Stephen Downs (known as Danny), 3, Cheryl, 7, and Christie, 8, were shot in the May 19, 1983 attack. From Arizona to Oregon, the family had moved just shortly before the incident for Dianes job in the U.S. postal service. He and his wife, Joanne, legally adopted the children in 1986. Det. "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. For other inquiries, Contact Us. 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Diane Downs was one of the most infamous murderers of the 1980s; the emotionally flat blonde was convicted of shooting her three children, killing one of them, along a roadway in Springfield,. On July 11, 1987, she escaped from her cell by scaling an eighteen-foot razor wire fence. And Christie's mother, Diane, could-- say whatever she wanted. Is She Still In Jail? Three months ago, Downs spoke to OregonLive in regards to the novel coronavirus sweeping through the prison where she is being held. Learn about Diane Downs' children now: Christie, Stephen (Danny), and Becky. I showered, slept for 4 hours, woke up and drank water, then went back to sleep for 16 more hours, she wrote. I mean, she is so close to death, its unbelievable. Dianes emotionless, cold demeanor about the children convinced people immediately that she was the shooter. [15], Psychiatrists diagnosed her with narcissistic, histrionic, and antisocial personality disorders, labeling her as a deviant sociopath.[16], Downs' two surviving children eventually went to live with the lead prosecutor on the case, Fred Hugi. 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 . In May of that year, the trial against Downs began with yet another inconceivable twist. Despite being convicted, Downs has always maintained her innocence. The woman who was on trial for shooting her own children was pregnant again -- and it was no accident. Look at her," Jaeger said. Downs had also been shot, in the left forearm, though her wound was not life threatening. [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. READ MORE: abcn.ws/2W9dzyC In 1983, Diane Downs. 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.. 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. She briefly escaped in 1987, but was quickly recaptured. [3] Diane came from a family with strict conservative values. 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. And as long as he said that he wasn't going to be a father to anyone's children, they had to go.. In another one of her strange media appearances Downs spoke about the pregnancy. While they were unable to find the weapon, they found unfired casings in her home with extractor markings from the murder weapon. While Danny and Christie survived, Cheryl, the middle child, was killed in the attack. At one point, she communicated with Downs through letters, but those eventually stopped when Babcock asked Downs to stop contacting her. ', I didnt just tear it open and start reading, Babcock tells the show. 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. DIANE Downs made international headlines for callously shooting three of her children - her fourth wasn't yet born. "And it grew dark and upon their return home she decided to -- to do some sightseeing. 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.. Christie and Danny were adopted by Lane County Prosecutor Fred Hugi and his wife, Joanne, in 1984. Thirty-five years ago, Diane Downs, now 64, was convicted of shooting her three children- Danny, Cheryl, and Christie- in Springfield, Oregon. The couple divorced in 1980 over Steven's insistence their son, Danny, was the result of an affair and not his biological child. In May of that year, the trial against Downs began with yet another inconceivable twist. Beeper goes off, said, Get in here. The judge made it clear that he did not intend for Downs to ever be free again. A judge had already placed Downs' two surviving children in protective custody. In 1983, horror stuck in Oregon as a mother took it upon herself to end the life of her own children. Where are Diane Downs' children now? 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. "You cant replace children, but you can replace the effect they give you. A break in the case finally came when investigators discovered Downs' secret diaries. In 1983, Diane Downs said stranger shot her 3 kids. Downs was found guilty in June, and sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years. Star Witness at Downs' Trial: Her Daughter. Anne Bradley Jaeger was a local reporter for ABC affiliate KEZI in Eugene, Ore., at the time. Like us on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/TheSunUSand follow us from our main Twitter account at@TheSunUS, 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, Diane Downs with her three children Stephen, Christie and Cheryl, Diane Downs is serving a life sentence for the attack on her children, Downs gave birth to a fourth child after her trial in 1984, Christie testified against her mother, pictured. Her older two children have remained out of the public eye. Doug Welch, then a detective with the Lane County Sheriff's Office, remembers getting the call for what would turn out to be his first homicide investigation. 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[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. 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. Offers may be subject to change without notice. She named the fourth baby Amy Elizabeth before the state handed her over to her adoptive parents. In 1984, Diane Downs was convicted of shooting her three children, 3-year-old Danny, 7-year-old Cheryl, and 8-year-old Christie. After leaving the public eye in 2010, she spoke to ABC News' "20/20" to share her life now. You know, she just asked, How is she doing? Not one emotional reaction, he said. 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. 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. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3, were inside her blood-soaked car, shot at close range. I mean, she is so close to death, its unbelievable.. We believe the motive for the shooting was to get Nick up here to Oregon to be with her. On a fateful night in May 1983, she rushed to the emergency ward of a hospital . When I hear about three children being shot, I thought, How am I going take care of three people? Because I wasn't afraid of what I needed to do. After months of physical and mental therapy, Christie Downs was able to take the stand and tell what happened to her that horrible night. The more she talked, and she talked a lot and frequently, the more she talked, the more things didn't make any sense. The outlet reported that the prison houses 3,000 inmates and, as of April, was being locked down to protect against the spread of the virus. I mean, she is so close to death, its unbelievable.. May 13, 2010, 7:54 AM. Following the crimes, she made claims to police that a man had attempted to carjack her and had shot the children. Unlike her siblings, Becky Babcock has been very public about her mother, granting interviews over the years. 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. "She was white, she was not breathing. Why does a mom with three sleeping children in the car stop for a stranger or anyone for that matter? And he replied, I want your car. She said, You've got to be kidding, at which time he pushed her aside and reached in with a gun and began shooting the kids-- the three kids.. Downs claimed that on a drive home from a friends house, she decided to take the scenic route home. Conflicting reports say Downs also acted as a surrogate during her fourth pregnancy, giving birth to a daughter after her trial in 1984. "She was white, she was not breathing. [15] Christie Downs, Diane Downs' first child who testified at her trial, suffers from a speech disability. There's very few cases quite like this one, he said. She went to the University of Oregon and now lives with her husband and children in the town. Christie is now in her forties, according to Tuko, and the accident left her with a speech handicap. The woman who was on trial for shooting her own children was pregnant again -- and it was no accident. I think that's one of the things that-- ended up hurting her case. Crime author Ann Rule wrote on her website: "Christie and Danny who somehow survived their gunshot wounds have no contact with Diane. He worked quickly and eventually was able to revive Christie. Downs was denied parole in December 2008, December 2010, and in 2020. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, Diane Downs with her three children Stephen, Christie and Cheryl, Diane Downs is serving a life sentence for the attack on her children, Downs gave birth to a fourth child after her trial in 1984, Christie testified against her mother, pictured. It's very seldom that does my body tingle like that, he added. Diane Downs was convicted of shooting her 3 children, killing 1, in 1983. Babcock learned who her mother was at age 11, after tricking her babysitter to divulge the name. "I got pregnant because I miss Christie and I miss Danny and I miss Cheryl so much," she said. Downs, herself, started feeling sick and was told by a supervisor to rest after seemingly showcasing symptoms at work, where she refurbishes bicycles for underprivileged children. Within two weeks police had tracked her down to the home of another inmate's husband just blocks from the prison. Investigators later discovered that she had bought the handgun in Arizona. Downs insisted that, Over the years, I have told you and the rest of the world that a man shot me and my children. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. But there were a number of things which didn't make any sense., Why would a mother sightsee when it's dark out? 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. Cheryl died; the other two children survived, but they suffered terrible wounds according to Glamour, the bullets paralyzed Danny and gave Christie a stroke. March 23, 2019 13:00 Impact x Nightline The Murders Before the Marathon she said in an interview. Her pupils were dilated. But as . [4] On May 8, 1982, Diane gave birth to a baby girl, whom she named Jennifer, while acting as a surrogate. And got out and ask what he wanted. She remembers Downs' demeanor in her interviews as peculiar. I had a great family, a great life. I was searching for that blood tie., I never had questions about my biological dad, Babcock continues. Although Downs denied having ever owned a .22 caliber gun, two of her former lovers told police they recalled seeing her with one. She wed Steve Downs in 1973 when she was just 17 and the couple had two children together . She said she had not seen a male stranger that night. 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. The two older kids were Diane's with ex-husband Steve, however, Danny wasn't Steve's. 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. In May of that year, Downs shot her three children in her car at a remote roadside in Springfield, Oregon, before shooting herself in the forearm, cops 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. Golden State Killer: Where Is the Prolific Rapist and Murderer Today? "She talked all the time. Email us atexclusive@the-sun.comor call212 416 4552. When Wilhite went to go update Downs on her daughters condition, he said he was surprised by her reaction. It was exciting. I still worry about them and love them, though theyll never know it.. 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. Officers began an inquiry into her peculiar behavior, which included calling her lover from the hospital, her children claiming they were afraid of her, and Christie Ann responding in a fearful manner when her mother visited her in the hospital. 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. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Christie and Danny were adopted by Lane County Prosecutor Fred Hugi and his wife, Joanne, in 1984. Do I throw it away? It's not even known if he still resides in Arizona, where he used to live with Diane and their three kids. She, too, is now a mother. Jaeger says Downs told her she had picked someone on her postal route to seduce prior to her arrest. In 1983, Diane Downs' three children were brought to an Oregon hospital with gunshot wounds. She tried to cut her wrists when she was 13 years old. Within two weeks police had tracked her down to the home of another inmate's husband just blocks from the prison. In the frantic scene, hospital employees quickly determined that Cheryl was already dead and that Christie and Danny were clinging to life. Who is Becky Babcock and where is she now? Prosecutors laid out the evidence against Downs, all leading up to their star witness. 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. "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.". The child was adopted and was later named Rebecca. A judge had already placed Downs' two surviving children in protective custody. 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