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.". She says it was during the struggle with the stranger that she was shot in the arm. Crime author Ann Rule wrote on her website: "Christie and Danny who somehow survived their gunshot wounds have no contact with Diane. [23] The Salem prison was located 66 miles from Hugi's home in Springfield; during her ten days of freedom, Hugi had feared that Downs would attempt to travel there in hopes of contacting her children, Christie and Danny. 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. "Wouldn't I have made sure they were dead and then cried crocodile tears? And got out and ask what he wanted. Christie is now in her forties, according to Tuko, and the accident left her with a speech handicap. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Not just a son, but a couple of other children as well, including a daughter, who she named after her dead sister, Cheryl. She, too, is now a mother. In 1983, horror stuck in Oregon as a mother took it upon herself to end the life of her own children. Since his ex wife was sentenced to life in prison, he has not reappeared in public life nor has he given any television interviews about his family. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. Diane Downs remains in prison in California. [2][3] Their first child, Christie Ann, was born in 1974. Her adoptive parents called her Rebecca Becky Babcock. She said she pulled over and got out to talk to the man. ET) on ABC. Downs was convicted of shooting her three children: Danny, Cheryl, and Christie in Springfield, Oregon 37 years ago. I was afraid of how am I going to handle all this? he added. 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. On July 11, 1987, she escaped from her cell by scaling an eighteen-foot razor wire fence. Prosecutors laid out the evidence against Downs, all leading up to their star witness. 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. In 1983, Diane Downs said stranger shot her 3 kids. READ NEXT: COVID-19 Stimulus Check: Did the HEROES Act Pass? The tragedy that hit the Downs' kids changed their whole life. I had a great family, a great life. [15] Christie Downs, Diane Downs' first child who testified at her trial, suffers from a speech disability. Downs was a notorious killer in Oregon, convicted in the 1983 shooting of her three children that left one of them dead. 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. Downs had been a suspect from the beginning. March 23, 2019 13:00 Impact x Nightline The Murders Before the Marathon "They have both graduated from college. Born June 27, 1984, Becky, 37, is famously known as the daughter of Diane Down, 66. 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. In 1984, Diane Downs was convicted of shooting her three children, 3-year-old Danny, 7-year-old Cheryl, and 8-year-old Christie. Her pupils were dilated. She was denied parole in 2008 and again in 2010. Downs' launched a violent attack on three of her children, Danny, Cheryl Lynn, and Christie Anne in 1983. COVID-19 Stimulus Check: Did the HEROES Act Pass. What happened to Diane Downs' children? Prosecutors think that Diane had sparked up a relationship with a married man who didnt want kids and that this became the motive for murder. Twitter But Im on track and Im really happy with the way life is.. 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. Late one May night in 1983, Diane Downs sped into an emergency room dropoff in Springfield, Ore., with a horrifying story to tell. ", 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. 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. "Wouldn't I have made sure they were dead and then cried crocodile tears? 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. When I looked in the mailbox and saw her letter, it was like Pandoras box. Dr. Steven Wilhite had just walked into his house after a long day working at a Springfield, Oregon, hospital when his beeper went off. Late one May night in 1983, Diane Downs sped into an emergency room dropoff in Springfield, Ore., with a horrifying story to tell. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. She didn't know when to keep her mouth shut.. They have both graduated from college. Sample Page; ; 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. The girl was later renamed Becky Babcock. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. Email us atexclusive@the-sun.comor call212 416 4552. My childhood was of dreams and we had every opportunity that we wanted. After being recaptured, she was transferred to a more secure facility. She was convicted in 1984 and sentenced to life in prison plus fifty years. Two of the kids survived the shooting with life altering injuries, and one of the children died. 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. 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. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? That's insane to think that I would do such a thing and then bring the witnesses in against myself -- that's crazy.". Now, as Diane Downs comes up for parole next year, her daughter speaks out. A judge had already placed Downs' two surviving children in protective custody. Diane Downs gave birth to four children. https://t.co/cPfs75obUg pic.twitter.com/uSnlFF2IRw. While he was looking for the keys, she jumped back in the car and sped off to the nearest hospital. The revelation would shake Becky Babcock's young world and take her on a journey of self-discovery, filled with ups and downs, she said. Her brother Danny was permanently paralyzed from the waist down but both survived. Thank you all for sharing your stories with me and reminding me why I came forward. Unlike her siblings, Becky Babcock has been very public about her mother, granting interviews over the years. Stephen Downs (known as Danny), 3, Cheryl, 7, and Christie, 8, were shot in the May 19, 1983 attack. 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In May of that year, the trial against Downs began with yet another inconceivable twist. Between the verdict and sentencing, the court recessed so that Downs could give birth to a girl she named Amy Elizabeth. 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. In the frantic scene, hospital employees quickly determined that Cheryl was already dead and that Christie and Danny were clinging to life. I knew my entire life that I was adopted, Babcock tells the show in an exclusive clip obtained by PEOPLE. 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. Her Facebook photos showcase a loving family living a normal life. "She was white, she was not breathing. Atty. [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. After Babcock found out about her notorious mother, she decided to make contact. 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. They had another sibling, born in the middle, in 1976, Cheryl Lynn, but she didnt survive the shooting. 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. Although police had found spent .22 caliber bullet casings at the crime scene, an exhaustive search of the area did not turn up the murder weapon. On a May night in 1983, the young, divorced letter carrier drove up to the emergency room of a Springfield, Oregon, hospital. In 1994, after serving ten years, Downs was transferred to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Following the crimes, she made claims to police that a man had attempted to carjack her and had shot the 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. 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. Late one May night in 1983, Diane Downs sped into an emergency room dropoff in Springfield, Ore., with a horrifying story to tell. Diane considered the kids to be a burden or a hindrance to Nick's arrival, Welch said. 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. The stroke Christie Downs suffered impaired her speech and initially prevented her from telling police what she had seen. One died; two survived but had serious injuries. On a fateful night in May 1983, she rushed to the emergency ward of a hospital . Diane's 2 children who survived the shooting . 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. Her pupils were dilated. 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. Wilhite said he was immediately directed to start working to save Christie while another surgeon took Danny. Christie is married and had a baby boy in 2005. After being recaptured, she was transferred to a more secure facility. At birth, Downs named the child Amy Elizabeth. In 1983, Diane Downs' three children were brought to an Oregon hospital with gunshot wounds. 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. 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. It was as if she thought that if she kept talking enough, that you would believe her, Jaeger said. 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. Her mother was on trial for shooting her siblings, and some believed that Diane Downs got pregnant to gain sympathy. 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. Downs had also been shot, in the left forearm, though her wound was not life threatening. Learn about Diane Downs' children now: Christie, Stephen (Danny), and Becky. There was just a little part of me that felt like I was searching for something else. The child was adopted and was later named Rebecca. "I'm never going to see Cheryl on Earth again and I just, you can't replace children, but you can replace the effect they give you. She loves us. A year later, when Diane was arrested and put on trial, Christie, at just 9 years old, having just recovered her ability to speak, testified against her in court. The woman who was on trial for shooting her own children was pregnant again -- and it was no accident. Powered by. [5] When Downs went to trial in May 1984, she was again pregnant. Her pupils were dilated. Via an email sent through her brother, James Frederickson, Downs told OregonLive, Every time the World News shows the big red circles on the national map, I look at Oregon because thats where Christie and Daniel are Compared to other States, it appears Oregons red circle is smaller than most places. After that, she was charged with killing her 7-year-old daughter. Wilhite said he and the hospital staff who worked on the Downs kids on that horrific May night were not surprised by the outcome of the case. 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. Following the crimes, she made claims to police that a man had attempted to carjack her and had shot the children. As for Danny, he has kept his life private. 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. 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. She replied, 'You've got to be kidding,' at which time he pushed her aside and reached in and shot the sleeping kids.". 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. By the time Wilhite arrived, Downs had driven her blood-soaked car to the emergency room. And she took a deserted country road with three sleeping kids in her car. 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. The girl was later renamed Rebecca Babcock. Diane Downs is currently serving her sentence of life plus 50 years at Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla, Calif., where she's been since August 1993. I mean, she is so close to death, it's unbelievable.. She was denied parole in 2008 and continues to proclaim her innocence. 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. She named the fourth baby Amy Elizabeth before the state handed her over to her adoptive parents. 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'.. Diane Downs always wanted to be a mom, she told Inside Edition in its first-ever episode in 1989. Prosecutors laid out the evidence against Downs, all leading up to their star witness. While Danny and Christie survived, Cheryl, the middle child, was killed in the attack. They told of her obsession with a married man who didn't want her kids around. 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. 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. "Why would I have taken my kids to the hospital?" What did she do?. Missing baby is feared dead as police arrest aristocrat Constance Marten and boyfriend on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter: 200 officers search allotments and compost bins near where . I chose to, in a sense, allow her into my life.. Within two weeks police had tracked her down to the home of another inmate's husband just blocks from the prison. [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. 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