All Rights Reserved. If youre here because youre curious to know where the surviving children are now, youve come to the right place. She remembers Downs' demeanor in her interviews as peculiar. Though she shot all three children, only Cheryl died Christie and Danny survived . "Why would I have taken my kids to the hospital?" Downs Family Diane Downs and her three children. "And they give me love, they give me satisfaction, they give me stability, they give me a reason to live and a reason to be happy, and thats gone, they took it from me, but children are so easy to conceive.". But as . Despite her difficult start, Becky was adopted and says she had a good childhood. Danny, a computer whiz, is still partially paralyzed from the bullet in his back, but he is living a happy and normal life. Diane Downs attempts to murder her three young children, eight-year-old Christie, seven-year-old Cheryl, and three-year-old Danny, by faking a carjacking. We found that Diane Downs was emotionally flat. The baby was taken by the state and delivered to adoptive parents. She remembers Downs' demeanor in her interviews as peculiar. The child was adopted and was later named Rebecca. According to witnesses, she then drove at a pace of between 5-7 mph to the local hospital, where she then claimed to hospital staff she had been car-jacked by a stranger who shot herself and her children. [26] The book documented accounts by friends, acquaintances, neighbors, and her surviving daughter, Christie, who questioned the quality of her parenting. Diane Downs remains in prison in California. The child was later renamed Rebecca Babcock by her adoptive parents. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Within two weeks police had tracked her down to the home of another inmate's husband just blocks from the prison. Becky is active on Facebook, where she sometimes shares stories about her background and television appearances, such as one on Dr. Oz and with Oprah Winfrey. I still worry about them and love them, though theyll never know it.. "Sightseeing when it's pitch black out? Then, 10 days after Diane was sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years, she gave birth to a daughter she named Amy Elizabeth. When I looked at Christie I thought she was dead, he said. Danny, a computer whiz, is still partially paralyzed from the bullet in his back, but he is living a happy and normal life. In another one of her strange media appearances Downs spoke about the pregnancy. I got blood all over the back of it, I knew within 30 minutes of talking with that woman that she was guilty., And then, Wilhite said, even more shocking to him was when Downs told him that she knew Christie was brain dead and told him, I want you to pull the plug., In other words, let her die, Wilhite said. On Facebook, Becky wrote that she works at Pain management and went to Redmond High School. Prior to being sentenced, Downs gave birth to a girl she named Amy Elizabeth. One died; two survived but had serious injuries. "And it grew dark and upon their return home she decided to -- to do some sightseeing. I was nervous. In 2005, she gave birth to her first child, a boy, and later gave birth to a daughter who she named Cheryl after her sister. She knew that, if she got pregnant, that people would look at her and say, How could a woman who loves children this much and got pregnant have killed her children? However, when all the details came to be understood by the police, Steve found out what really happened to his kids. She then ran away from home and married husband, Steven Downs, in 1973, with whom she had three children - Christie Ann, Cheryl Lynn and Stephen "Danny" Daniel. She, too, is now a mother. And she took a deserted country road with three sleeping kids in her car. And Christie Downs, the only witness to the crime (her younger brother Danny was believed to have been asleep at the time), had suffered a stroke that impaired her speech and initially prevented her from telling police what she had seen. He and his wife, Joanne, adopted them in 1986. "Why would I have taken my kids to the hospital?" The Diane Downs' Case Was no Small Sacrifice On May 19, 1983, Elizabeth Diane Downs and her three small children were shot on a country road near Springfield, Oregon. "And along this road, off to the side, out stepped a man who flagged her down. [3] Diane came from a family with strict conservative values. Downs was denied parole in December 2008, December 2010, and in 2020. Born June 27, 1984, Becky, 37, is famously known as the daughter of Diane Down, 66. As for Danny, he has kept his life private. Fearing there could be a gun-wielding killer on the loose, police released information to the public to be on the lookout. [27] A made-for-TV movie, also titled Small Sacrifices, starred Farrah Fawcett as Downs, and was aired on ABC in 1989. Diane Downs was convicted of shooting her 3 children, killing 1, in 1983. Christie Ann, born in 1974, is the eldest of the Downs children, and Stephen Daniel, known as Danny, born in 1979, is the youngest. The two kids who had survived the attack were placed for adoption and Steve was no able to care for them. Officers began an inquiry into her peculiar behavior, which included calling her lover from the hospital, her children claiming they were afraid of her, and Christie Ann responding in a fearful manner when her mother visited her in the hospital. Her first three children with her husband Steve are Stephen "Danny" Daniel (born 1979), Cheryl Lynn (born 1976), and Christie Ann (born 1974). But suspicions of Downs herself quickly began to surface. The more she talked, and she talked a lot and frequently, the more she talked, the more things didn't make any sense. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? The Queen has almost never put a foot wrong as she marks 70th year on the throne. ET) on ABC. "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. According to witnesses, she then drove at a pace of between 5-7 mph to the local hospital, where she then claimed to hospital staff she had been car-jacked by a stranger who shot herself and her children. Previously, Diane was housed in a maximum-security prison for women in Clinton, N.J. As for why she wasn't in Oregon where the crimes took place, " [prison] officials said they . She claimed that she was carjacked on a rural road near Springfield by a strange man who shot her and the children. The baby was taken by the state and delivered to adoptive parents. I mean, she is so close to death, its unbelievable. Dianes emotionless, cold demeanor about the children convinced people immediately that she was the shooter. Between the verdict and sentencing, the court recessed so that Downs could give birth to a girl she named Amy Elizabeth. Whether it tugs at your heartstrings or angers you to the core, these stories could have happened years ago, and they still take up space in your memories. She named the fourth baby Amy Elizabeth before the state handed her over to her adoptive parents. Late one May night in 1983, Diane Downs sped into an emergency room dropoff in Springfield, Ore., with a horrifying story to tell. Downs told investigators that she and her. Based on this and additional evidence, Downs was arrested on February 28, 1984, nine months after the shooting, and charged with one count of murder, and two counts each of attempted murder and criminal assault. But suspicions of Downs herself quickly began to surface. By the time Wilhite arrived, Downs had driven her blood-soaked car to the emergency room. On Feb. 28, 1984, nine months after the shootings, Downs was arrested and charged with one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder. Famed true-crime author, Ann Rule, provided an update on them by writing on her now defunct website: Christie and Dannywho somehow survived their gunshot woundshave no contact with Diane. The couple divorced in 1980 over Steven's insistence their son, Danny, was the result of an affair and not his biological child. That girl was later renamed Rebecca "Becky" Babcock.[6]. At around 10 p.m. that May night, police said Diane Downs pulled over to the side of a country road near Springfield and shot her three small children multiple times at close range. [10] Downs herself had been shot in the left forearm. The circumstances of Becky Babcocks birth were troubled to say the least. And Christie knew that.. Why is she wounded in the arm? Late one May night in 1983, Diane Downs sped into an emergency room dropoff in Springfield, Ore., with a horrifying story to tell. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3, were inside her blood-soaked car, shot at close range. Jaeger remembers worrying that Downs' pregnancy could affect the way jurors viewed her. On May 19, 1983, Diane Downs and her three children were shot on a rural road in Oregon. And she has been our national consciousness for 70 years, says Tony Parsons, Takeaway-lover celebrates birthday with cake in the shape of his favourite fast food, Brooklyn Beckham is cute - but he doesn't deserve his own cooking show just because his parents are famous - no-one does, Bob Proctor death: Self-help author behind You Were Born Rich passes away at 87. Meanwhile, Christie Downs was slowly beginning to tell what she remembered of the shootings. And, Cheryl Lynn, had reportedly told a neighbor of her grandparents that she was afraid of her mother. In 1983, horror stuck in Oregon as a mother took it upon herself to end the life of her own children. I had a great family, a great life. Conflicting reports say Downs also acted as a surrogate during her fourth pregnancy, giving birth to a daughter after her trial in 1984. Diane Downs gave birth to four children. Wilhite said Christie's blood pressure had been so low that she suffered a stroke. They have grown up in a very happy home with the Hugis., Both individuals chose to live a life away from the spotlight- they didnt want prying eyes to remind them of the horrors of their past and to haunt them more than it already did. A few years later, Babcock watched a miniseries based on her mother, and it broke her heard and her life went on a downward spiral, ABC reported. She described him as a "bushy haired stranger". Star Witness at Downs' Trial: Her Daughter. A surgeon told ABC News of treating Christie: When I looked at Christie I thought she was dead, he said. The two older kids were Diane's with ex-husband Steve, however, Danny wasn't Steve's. Christie is now in her forties, according to Tuko, and the accident left her with a speech handicap. But Im on track and Im really happy with the way life is.. Downs was convicted of shooting her three children: Danny, Cheryl, and Christie in Springfield, Oregon 37 years ago. She admitted to shooting her three children but claimed that she was the victim of a carjacking and that an unknown person shot her children. Downs was found guilty in June 1984, and sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years. On May 19, 1983, Elizabeth Diane Downs and her three small children were shot on a country road near Springfield, Oregon. Powered by. Diane Downs became one of the most infamous murderers in the city after she was convicted of shooting her three children, killing one of them, along a roadway in Springfield, Oregon. Christie is married and had a baby boy in 2005. [11] The forensic evidence did not match her story; there was no blood spatter on the driver's side of the car, nor was there any gunpowder residue on the driver's door or on the interior door panel. What did she look like? Christie, now in her mid-40s, still lives in Oregon, in Springfield, and has a big, loving family. A break in the case finally came when investigators discovered Downs' secret diaries. Twitter They told of her obsession with a married man who didn't want her kids around. In 1983, Diane Downs' three children were brought to an Oregon hospital with gunshot wounds. And Christie Downs, the only witness to the crime (her younger brother Danny was believed to have been asleep at the time), had suffered a stroke that impaired her speech and prevented her from telling police what she had seen. She then ran away from home and married husband, Steven Downs, in 1973, with whom she had three children - Christie Ann, Cheryl Lynn and Stephen "Danny" Daniel. It was May 19, 1983, a warm spring night. While they were unable to find the weapon, they found unfired casings in her home with extractor markings from the murder weapon. Downs is serving a life sentence for shooting her children, killing one They married in 1973, before divorcing in 1980. Downs was a notorious killer in Oregon, convicted in the 1983 shooting of her three children that left one of them dead. When then-prosecutor Fred Hugi asked Christie if she remembered who shot her, Christie Downs replied, "My mom.". I have used the term verbal vomit when talking' about Diane because she talked a lot. In the frantic scene, hospital employees quickly determined that Cheryl was already dead and that Christie and Danny were clinging to life. When police arrived at the scene, Downs, 27 at the time, told them a bizarre story of being flagged down by a bushy-haired stranger on a dark and deserted country road. ET on ABC. She says it was during the struggle with the stranger that she was shot in the arm. She took a detour off of Marcola Road onto Old Mohawk Road to do some sightseeing., By this time it was dark, and the kids were sleeping. [22] She received an additional five-year sentence for the escape. Her pupils were dilated. Where are Diane Downs' children now? The baby was taken by the state and delivered to adoptive parents. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Subsequent investigations revealed that she had a strong motive to kill her children. [5] When Downs went to trial in May 1984, she was again pregnant. Jaeger says Downs told her she had picked someone on her postal route to seduce prior to her arrest. She also made a number of statements that both police and hospital workers considered highly inappropriate.[3]. California author Diane Burroughs studied writing and television production at Columbia College and is a writer and producer for sitcoms for television - Married.with Children, Murphy Brown, Martin, The Drew Carey Show, Yes, Dear, and Still Standing - a blogger at Left at 50, and a standup comedienne. Powered by. The horrific crime, which Downs has always denied committing, is the subject of a 20/20 documentary that is airing on June 21, 2019 in an encore presentation. She loves us. She told ABC, The impact of Diane Downs being my mom has altered the course of my life so many times. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3, were inside her blood-soaked car, shot at close range. Where is Diane Downs today? As for Danny, he has kept his life private. "They have grown up in a very happy home with the Hugis.. We just ignored it, Wilhite said. And his response was, 'I want your car.' I cant remember a specific time when my mom or dad said youre adopted. But when I was about eight years old, I started asking questions about the adoption. Email us atexclusive@the-sun.comor call212 416 4552. Most damaging, witnesses saw her car being driven very slowly toward the hospital, at an estimated speed of 57mph (811km/h)contradicting her claim that she drove to the hospital at a high speed after the shooting. According to Oprah.com, Christie and Dannyhave chosen to live private lives. In 1989, the Associated Press reported that then 14-year-old Christie Ann was left with speech impairment, and 9-year-old Danny is paralyzed from the waist down. Danny was permanently paralyzed from the waist down as a result of his injuries. I was afraid of how am I going to handle all this? he added. [15] Christie Downs, Diane Downs' first child who testified at her trial, suffers from a speech disability. By the time she arrived at the hospital, Cheryl, seven, was already dead and the other two children had suffered devastating injuries. Danny is said to be going about his daily routine, but specifics regarding his personal life, such as his spouse and children, have remained a mystery, according to Tuko. [3][14], Downs was convicted on all charges on June 17, 1984, and sentenced to life in prison plus fifty years. Not just a son, but a couple of other children as well, including a daughter, who she named after her dead sister, Cheryl. Christie is now in her forties, according to Tuko, and the accident left her with a speech handicap. On May 19, 1983, Diane Downs drove herself and her three children to an emergency room in Springfield, Oregon, saying she had been shot by a "bushy-haired ma. When Wilhite went to go update Downs on her daughters condition, he said he was surprised by her reaction. Following the crimes, she made claims to police that a man had attempted to carjack her and had shot the children. May 12, 2010 -- Late one May night in 1983, Diane Downs sped into an emergency room dropoff in Springfield, Ore., with a horrifying story to tell. Diane Downs and her three children They raise many concerns over her three-decade old conviction for the shooting of her three children, one of whom died, and say even the most basic tests for courts were not met or passed. DIANE Downs is serving a life sentence for horrific crimes she committed against her own children. Her pupils were dilated. Diane didn't show much grievance for her murdered daughter and her two children that were in critical conditions. Her three children -- 8-year-old Christie, 7-year-old Cheryl and 3 . In 1983, Diane Downs three children were brought to an Oregon hospital with gunshot wounds. And I thought to myself, What am I going to do with three shot children?. Too much for her own good, Welch said. In court, according to Glamour, prosecutors argued that Downs motive to get rid of her children stemmed from the fact that her boyfriend at the time did not want kids. She was denied parole in 2008 and again in 2010. Doug Welch, then a detective with the Lane County Sheriff's Office, remembers getting the call for what would turn out to be his first homicide investigation. [24] In 2010, she was relocated to the Valley State Prison for Women in Chowchilla, California,[23] but was transferred out when the facility was converted to an all-male institution in 2013.[25]. When I looked in the mailbox and saw her letter, it was like Pandoras box. Downs then said she pretended to throw her car keys in a bush and the man went to go look for them. ', I didnt just tear it open and start reading, Babcock tells the show. "They have both graduated from college. She tried to cut her wrists when she was 13 years old. Police arrested Downs Feb. 28, 1984, nine months after the shootings. It hasnt been easy, but it has been worth it. [3] Much of the case against her rested on the testimony of her surviving daughter, Christie, who, once she recovered her ability to speak, described how her mother shot all three children while parked at the side of the road, and then shot herself in the arm. And why are the kids fatally or near-fatally wounded, and she, being right-handed, is shot in the left arm? [13], Prosecutors argued that Downs shot her children to be free of them, so that she could continue her affair with Knickerbocker, as she claimed that he let it be known that he did not want children in his life. Downs said she then faked throwing her keys to divert the gunman's attention, pushed him out of the way, jumped back in her car and raced to the hospital with her badly wounded children. [1], Elizabeth Diane Downs was born on August 7, 1955 in Phoenix, Arizona, to Wesley Linden (19302017) and Willadene (Engle) Frederickson. This is why I chose to tell my story. In 1987, just three years into her sentence, Downs escaped from the correctional facility in Oregon where she was being held. 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. Downs said she then faked throwing her keys to divert the gunman's attention, pushed him out of the way, jumped back in her car and raced to the hospital with her badly wounded children. He was instead a result of an affair Diane had with a married man. They also found a diary in which she expressed a desire to be with a married man, and the focus of the investigation shifted to Downs herself. Elizabeth Diane Downs talks about her conviction for killing her 7 year old daughter and wounding two of her other children in Springfield, Ore., during an interview at the Correctional Institute for Woman in Clinton, N.J., March 12, 1989. READ MORE: abcn.ws/2W9dzyC In 1983, Diane Downs. 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