Like us on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/TheSunUSand follow us from our main Twitter account at@TheSunUS, News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. It was an unthinkable, brutal killing in 1983 that terrified parents around the country. Is Oregon relatively virus-free, or are my children in greater danger than the red circle size suggests? She has a son (born 2005) and a daughter, whom she named Cheryl in memory of her late sister. Downs told investigators that she and her. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3, were inside her blood-soaked car, shot at close range. Danielle Peterson/Statesman Journal via AP, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. "You cant replace children, but you can replace the effect they give you. 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. After being recaptured, she was transferred to a more secure facility. She's the biggest threat to him, not three sleeping children.". Between the verdict and sentencing, the court recessed so that Downs could give birth to a girl she named Amy Elizabeth. Star Witness at Downs' Trial: Her Daughter. Conflicting reports say Downs also acted as a surrogate during her fourth pregnancy, giving birth to a daughter after her trial in 1984. 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. We found that Diane Downs was emotionally flat. 1983: Diane Downs Attempts to Murder Her Three Children. Twitter ", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diane_Downs&oldid=1139832541, Incarcerated; earliest possible release 2025, This page was last edited on 17 February 2023, at 03:51. Suspicions heightened when Downs, upon arrival at the hospital to visit her children, phoned Robert Knickerbocker, a married man and former coworker in Arizona with whom she had been having an affair. That girl was later renamed Rebecca "Becky" Babcock.[6]. Ten days after her sentencing, Downs gave birth to a daughter named Amy Elizabeth. Christie is married and had a baby boy in 2005. Babcock learned who her mother was at age 11, after tricking her babysitter to divulge the name. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Diane didn't show much grievance for her murdered daughter and her two children that were in critical conditions. It's not even known if he still resides in Arizona, where he used to live with Diane and their three kids. Thirty-five years ago, Diane Downs, now 64, was convicted of shooting her three children Danny, Cheryl, and Christie in Springfield, Oregon. In the frantic scene, hospital employees quickly determined that Cheryl was already dead and that Christie and Danny were clinging to life. In 1984, Diane was convicted of the death and injuries of her children, and she was sentenced to life in prison. Prior to being sentenced, Downs gave birth to a girl she named Amy Elizabeth. May 14, 2010 -- On June 17, 1984, Diane Downs was found guilty of shooting her three children, killing one. [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. After months of physical and mental therapy, Christie Downs was able to take the stand and tell what happened to her that horrible night. We believe the motive for the shooting was to get Nick up here to Oregon to be with her. He then opened the driver's side door and shot all 3 of her children. 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. According to Glamour, the motive given for why Diane shot her kids was thought to be because the married man she was seeing at the time did not want any children. He and his wife, Joanne, legally adopted the children in 1986. Diane Downs children: Where are Christie and Stephen now? I sat and I thought about it for awhile, and I chose to open that letter. One died; two survived but had serious injuries. The baby was taken by the state and delivered to adoptive parents. She loves us. When she was asked who shot them, she replied with, my mom. After everything was said and done, and Diane was convicted, both Christie and Danny went to live with Fred Hugi, the lead prosecutor in the case. After months of physical and mental therapy, Christie Downs was finally able to take the stand and tell what happened to her that horrible night. He and his wife, Joanne, adopted them in 1986. DIANE Downs is serving a life sentence for horrific crimes she committed against her own children. She was afraid of her mother. When she got out to talk to this man, he immediately demanded that she give him her car keys, Downs claimed she refused and they got into a physical altercation that resulted in him shooting her in the left arm. Growing up, Diane followed those values, however, after the age of 14, she became more rebellious and eventually dropped "Elizabeth" from her name and went by Diane. An appeal of . COVID-19 Stimulus Check: Did the HEROES Act Pass. Diane Downs was convicted of shooting her 3 children, killing 1, in 1983. If youre here because youre curious to know where the surviving children are now, youve come to the right place. Downs was denied parole in December 2008, December 2010, and in 2020. Diane Downs children: Where are Christie and Stephen now? The woman who was on trial for shooting her own children was pregnant again -- and it was no accident. [3][14], Downs was convicted on all charges on June 17, 1984, and sentenced to life in prison plus fifty years. pic.twitter.com/HWkkwT86pF. She was white She was not breathing. Hospital employees determined that then-7-year-old Cheryl was already dead and that then-8-year-old Christie and then-3-year-old Danny were clinging to life. Her pupils were dilated. 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 was later adopted by another family. A surgeon told ABC News of treating Christie: When I looked at Christie I thought she was dead, he said. Jaeger says Downs told her she had picked someone on her postal route to seduce prior to her arrest. [1], Elizabeth Diane Downs was born on August 7, 1955 in Phoenix, Arizona, to Wesley Linden (19302017) and Willadene (Engle) Frederickson. And, considering how the emotionally flat blonde responded to the whole experience of the shooting, the trial, and the conviction, it was no surprise that ABCs 20/20 decided to cover the case. She was convicted in 1984 and sentenced to life in prison plus fifty years. Elizabeth Diane Downs, the convicted childkiller who escaped July 11, 1987 from the women's prison in Salem, Ore., is escorted out of state police headquarters in Salem following her capture July 21, 1987. Fearing there could be a gun-wielding killer on the loose, police released information to the public to be on the lookout. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. He responded to McKenzie-Willamette Hospital and immediately interviewed Downs, a postal worker. [22] She received an additional five-year sentence for the escape. The Daughter of Diane Downs. In 1983, horror stuck in Oregon as a mother took it upon herself to end the life of her own children. "She saw the kids as a burden, they were in the way and he wasn't going to join her as long as she had the kids," Welch said. Her first three children with her husband Steve are Stephen "Danny" Daniel (born 1979), Cheryl Lynn (born 1976), and Christie Ann (born 1974).. In a sense, Diane was her own worst enemy.". Police arrested Downs Feb. 28, 1984, nine months after the shootings. [26] The book documented accounts by friends, acquaintances, neighbors, and her surviving daughter, Christie, who questioned the quality of her parenting. 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. Becky is the fourth and youngest child of Diane who is currently serving a life sentence for shooting three of . After Diane was convicted, the two living children were adopted by the prosecutor in the case and his wife, and it was Christie who ultimately pointed to her mother being responsible for the shooting. In 1987, just three years into her sentence, Downs escaped from the correctional facility in Oregon where she was being held. What did she do?. Becky Babcock was born while Diane was incarcerated. "She couldn't keep her mouth shut," Welch said. "She talked all the time. After being recaptured, she was transferred to a more secure facility. During the search for the strange gunman Diane kept giving bizarre interviews , one of the detectives on the case stated "she couldn't keep her mouth shut" ("The Diane Downs Story", 2010). Where are Diane Downs' children now? 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. DNA Test Kits Are Helping Solve Cold Cases Decades Later, After Nearly a Year, There Could Finally be an Investigation Into the Death of Elijah McClain. A break in the case finally came when investigators discovered Downs' secret diaries. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. But Im on track and Im really happy with the way life is.. Why is she wounded in the arm? "She was white, she was not breathing. District Attorney Fred Hugi asked Christie if she remembered who shot her. she said in an interview. [2][3] Their first child, Christie Ann, was born in 1974. The more she talked, and she talked a lot and frequently, the more she talked, the more things didn't make any sense. She named the fourth baby Amy Elizabeth before the state handed her over to her adoptive parents. I have used the term verbal vomit when talking' about Diane because she talked a lot. A judge had already placed Downs' two surviving children in protective custody. Wilhite, a general surgeon, checked the page -- in those days you didn't have cell phones, he said -- and was instantly filled with dread and adrenaline. The Queen has almost never put a foot wrong as she marks 70th year on the throne. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3, were inside her blood-soaked car, shot at close range. "They have grown up in a very happy home with the Hugis.. She provides an update on Christie and Danny today, writing on her website: Adopted by Lane County Prosecutor Fred Hugi and his wife, Joanne, in 1984, Christie and Dannywho somehow survived their gunshot woundshave no contact with Diane. Within a few weeks, the kids who had survived were placed in protective custody and were no longer in Steve's care. She went to the University of Oregon and now lives with her husband and children in the town. Christie became the star witness in the case, bravely testifying against her monster mom. She remembers Downs' demeanor in her interviews as peculiar. Jaeger remembers worrying that Downs' pregnancy could affect the way jurors viewed her. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. They have both graduated from college. 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. She's been called "evil" and "the . When then-prosecutor Fred Hugi asked Christie if she remembered who shot her, Christie Downs replied, "My mom.". 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. ', I didnt just tear it open and start reading, Babcock tells the show. [24] While in prison, she earned an associate degree in General Studies. She said she pulled over and got out to talk to the man. Then, 10 days after Diane was sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years, she gave birth to a daughter she named Amy Elizabeth. Late one May night in 1983, Diane Downs sped into an emergency room dropoff in Springfield, Ore., with a horrifying story to tell. Atty. Christies Facebook page shows she has children, has a different married last name, and is living in Oregon. Her three children -- 8-year-old Christie, 7-year-old Cheryl and 3 . A 27-year-old divorced postal service worker, Downs claimed a bushy-haired stranger had shot them and maintains her innocence to this day. Rebecca wrote to Downs in her younger years, and has stated that she regrets the contact, regarding her mother as a monster.[20] [21]. [4] On May 8, 1982, Diane gave birth to a baby girl, whom she named Jennifer, while acting as a surrogate. Diane Downs gave birth to four children. In 1983, Diane Downs' three children were brought to an Oregon hospital with gunshot wounds. Diane Downs laughs while reenacting shooting of 3 children: Part 2 Police found Downs' behavior suspicious. Her mother was on trial for shooting her siblings, and some believed that Diane Downs got pregnant to gain sympathy. Downs was found guilty in June 1984, and sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years. 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. "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. Her blood pressure was non-existent or very low. Prosecutors laid out the evidence against Downs, all leading up to their star witness. March 23, 2019 13:00 Impact x Nightline The Murders Before the Marathon For ten days, Downs managed to evade law enforcementdespite a fourteen-state manhuntbefore she was recaptured. Cheryl died; the other two children survived, but they suffered terrible wounds according to Glamour, the bullets paralyzed Danny and gave Christie a stroke. She told ABC, The impact of Diane Downs being my mom has altered the course of my life so many times. The first letter I wrote Diane, I must have written 100 times, she says. Two of the kids survived the shooting with life altering injuries, and one of the children died. Christie became the star witness in the case, bravely testifying against her monster mom. According to The Cinemaholic, Steve was found to not be a good fit to care for his kids who would need specialized care and had been through a very traumatic event. "Sightseeing when it's pitch black out? On a fateful night in May 1983, she rushed to the emergency ward of a hospital . Christie and Danny were adopted by Lane County Prosecutor Fred Hugi and his wife, Joanne, in 1984. In a two-hour 20/20 documentary, Babcock opens up about learning the truth regarding her infamous mom. Her first three children with her husband Steve are Stephen "Danny" Daniel (born 1979), Cheryl Lynn (born 1976), and Christie Ann (born 1974). The surgeon who helped to save Christie's life told ABC News: When I looked at Christie I thought she was dead. At one point, she communicated with Downs through letters, but those eventually stopped when Babcock asked Downs to stop contacting her. She tried to cut her wrists when she was 13 years old. 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. We've got three children who have been shot, Wilhite told 20/20. And my whole body just tingled. On a May night in 1983, the young, divorced letter carrier drove up to the emergency room of a Springfield, Oregon, hospital. The girl was later renamed Rebecca Babcock. Therefore, they grew up privately and continue to live their adult lives privately. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. While he was looking for the keys, she jumped back in the car and sped off to the nearest hospital. When she [Downs] showed up, her [Christies] pulse rate went up high and you could see terror on her face, Wilihite said. She graduated from the University of Oregon. (Featured Image Credit: ABC News / 20/20). She was required to serve twenty-five years before being considered for parole. Her older two children have remained out of the public eye. 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 that's gone, they took it from me, but children are so easy to conceive.". Whats fascinating, though, is to see how differently her children including the fourth one, who she conceived after her original surviving ones were taken away from her responded to her doings. All Rights Reserved. She was white She was not breathing. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. But what happened to her kids, Christie Ann and Stephen "Danny" Daniel? She described him as a "bushy haired stranger". They have grown up in a very happy home with the Hugis.. Sample Page; ; 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. I mean, she is so close to death, it's unbelievable.. When I see what others have suffered, I think my boss probably saved my life.. What did she look like? Her first three children with her husband Steve are Stephen "Danny" Daniel (born 1979), Cheryl Lynn (born 1976), and Christie Ann (born 1974). 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 . And I said to her, We don't know that. And as long as he said that he wasn't going to be a father to anyone's children, they had to go.. One died; two survived but had serious injuries. 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