what happened to diane downs children

[29] Lane County District Attorney Douglas Harcleroad wrote to the parole board: Downs continues to fail to demonstrate any honest insight into her criminal behavior even after her convictions, she continues to fabricate new versions of events under which the crimes occurred.[29] He also wrote that she alternately refers to her assailants as a bushy-haired stranger, two men wearing ski masks, or drug dealers and corrupt law enforcement officials.[29] Downs participated in the hearing from the Valley State Prison for Women. Why does a mom with three sleeping children in the car stop for a stranger or anyone for that matter? He and his wife, Joanne, legally adopted the children in 1986. Doug Welch remembers getting the call for what would turn out to be his first homicide investigation. Rebecca wrote to Downs in her younger years, and has stated that she regrets the contact, regarding her mother as a monster.[20] [21]. Meanwhile, Christie Downs was slowly beginning to tell what she remembered of the shootings. [30][31][1] Downs maintained her innocence in all parole hearings. Anne Bradley Jaeger was a local reporter for ABC affiliate KEZI in Eugene, Ore., at the time. They told of her obsession with a married man who didn't want her kids around. We believe the motive for the shooting was to get Nick up here to Oregon to be with her. Downs was initially incarcerated at the Oregon Women's Correctional Center in Salem. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. After leaving the public eye in 2010, she spoke to ABC News' "20/20" to share her life now. The circumstances of Becky Babcocks birth were troubled to say the least. And as she drove down the road, a man stepped out from the brush, the side of the road, and she stopped the car. He worked quickly and eventually was able to revive Christie. However, according to her interviews and Facebook page, Becky today appears to have forged a successful life. She wed Steve Downs in 1973 when she was just 17 and the couple had two children together . "Why would I have taken my kids to the hospital?" Christies Facebook page shows she has children, has a different married last name, and is living in Oregon. But what happened to Diane Downs' husband? And the kids-- one is fatally shot and the other two are seriously injured., Welch said there were a lot of problems with her story and by the end of the interview, we knew that she had been lying'.. She named the fourth baby Amy Elizabeth before the state handed her over to her adoptive parents. He then opened the driver's side door and shot all 3 of her children. READ MORE: abcn.ws/2W9dzyC In 1983, Diane Downs. Copyright 2023 Distractify. Jaeger said. [15] Christie Downs, Diane Downs' first child who testified at her trial, suffers from a speech disability. 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 statement to Heavy, Terry Thornton, Deputy Press Secretary of California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, stated, Elizabeth Diane Downs, 64, is currently housed at Central California Womens Facility. Reporter Ann Jaeger remembers worrying that Downs' pregnancy could affect the way jurors viewed her. I've never been so hyped in my life.. Diane Downs children: Where are Christie and Stephen now? "Wouldn't I have made sure they were dead and then cried crocodile tears? Christie and Danny were adopted by Lane County Prosecutor Fred Hugi and his wife, Joanne, in 1984. She went to the University of Oregon and now lives with her husband and children in the town. 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. Downs was found guilty in June, and sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years. Diane Downs now: Her most recent prison photo from 2018. District Attorney Fred Hugi asked Christie if she remembered who shot her. Her pupils were dilated. But surgeon Steve Wilhite managed to revive Christie after her blood pressure dipped dangerously low and she suffered a stroke. [2], On November 13, 1973, Diane married Steve Downs after running away from home. I have used the term verbal vomit when talking' about Diane because she talked a lot. On Facebook, Becky wrote that she works at Pain management and went to Redmond High School. She tells ABC, The impact of Diane Downs being my mom has altered the course of my life so many times. I wanted to relate to her not as a mother, because I had a mother just as somebody who felt the pain and the emptiness that I felt in that time., She wrote back super quickly, Babcock says. She was convicted in 1984 and sentenced to life in prison plus fifty years. 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. In 1983, horror stuck in Oregon as a mother took it upon herself to end the life of her own children. Two of the kids survived the shooting with life altering injuries, and one of the children died. Christie is married and had a baby boy in 2005. 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. Diane Downs laughs while reenacting shooting of 3 children: Part 2 Police found Downs' behavior suspicious. I showered, slept for 4 hours, woke up and drank water, then went back to sleep for 16 more hours, she wrote. She's doing well. Her pupils were dilated. Despite being convicted, Downs has always maintained her innocence. Today, 35-year-old Babcock works as a behavioral health coordinator for children in Salem, Oregon. During the time they were together, Diane gave birth to three children, Stephen "Danny" Daniel (born 1979), Cheryl Lynn (born 1976), and Christie Ann (born 1974). The two older kids were Diane's with ex-husband Steve, however, Danny wasn't Steve's. I was afraid of how am I going to handle all this? he added. 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. And she's not. The surgeon who helped to save Christie's life told ABC News: When I looked at Christie I thought she was dead. I have never changed my story.[29] Her first parole hearing was on December 9, 2008. [32], Last edited on 17 February 2023, at 03:51, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, "Diane Downs: Her Children Got in the Way of Her Love", "The True Story of Diane Downs: How a Mother Shot Her 3 Kids for Her Lover", "Woman on finding peace after learning mother is child killer Diane Downs: 'Though that's biologically my makeup, it's not who I am inside', "Woman finds peace after learning mother is convicted child killer Diane Downs", Christie Downs: Three Years Old Murder Survival of the 80s, "Becky Babcock: My Mother Was a Murderer", "Becky Babcock: A Girl's Fight to Escape her Mother's Crimes", "Diane Downs: Her Children Got in the Way of Her Love', "Diane Downs maintains innocence as parole hearing looms", "Diane Downs Denied by Oregon Parole Board", "Diane Downs Latest Parole Hearing is Next Month", "Where Is Diane Downs Today? After that, she was charged with killing her 7-year-old daughter. She named the fourth baby Amy Elizabeth before the state handed her over to her adoptive parents. Diane Downs is an American murder convict who has been serving a life sentence since 1984. Anne Jaeger was a local reporter for KEZI in Eugene, Ore., at the time. [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. (Featured Image Credit: ABC News / 20/20). Not one tear. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3 . 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In the frantic scene, hospital employees quickly determined that Cheryl was already dead and that Christie and Danny were clinging to life. Convicted child killer Diane Downs is seen on a video as the Oregon parole board unanimously rules that she remains dangerous and must stay in prison during a hearing at Chemeketa Community College in Salem, Ore., Dec. 10, 2010. 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. Her 7-year old daughter Cheryl died, but her 3-year old son Danny and her 8-year old daughter Christie survived. Christie is married and had a baby boy in 2005. Her blood pressure was non-existent or very low. [8][9] Upon arrival, Cheryl (aged 7) was already dead, Danny (aged 3) was paralyzed from the waist down, and Christie (aged 8) had suffered a disabling stroke. Diane Downs gave birth to four children. I still worry about them and love them, though theyll never know it.. 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. Elizabeth Diane Downs ( ne Frederickson; born August 7, 1955) is an American criminal who murdered her daughter and attempted to murder her other two children near Springfield, Oregon, in May 1983. I chose to, in a sense, allow her into my life.. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. Elizabeth Diane Downs (ne Frederickson; born August 7, 1955) is an American criminal who murdered her daughter and attempted to murder her other two children near Springfield, Oregon, in May 1983. He was instead a result of an affair Diane had with a married man. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3, were inside her blood-soaked car, shot at close range. When Wilhite went to go update Downs on her daughters condition, he said he was surprised by her reaction. [She said] she had been out visiting a friend who had a horse up in the Marcola area -- she and the kids -- and when it grew dark they headed home. ET. Danny and Christie survived the attack while middle child, Cheryl, died from her injuries at the time. Becky Babcock was born while Diane was incarcerated. I had a great family, a great life. Danny was the product of an affair. As an adult, Rebecca (Becky) appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show[18] and ABC's 20/20,[19] where she discussed how she felt about her biological mother. 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. 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. The baby was taken by the state and delivered to adoptive parents. she said in an interview. 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. In the frantic scene, hospital employees quickly determined that Cheryl was already dead and that Christie and Danny were clinging to life. 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. [28], In her first application for parole in 2008, Downs reaffirmed her innocence. And I thought to myself, What am I going to do with three shot children?. 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. 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. There were all kinds of red flags that went up as we took her statement, but we wanted her to give us a complete statement, Welch said. the incident happened on a dark road that led to Diane being accused of murder and attempted murder. "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.". 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 . But surgeon Steve Wilhite managed to revive Christie after her blood pressure dipped dangerously low and she suffered a stroke. However, investigators and hospital workers became suspicious, because they decided that Downs' manner was too calm for a person who had just experienced such a traumatic event. Becky Babcock is speaking out about her infamous mother, Diane Downs, who was convicted of killing her own 7-year-old child and attempting to murder her other two children, ages 8 and 3, in . [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. 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Abc News / 20/20 ) two older kids were Diane 's with ex-husband Steve, however, to! 1984 and sentenced to life when she was 11 years old, ABC reported shot. To Downs in her first parole hearing was on December 9, 2008 ABC, the impact of Diane now... Eugene, Ore., at the time scene, hospital employees quickly that... The shooting with life altering injuries, and sentenced to life in prison plus years!, `` Sun Online '' are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited at... End the life of her own children was charged with killing her daughter! Obsession with a married man who did n't want her kids around living in Oregon and then crocodile. Suffers from a speech disability and the couple had two children together a stranger anyone! Result of an affair Diane had with a married man older kids were 's... Had with a married man who did n't want her kids around state prison for Women her younger,... 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