Diane Downs gave birth to four children. Christie and Danny were adopted by Lane County Prosecutor Fred Hugi and his wife, Joanne, in 1984. 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. After leaving the public eye in 2010, she spoke to ABC News' "20/20" to share her life now. 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. [17], Prior to her arrest, Downs became pregnant with a fifth child, and gave birth to a girl, whom she named Amy Elizabeth, a month after her 1984 trial. 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. Doug Welch remembers getting the call for what would turn out to be his first homicide investigation. "Sightseeing when it's pitch black out? 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.". ET on ABC. [22] She received an additional five-year sentence for the escape. Author Ann Rule wrote the book Small Sacrifices (1987), which detailed Downs' life and murder trial. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? "The more she talked, the more things didn't make any sense.". Christie is married and had a baby boy in 2005. 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Boris Johnson is stuck in a chaotic spiral of scandal, walkouts, and leaving dos so where does he go from here? Police arrested Downs Feb. 28, 1984, nine months after the shootings. Offers may be subject to change without notice. [3] Diane came from a family with strict conservative values. I was searching for that blood tie., I never had questions about my biological dad, Babcock continues. I had a great family, a great life. 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. . She found out who her biological mother was when she was 11 years old, ABC reported. Thirty-five years ago, Diane Downs, now 64, was convicted of shooting her three children Danny, Cheryl, and Christie in Springfield, Oregon. The stroke Christie Downs suffered impaired her speech and initially prevented her from telling police what she had seen. Wilhite said he was immediately directed to start working to save Christie while another surgeon took Danny. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. Fearing there could be a gun-wielding killer on the loose, police released information to the public to be on the lookout. But suspicions of Downs herself quickly began to surface. Ten days before Downs' sentencing, Amy was seized by the State of Oregon, and adopted by Chris and Jackie Babcock, who subsequently renamed her Rebecca. She named one of her children after her dead sister Cheryl. 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. They have both graduated from college. She graduated from the University of Oregon. They had another sibling, born in the middle, in 1976, Cheryl Lynn, but she didnt survive the shooting. 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. Downs was employed by the United States Postal Service, assigned to the mail routes in the city of Cottage Grove, Oregon. Downs was found guilty in June, and sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years. Christie Downs, now 44, and her brother, 39, were adopted by the prosecutor in the case. She briefly escaped in 1987, but was quickly recaptured. In 1983, Diane Downs said stranger shot her 3 kids. Shockingly, it was Downs daughter, Christie, who identified her mother in court as the shooter. The tragedy that hit the Downs' kids changed their whole life. I mean, she is so close to death, it's unbelievable.. Jaeger says Downs told her she had picked someone on her postal route to seduce prior to her arrest. She tells ABC, The impact of Diane Downs being my mom has altered the course of my life so many times. 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. While police increasingly suspected Downs, she adamantly denied any involvement when speaking to the media. She was later adopted by another family. He was instead a result of an affair Diane had with a married man. 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. And got out and ask what he wanted. The couple divorced in 1980 over. She says it was during the struggle with the stranger that she was shot in the arm. Wilhite said he also noticed that when Downs went to visit Christie in the recovery room, her stats would spike. 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. 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. [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. The baby was taken by the state and delivered to adoptive parents. In another one of her strange media appearances Downs spoke about the pregnancy. Under Oregon law at the time, as a dangerous offender, Downs would have been eligible for a parole hearing every two years until she is released or dies in prison. May 13, 2010, 7:54 AM. When I looked at Christie I thought she was dead, he said. Her first three children with her husband Steve are Stephen "Danny" Daniel (born 1979), Cheryl Lynn (born 1976), and Christie Ann (born 1974). the incident happened on a dark road that led to Diane being accused of murder and attempted murder. Her three children -- 8-year-old Christie, 7-year-old Cheryl and 3 . Meanwhile, Christie Downs was slowly beginning to tell what she remembered of the shootings. Diane Downs now: Her most recent prison photo from 2018. Downs, who still maintains her innocence, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison, plus 50 years. She tried to cut her wrists when she was 13 years old. Photo: September 26, 1988. The surgeon who helped to save Christie's life told ABC News: When I looked at Christie I thought she was dead. 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. [30][31][1] Downs maintained her innocence in all parole hearings. We just ignored it, Wilhite said. Danny and Christie survived the attack while middle child, Cheryl, died from her injuries at the time. Powered by. Now, her children are all grown up and many want to know what they are up to now 2 Becky Babcock is the fourth and youngest child of Diane Downs Credit: ABC NEws Who is Diane Downs' daughter Becky Babcock? On July 11, 1987, she escaped from her cell by scaling an eighteen-foot razor wire fence. She described him as a "bushy haired stranger". 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 was initially incarcerated at the Oregon Women's Correctional Center in Salem. 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. [26] The book documented accounts by friends, acquaintances, neighbors, and her surviving daughter, Christie, who questioned the quality of her parenting. 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). Christie, now in her mid-40s, still lives in Oregon, in Springfield, and has a big, loving family. He and his wife, Joanne, legally adopted the children in 1986. Det. 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. I knew my entire life that I was adopted, Babcock tells the show in an exclusive clip obtained by PEOPLE. It was suspected I hit over 100 miles an hour coming down the freeway, he said. After high school, she enrolled at Pacific Coast Baptist Bible College in Orange, California, but was expelled after one year for promiscuous behavior and returned to her parents' home in Arizona. 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. Do I throw it away? "Danny, a computer whiz, is still partially paralyzed from the bullet in his back, but he is living a happy and normal life. Although Downs denied having ever owned a .22 caliber gun, two of her former lovers told police they recalled seeing her with one. DIANE Downs is serving a life sentence for horrific crimes she committed against her own children. 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 . ', I didnt just tear it open and start reading, Babcock tells the show. The couple divorced in 1980 because Steve thought Stephen Daniel, known as Danny, was the result of an extramarital affair by Diane. DIANE Downs is serving a life sentence for horrific crimes she committed against her own children. We've got three children who have been shot, Wilhite told 20/20. And my whole body just tingled. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. Diane considered the kids to be a burden or a hindrance to Nick's arrival, Welch said. Heres what you need to know about where Diane Downs children are now: Shes been called evil and the devil. A mother of three, in love with a married man, who did the unthinkable. Learn about Christi (Hugi), Stephen (Danny), and Becky today. 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. 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. Diane Downs gave birth to four children. Christie became the star witness in the case, bravely testifying against her monster mom. [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. District Attorney Fred Hugi asked Christie if she remembered who shot her. A surgeon told ABC News of treating Christie: When I looked at Christie I thought she was dead, he said. "I knew within 30 minutes of talking with that woman that she was guilty": Surgeon who helped save one of Diane Downs' kids in 1983 after she shot her recalls chilling interaction. The two kids who had survived the attack were placed for adoption and Steve was no able to care for them. A break in the case finally came when investigators discovered Downs' secret diaries. It was an unthinkable, brutal killing in 1983 that terrified parents around the country. 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. We believe the motive for the shooting was to get Nick up here to Oregon to be with her. Today, Downs is incarcerated at the Central California Womens Facility in Chowchilla, California. There are some stories that stick with you for a long time. She said she had not seen a male stranger that night. Downs was a notorious killer in Oregon, convicted in the 1983 shooting of her three children that left one of them dead. Distractify is a registered trademark. 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.. ", 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. But what happened to her kids, Christie Ann and Stephen "Danny" Daniel? Police scoured the crime scene for months searching for the weapon, a .22-caliber gun that wounded Diane and her 8-year-old daughter Christie, paralyzed her 3-year-old son Danny and killed her 7-year-old daughter Cheryl. 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