a little bit of it. I do not enjoy all the quick cuts to a new talking head every fifth word! I guess they think it is more exciting that way. 

I haven’t watched 20/20 in about 20 years, but a lot of family and friends have been very interested in the Murdaugh case (due to living in and around the general area).   So we all made a point of watching the Murdaugh episode.  I totally agree with this comment above about the format of 20/20 (versus what I remember it being) and thought that the show did a really poor job with this story.  I didn’t learn anything new from the broadcast because I didn’t get the impression that 20/20 did any original reporting for it:  they just relied on talking head interviews with (mostly third party) reporters whose work we already knew of:  I thought one purpose of 20/20 was investigative journalism?  But my bigger complaint is that they didn’t really clearly explain all the already known facts, either, other than the exhaustive detail about that boat crash.

They spent 1 hour on the boat crash, and then jammed all the other craziness into the second hour.  Although they did mention it, they kind of flew over that Paul Murdaugh and Maggie Murdaugh were killed with 2 different weapons, even though they were killed around the same time.  They also didn’t touch on the alleged marital troubles between Alex and Maggie, did they?  She had hired a forensic accountant, speculated to be in preparation for making sure assets didn’t disappear in a divorce, and she had made some social media posts that indirectly insinuated that she was living apart from Alex.  The Murdaugh Murders (Mandy Matney) podcast delved into that much more clearly.  And that podcast also had some indirect implications about how Paul may have been involved in Gloria Satterfield’s “accident,” because although this show mentioned Alex arranging to scam Gloria’s sons out of the insurance payment, there are also questions about exactly what happened to her in the first place.

If law enforcement hasn’t charged Alex Murdaugh with involvement in his son’s and wife’s deaths by now, I don’t have a ton of confidence that they are ever going to charge him.  It’s been so long now.  But maybe they are still unwinding all the alleged potential law enforcement corruption when it comes to dealing with the Murdaugh family.

The Murdaugh Murders podcast was good in the early episodes for laying out all of the inconsistencies in Alex’s behavior after the murders (including pointing out that after he called 911 months later to say he had been shot in the head, there was oddness about whether he even went to a hospital, and where).  Mandy Matney’s voice doesn’t bother me like it seems to bother some other people, and she did a much better job of reporting what happened, although what I do find annoying (and didn’t come across in her 20/20 talking heads) is how many digs she takes at Alex Murdaugh’s attorneys in the later episodes.  Every sentence has some snide comment about how bad/ presumptuous/ haughty they are, and it does get old.

Edited January 17, 2022 by Peace 47

[Veronica]

8 hours ago, Peace 47 said:

 

I haven’t watched 20/20 in about 20 years, but a lot of family and friends have been very interested in the Murdaugh case (due to living in and around the general area).   So we all made a point of watching the Murdaugh episode.  I totally agree with this comment above about the format of 20/20 (versus what I remember it being) and thought that the show did a really poor job with this story.  I didn’t learn anything new from the broadcast because I didn’t get the impression that 20/20 did any original reporting for it:  they just relied on talking head interviews with (mostly third party) reporters whose work we already knew of:  I thought one purpose of 20/20 was investigative journalism?  But my bigger complaint is that they didn’t really clearly explain all the already known facts, either, other than the exhaustive detail about that boat crash.

They spent 1 hour on the boat crash, and then jammed all the other craziness into the second hour.  Although they did mention it, they kind of flew over that Paul Murdaugh and Maggie Murdaugh were killed with 2 different weapons, even though they were killed around the same time.  They also didn’t touch on the alleged marital troubles between Alex and Maggie, did they?  She had hired a forensic accountant, speculated to be in preparation for making sure assets didn’t disappear in a divorce, and she had made some social media posts that indirectly insinuated that she was living apart from Alex.  The Murdaugh Murders (Mandy Matney) podcast delved into that much more clearly.  And that podcast also had some indirect implications about how Paul may have been involved in Gloria Satterfield’s “accident,” because although this show mentioned Alex arranging to scam Gloria’s sons out of the insurance payment, there are also questions about exactly what happened to her in the first place.

If law enforcement hasn’t charged Alex Murdaugh with involvement in his son’s and wife’s deaths by now, I don’t have a ton of confidence that they are ever going to charge him.  It’s been so long now.  But maybe they are still unwinding all the alleged potential law enforcement corruption when it comes to dealing with the Murdaugh family.

The Murdaugh Murders podcast was good in the early episodes for laying out all of the inconsistencies in Alex’s behavior after the murders (including pointing out that after he called 911 months later to say he had been shot in the head, there was oddness about whether he even went to a hospital, and where).  Mandy Matney’s voice doesn’t bother me like it seems to bother some other people, and she did a much better job of reporting what happened, although what I do find annoying (and didn’t come across in her 20/20 talking heads) is how many digs she takes at Alex Murdaugh’s attorneys in the later episodes.  Every sentence has some snide comment about how bad/ presumptuous/ haughty they are, and it does get old.

Thank you! Her comments are what annoy me. Her voice isn’t the most pleasant but I didn’t really notice it until she commented on it in the “leave a  review,” part. 

On 1/15/2022 at 11:32 PM, LittleIggy said:

Why do people believe the Murdaugh boys were involved in Steve’s death? I was out of the room and missed some of that part.

That was one of rumors around the town after Smith was killed - several people told investigators about that rumor. There are several episodes of both podcasts that cover his death. One of the uncles - Randy called the Smith family right after they found out he died to offer to take the case for free, which the family found odd. Buster and Stephen were classmates but not close friends. Buster was the one mentioned in most of the rumors about the Smith case.  Nobody seems to know why the rumors started. 

[CrystalBlue]

On 1/15/2022 at 6:01 PM, Melina22 said:

I made it 5 minutes in and her voice drove me away. Maybe I'll just bite the bullet and try to get used to it. 

I could barely stand Mandy's vocal fry voice on this 20/20 episode.  I wouldn't torture myself with her podcast.  I'd rather watch another show or read about the Murdaugh family saga.  I do remember the boat accident which made the news but all this other stuff is quite a, well, saga.

On 1/15/2022 at 7:44 PM, iwantcookies said:

So Molly settled for Jimmy because she was overweight/getting older? She had to know he had a living wife. I don’t get it. I truly don’t. 
 

I feel bad for her brother: his parents and sister are deceased.

 

I think Molly had more problems than her weight.  Maybe those problems caused her to overeat and become obese, but there's mental issues there that I don't think we heard about.

[IntrovertRed]

True Crime Garage (podcast) just finished a 3 parter on the Murdaughs - listening so far and it's well done.  But I'm also biased since this is one of my favorite podcasts.

Edited January 19, 2022 by KLJ

[Veronica]

Y’all, if you can handle the vocal fry, you need to listen to Matney’s episode on Hakeem Pinckney. She doesn’t really talk that much, it is mostly Hakeem’s mom and her new attorney. 
 
Murdaugh and his cronies stole money from a deaf, quadriplegic man who was living in a crappy rehab place and was on a ventilator. A few days after a settlement from the car accident that left him a quadriplegic, his ventilator was mysteriously turned off, and he died. 

Or here is a link to the story from Anderson Cooper. 

[Melina22]

That's horrifying. 

[ali59]

When I watch these kinds of shows, I always have google maps open and locate the places these where these events happen.  I've been trying to figure out the logistics for the Murdough story.  It said they live in Hampton and the kids with the boat went down to Beaufort to a bar there.  That's a heck of a long way to go in a small boat.  It's an hour by car straight down the highway but they would have had to follow a waterway.  I'm just not seeing how they could have travelled that far given the distance and the windiness of the available channels.

[Melina22]

I see that 20/20 has an interview tonight with Lori Vallow's brother. Obviously not Alex. I'm curious to see it. 

ETA Okay, so I'm almost finished watching. It's all new footage, with lots of interviews, and I personally found it fascinating. I know lots of people are tired of the case, but I'm still extremely interested. 

I noticed that Lori's mother comes off really badly in this one. She seems very enabling. 

No matter how often I hear the convoluted story, it never fails to shock and baffle me. 

Edited January 22, 2022 by Melina22

[BusyOctober]

13 hours ago, Melina22 said:

 

I noticed that Lori's mother comes off really badly in this one. She seems very enabling. 

Oh, most definitely!  I’m not sure if the footage of her talking about her beloved son Alex’s funeral was used in a previous 20/20 or on 48 Hours or Dateline, but her comment confirms the whole Cox clan (minus Adam maybe) is completely demented.  She said they didn’t invite/want anyone at Alex’s funeral who thought he was a murderer, “so it was a very small service”.  YES!  Because everyone outside of your effed up family KNOWS he was a murderer!!  Criminally crazy runs deep with this crew.

How many deaths /disappearances within your family, in such a short span of time would it take to make Mamma Cox hit pause, and say “hmmmm, another person that I know Lori, Chad and Alex know is suddenly dead? Quite the co-inky dink, no?”

I am not a religious person, but when the Cox family dies, and when they ascend to whatever version of heaven they think is awaiting them, I hope their God greets them at the gate with a hearty “OH FUCK NO!”  

 

[Melina22]

This episode was very much taking the position that Lori is extremely mentally ill, in the sense of being completely delusional, and that Chad is the one who's just plain evil, while Alex bought into all Lori's delusions and carried them out. 

I don't really know what to think about anything of the above. I find Chad to be the most mystifying. Outwardly, he's so quiet and nerdy and his writing is so juvenile. Yet behind the harmless exterior, he saw himself as a god. He was perfectly fine with murdering his wife, and burying his girlfriends children in his yard, while never losing his humble, soft spoken demeanor. Utterly bizarre. 

So many people heard Lori say deeply delusional things long before the murders that she was clearly living in her own reality. Does it make it worse that her reality was so self-aggrandizing and always led to her getting exactly what she wanted? Maybe. It's so weird. 

As for Alex, all that was in it for him seemed to be the chance to commit murder and mayhem in the name of God. And also do standup. 

Honestly, I know why people are obsessed with this case. If it was a fictional movie, it would be trashed for being completely unbelievable. Up until now, I always thought the Russell Williams case was the prime example of this, but the Vallow case now takes the #1 spot in my mind. 

ETA I'm glad I watched if only because it led me to the podcast The Followers:Madness of Two. It's by far the best podcast I've heard on the subject. Actually, I'd love her to do more podcasts because she's so good and so easy to listen to. 

Edited January 22, 2022 by Melina22

[IntrovertRed]

There wasn’t a whole lot of background on the Cox family background. Two kids seem to be fine and two were a little unhinged?  When it was said that Lori was in a rush to get out of the house after high school, I couldn’t help but wonder why. Some more skeletons I’m sure. The mother seems …interesting.

[Melina22]

19 minutes ago, KLJ said:

There wasn’t a whole lot of background on the Cox family background. Two kids seem to be fine and two were a little unhinged

Yes, to hear this brother (Andrew? I can't believe I forget his name already!) tell it, here and in the podcast, their childhood was blissfully happy. Yet it seems odd that an idyllic childhood would produce Lori and Alex. 

[CrystalBlue]

20 hours ago, Melina22 said:

Yes, to hear this brother (Andrew? I can't believe I forget his name already!) tell it, here and in the podcast, their childhood was blissfully happy. Yet it seems odd that an idyllic childhood would produce Lori and Alex. 

Adam?  Easy to remember with their play on Adam and Eve.  Episode title Adam and Evil.  What was with Lori and Alex being especially close and playing bouncy-bounce?

[Melina22]

20 minutes ago, CrystalBlue said:

Adam?  Easy to remember with their play on Adam and Eve.  Episode title Adam and Evil. 

Ack. That's right. After watching the episode and listening to the podcast, you'd think I'd remember the name Adam. 

Lori and Alex definitely had a weird relationship, if Alex's first wife is to be believed. The two of them were strange long before Chad entered the picture. The three of them together were like dynamite, a fuse, and fire all meeting. 

[Melina22]

I see they're replaying the old Diane Downs story again. I'll watch though because it was such a fascinating story, psychologically. 

[sainte-chapelle]

17 hours ago, Melina22 said:

I see they're replaying the old Diane Downs story again. I'll watch though because it was such a fascinating story, psychologically. 

Her bio daughter sounded like she was very troubled…2 pregnancies …leaving home at 16. I’m glad she got her shit together. 

[Melina22]

Given her apparently wonderful childhood, I was surprised she ended up so troubled, even considering who her mother was. I couldn't tell at the end if she was still close with her adoptive family. 

How awful that she finally reached out to Diane, only to discover almost right away how scary she was. And why wouldn't Ann Rule tell her who her father was? Maybe he didn't want his name revealed even to his daughter. Sad. 

[Angeltoes]

Ann said Diane was the one who told her to keep the secret and I don't know why Ann felt any loyalty to her.  

[sainte-chapelle]

6 hours ago, Angeltoes said:

Ann said Diane was the one who told her to keep the secret and I don't know why Ann felt any loyalty to her.  

True and I think if he really wanted to get in touch with her he would have done so….he likely moved on and doesn’t want to be involved. Her half siblings seemed to want nothing to do with her.  I feel like there is something more to the story here and I completely respect their right to privacy. I did get the sense that she is not close with her adoptive family. She said she left her son with an aunt who practically raised him for a time while she was busy drinking and partying…not her mom. Why did the prosecutor adopt the two children? Diane was divorced but they have a father. Did he just abandon them?

the show made it sound like it was the trauma of finding out who her mother is that lead to her issues. However I read that her older sister had addiction issues and she would follow her to paries…do meth etc. She likely would have been an addict regardless. 

Edited February 6, 2022 by sainte-chapelle

[Angeltoes]

The kids' father gave them up because he knew he wasn't equipped to handle their special needs after they were shot.

Someone posted a comment on the 20/20 Facebook page about Diane.  This person said her family lived around the corner from the hospital where Diane took the kids that night.  This woman's mom was driving down the street that night and was stopped at a red light.  She glanced at the car in the next lane and the woman driver was singing and dancing in her seat to such an extent that the first woman thought this person must be drunk or on drugs.  The light changed and they drove side by side for a few blocks and then the singing woman sped off into the hospital parking lot towards the emergency room.  The other woman didn't think any more about it until she saw the news the next day and recognized Diane as the woman in the other car.  That gave me chills!