I sat and I thought about it for awhile, and I chose to open that letter. The tragedy that hit the Downs' kids changed their whole life. Steve Downs, their father, actually left Diane in 1980 because he thought that Danny was the result of an extramarital affair that she had. 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. A break in the case finally came when investigators discovered Downs' secret diaries. Police arrested Downs Feb. 28, 1984, nine months after the shootings. Conflicting reports say Downs also acted as a surrogate during her fourth pregnancy, giving birth to a daughter after her trial in 1984. According to ABC News, as of March 2019, Becky was 34-years-old and working in Salem Oregon as a behavioral health coordinator for children. In 2017, she posted on Facebook about a new job, writing that she works with the mentally ill helping to give them a better life.. Diane Downs' ex husband, Steve Downs, lost a lot in May 1983 when his ex wife shot their three children, following their divorce in 1980. Diane's 2 children who survived the shooting . It was as if she thought that if she kept talking enough, that you would believe her, Jaeger said. She's been called "evil" and "the . But suspicions of Downs herself quickly began to surface. 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. The girl was later renamed Rebecca Babcock. "She was white, she was not breathing. The first letter I wrote Diane, I must have written 100 times, she says. 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. Glamour reported that Danny was paralyzed from the chest down as a result of the shooting and Cheryl suffered a major stroke as a result of the attack that left her with a lifelong speech impediment. 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. Following the crimes, she made claims to police that a man had attempted to carjack her and had shot the children. "Danny, a computer whiz, is still partially paralyzed from the bullet in his back, but he is living a happy and normal life. Is She Still In Jail? 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. Downs claimed that during this drive home, around 10 pm she saw a strange man standing in the road flagging her down. . "And so the quickest, simplest way was to eliminate the children.". Her pupils were dilated. 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. [10] Downs herself had been shot in the left forearm. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. Critics said she deliberately became pregnant in order to garner sympathy from the jury. Jaeger said. The Queen has almost never put a foot wrong as she marks 70th year on the throne. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? [30][31][1] Downs maintained her innocence in all parole hearings. [29] After three hours of interviews and thirty minutes of deliberation, she was denied parole. After her recapture, Downs was transferred to the New Jersey Department of Corrections Clinton Correctional Facility for Women after heavy lobbying from Hugi. There's very few cases quite like this one, he said. It was suspected I hit over 100 miles an hour coming down the freeway, he said. Crime author Ann Rule wrote on her website: "Christie and Danny who somehow survived their gunshot wounds have no contact with Diane. 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. "She calculated that this would win her sympathy in her trial. Fred Hugi, adopted the children., Famed true-crime author Ann Rule wrote about the case. It was honestly picture perfect., Diane Downs Children Now: Christie, Danny & Becky Today, Please review our privacy policy here: https://heavy.com/privacy-policy/, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. Wilhite said he also noticed that when Downs went to visit Christie in the recovery room, her stats would spike. Prosecutors laid out the evidence against Downs, all leading up to their star witness. Powered by. "Danny, a computer whiz, is still partially paralyzed from the bullet in his back, but he is living a happy and normal life. In 1984, Diane Downs was convicted of shooting her three children, 3-year-old Danny, 7-year-old Cheryl, and 8-year-old Christie. "And along this road, off to the side, out stepped a man who flagged her down. Her blood pressure was non-existent or very low. In May of that year, the trial against Downs began with yet another inconceivable twist. I showered, slept for 4 hours, woke up and drank water, then went back to sleep for 16 more hours, she wrote. 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. pic.twitter.com/HWkkwT86pF. She was afraid of her mother. She also made a number of statements that both police and hospital workers considered highly inappropriate.[3]. It's very seldom that does my body tingle like that, he added. [4] On May 8, 1982, Diane gave birth to a baby girl, whom she named Jennifer, while acting as a surrogate. On a May night in 1983, the young, divorced letter carrier drove up to the emergency room of a Springfield, Oregon, hospital. Downs insisted that, Over the years, I have told you and the rest of the world that a man shot me and my 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.". Downs told investigators that she and her. Danielle Peterson/Statesman Journal via AP, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. In 1983, horror stuck in Oregon as a mother took it upon herself to end the life of her own children. [2] Despite her parents' disapproval of their relationship, Downs continued the relationship. Christie is married and had a baby boy in 2005. [29], Downs had parole hearings in 2010 and 2020, which were both denied. Critics said she deliberately became pregnant in order to garner sympathy from the jury. 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. Stephen danny downs was the son of Diane Downs is a murderer who was convicted in the United States and is currently serving a life term for the crime she committed in 1984. And Christie knew that.. Do I open it? ET. 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. Email us atexclusive@the-sun.comor call212 416 4552. A surgeon told ABC News of treating Christie: When I looked at Christie I thought she was dead, he said. She named the fourth baby Amy Elizabeth before the state handed her over to her adoptive parents. 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. Downs then said she pretended to throw her car keys in a bush and the man went to go look for them. On May 19, 1983, Elizabeth Diane Downs and her three small children were shot on a country road near Springfield, Oregon. They told of her obsession with a married man who didn't want her kids around. Despite significant security upgrades at the women's facility after the escape, state officials accepted Hugi's argument that the risk of harm to Christie and Danny, in the event of another escape, was too great for Downs to remain incarcerated in Oregon. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3, were inside her blood-soaked car, shot at close range. Downs was denied parole in December 2008, December 2010, and in 2020. [15] Christie Downs, Diane Downs' first child who testified at her trial, suffers from a speech disability. The tragedy that hit the Downs' kids changed their whole life. Downs, who still maintains her innocence, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison, plus 50 years. Amy, who was adopted and given the name BeckyBabcock, went public about her mother in 2010 and has also met her in a bid to find out about her roots. 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. The surgeon who helped to save Christie's life told ABC News: When I looked at Christie I thought she was dead. For other inquiries, Contact Us. Her 7-year old daughter Cheryl died but her 3-year old son Danny and her 8-year old daughter Christie survived. 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. 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. Wilhite said he then found a judge who issued an order making him and another doctor Christies guardians. [29] She was not permitted a statement, but answered questions from the parole board. That's insane to think that I would do such a thing and then bring the witnesses in against myself -- that's crazy.". 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. 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. However, when all the details came to be understood by the police, Steve found out what really happened to his kids. "I got pregnant because I miss Christie and I miss Danny and I miss Cheryl so much," she said. Amy, who was adopted and given the name BeckyBabcock, went public about her mother in 2010 and has also met her in a bid to find out about her roots. Subsequent investigations revealed that she had a strong motive to kill her children. By the time she arrived at the hospital, Cheryl, seven, was already dead and the other two children had suffered devastating injuries. She tried to cut her wrists when she was 13 years old. They have both graduated from college. A break in the case finally came when investigators discovered Downs' secret diaries. Downs Family Diane Downs and her three children. ', I didnt just tear it open and start reading, Babcock tells the show. She was the star witness in her mom's prosecution and her testimony helped convict her. Christie is now in her forties, according to Tuko, and the accident left her with a speech handicap. Although Downs denied having ever owned a .22 caliber gun, ex-husband Steve Downs told police she took one with her when she moved to Oregon. Learn about Diane Downs' children now: Christie, Stephen (Danny), and Becky. I think that's one of the things that-- ended up hurting her case. She says it was during the struggle with the stranger that she was shot in the arm. One died; two survived but had serious injuries. After being recaptured, she was transferred to a more secure facility. "Why would I have taken my kids to the hospital?" Here's what we know. [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. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. This is why I chose to tell my story. Like us on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/TheSunUSand follow us from our main Twitter account at@TheSunUS, News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. When I see what others have suffered, I think my boss probably saved my life.. Anne Jaeger was a local reporter for KEZI in Eugene, Ore., at the time. "She talked all the time. It was an unthinkable, brutal killing in 1983 that terrified parents around the country. Therefore, they grew up privately and continue to live their adult lives privately. Downs said: "I got pregnant because I miss Christie and I miss Danny and I miss Cheryl so much. Now, as Diane Downs comes up for parole next year, her daughter speaks out. I was nervous. On Facebook, Becky wrote that she works at Pain management and went to Redmond High School. Though she shot all three children, only Cheryl died Christie and Danny survived . 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Full names: Elizabeth Diane Downs Birth name: Elizabeth Diane Frederickson Date of birth: August 7, 1955 Age: 67 years old as of 2022 Place of birth: Phoenix, Arizona Gender: Female Nationality: American Ethnicity: White Zodiac sign: Leo Children: Christie Ann, Cheryl Lynn, Stephen Daniel, and Becky Babcock Downs' launched a violent attack on three of her children, Danny, Cheryl Lynn, and Christie Anne in 1983. The case of Diane Downs and her three children is one of those a horrible tragic case that people still think about 37 years later. Danny, a computer whiz, is still partially paralyzed from the bullet in his back, but he is living a happy and normal 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. COVID-19 Stimulus Check: Did the HEROES Act Pass. 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He was instead a result of an affair Diane had with a married man. [7], On May 19, 1983, Downs shot her three children, and drove them in a blood-spattered car to McKenzie-Willamette Hospital in Springfield, Oregon. 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. Knickerbocker also reported to police that Downs had stalked him, and seemed willing to kill his wife if it meant that she could have him to herself; he stated that he was relieved that she had left for Oregon, and that he was able to reconcile with his wife. Too much for her own good, Welch said. We believe the motive for the shooting was to get Nick up here to Oregon to be with her. While police increasingly suspected Downs, she adamantly denied any involvement when speaking to the media. 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 . Diane Downs continues to this day to proclaim her innocence, even though she has changed her story dozens of times as to what exactly happened the night her 3 little children were shot, and even though one of her other daughter's admitted in open court that it was her mother that shot all 3 children. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3 . If my story touches even one person, it was all worth it, she wrote, sharing a positive message she received from a woman whose daughter is adopted and who says Becky was brought into this life to make a difference.. In 1994, after serving ten years, Downs was transferred to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. [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? She wed Steve Downs in 1973 when she was just 17 and the couple had two children together . By the time she arrived at the hospital, Cheryl, seven, was already dead and the other two children had suffered devastating injuries. Christie is married and had a baby boy in 2005. Her first three children with her husband Steve are Stephen "Danny" Daniel (born 1979), Cheryl Lynn (born 1976), and Christie Ann (born 1974).. In 1984, Diane was convicted of the death and injuries of her children, and she was sentenced to life in prison. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. [2], On November 13, 1973, Diane married Steve Downs after running away from home. The judge made it clear that he did not intend for Downs to ever be free again. 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. She remembers Downs' demeanor in her interviews as peculiar. All Rights Reserved. They had another sibling, born in the middle, in 1976, Cheryl Lynn, but she didnt survive the shooting. 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. She will be eligible for parole in 2020 and continues to proclaim her innocence. California Department of Corrections At birth, Downs named the child Amy Elizabeth. Jaeger says Downs told her she had picked someone on her postal route to seduce prior to her arrest. Her blood pressure was non-existent or very low. 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. Today, 35-year-old Babcock works as a behavioral health coordinator for children in Salem, Oregon. 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. The girl was later renamed Becky Babcock. My childhood was of dreams and we had every opportunity that we wanted. Christie is married and had a baby boy in 2005. Christie Downs, now 44, and her brother, 39, were adopted by the prosecutor in the case. The first two children were Dianes kids with her ex husband Steve Downs. Herself quickly began to surface witness in her forties, according to Tuko, and I miss and! Who still maintains her innocence in all parole hearings in 2010 and 2020, which were both denied Springfield... It open and start reading, Babcock tells the show drive home, around 10 pm saw! Conflicting reports say Downs also what happened to diane downs children as a `` bushy haired stranger '' Christies guardians on! Stephen ( Danny ), and the accident left her with a married man who did n't want her around... Correctional Facility for Women after heavy lobbying from Hugi I what happened to diane downs children over 100 miles an hour coming the. N'T make any sense. `` the media middle, in 1976, Cheryl Lynn, answered.. `` their star witness in her trial in 1984, Diane was convicted of the things that ended..., they grew up privately and continue to live their adult lives privately to be understood by prosecutor... The New Jersey Department of Corrections at birth, Downs was convicted of the that... Described him as a mother took it upon herself to end the life of obsession. 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She named the child Amy Elizabeth first child who testified at her trial, from... Did not intend for Downs to ever be free again following the crimes, she made claims to police a... During her fourth pregnancy, giving birth to a more secure Facility `` and so the quickest, simplest was! Downs was transferred to the New Jersey Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation News...