Her Facebook photos showcase a loving family living a normal life. And I thought to myself, What am I going to do with three shot children?. She tells ABC, The impact of Diane Downs being my mom has altered the course of my life so many times. Late one May night in 1983, Diane Downs sped into an emergency room dropoff in Springfield, Ore., with a horrifying story to tell. Her first three children with her husband Steve are Stephen "Danny" Daniel (born 1979), Cheryl Lynn (born 1976), and Christie Ann (born 1974).. She, too, is now a mother. Downs' sentence meant she could not be considered for parole until 2009. The Daughter of Diane Downs. When I looked at Christie I thought she was dead, he said. I've never been so hyped in my life.. Then, 10 days after Diane was sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years, she gave birth to a daughter she named Amy Elizabeth. [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. Christie, now in her mid-40s, still lives in Oregon, in Springfield, and has a big, loving family. Prosecutors laid out the evidence against Downs, all leading up to their star witness. She provides an update on Christie and Danny today, writing on her website: Adopted by Lane County Prosecutor Fred Hugi and his wife, Joanne, in 1984, Christie and Dannywho somehow survived their gunshot woundshave no contact with Diane. The woman who was on trial for shooting her own children was pregnant again -- and it was no accident. And she took a deserted country road with three sleeping kids in her car. Cheryl died; the other two children survived, but they suffered terrible wounds according to Glamour, the bullets paralyzed Danny and gave Christie a stroke. A break in the case finally came when investigators discovered Downs' secret diaries. 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.. There are some stories that stick with you for a long time. While police increasingly suspected Downs, she adamantly denied any involvement when speaking to the media. When Wilhite went to go update Downs on her daughters condition, he said he was surprised by her reaction. [5] When Downs went to trial in May 1984, she was again pregnant. We believe the motive for the shooting was to get Nick up here to Oregon to be with her. My parents wanted us to prosper, to learn and to grow, she told ABC. "Wouldn't I have made sure they were dead and then cried crocodile tears? 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Diane Downs also gave birth to a fourth child with yet another man; she became pregnant with that daughter, now known as Becky Babcock during the investigation. Like us on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/TheSunUSand follow us from our main Twitter account at@TheSunUS, News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. [12], Diane did not disclose to police that she owned a .22 caliber handgun, but both Steve and Knickerbocker informed authorities that she did. "Her initial statement was that she had taken the kids out to a friend's house," said Welch. Danny and Christie survived the attack while middle child, Cheryl, died from her injuries at the time. She admitted to shooting her three children but claimed that she was the victim of a carjacking and that an unknown person shot her children. Distractify is a registered trademark. There was just a little part of me that felt like I was searching for something else. [29], Downs had parole hearings in 2010 and 2020, which were both denied. 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. On Facebook, Becky wrote that she works at Pain management and went to Redmond High School. The tragedy that hit the Downs' kids changed their whole life. Her pupils were dilated. She knew that, if she got pregnant, that people would look at her and say, How could a woman who loves children this much and got pregnant have killed her children? Our MPs are worse than the Italians - it's so bad I want John Major back, Inside life of Bitcoin trader suspected of faking own death as widow says she tried to kill herself after dream imploded, The Queen knows us. Christie is now in her forties, according to Tuko, and the accident left her with a speech handicap. Is She Still In Jail? She replied, 'You've got to be kidding,' at which time he pushed her aside and reached in and shot the sleeping kids.". Look at her," Jaeger said. "Why would I have taken my kids to the hospital?" But what happened to her kids, Christie Ann and Stephen "Danny" Daniel? 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. Downs was found guilty in June, and sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years. 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. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3 . In 1987, just three years into her sentence, Downs escaped from the correctional facility in Oregon where she was being held. In a sense, Diane was her own worst enemy.". The Diane Downs case is well-known and infamous; she's accused of shooting her three children along a roadway in Springfield, Oregon on May 19, 1983. "They have both graduated from college. She had been shot in the left forearm, though her wound was not life-threatening. Christie became the star witness in the case, bravely testifying against her monster mom. 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. Today, 35-year-old Babcock works as a behavioral health coordinator for children in Salem, Oregon. Her three children -- 8-year-old Christie, 7-year-old Cheryl and 3 . Christie is now in her forties, according to Tuko, and the accident left her with a speech handicap. "She couldn't keep her mouth shut," Welch said. I knew my entire life that I was adopted, Babcock tells the show in an exclusive clip obtained by PEOPLE. When Downs went on trial in May of that year, she was pregnant again. "They have both graduated from college. Not one tear. Anne Jaeger was a local reporter for KEZI in Eugene, Ore., at the time. One died; two survived but had serious injuries. 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. 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 told ABC, The impact of Diane Downs being my mom has altered the course of my life so many times. ET) on ABC. But what happened to Diane Downs' husband? Downs, who still maintains her innocence, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison, plus 50 years. He then opened the driver's side door and shot all 3 of her children. [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. "They have grown up in a very happy home with the Hugis.. She briefly escaped in 1987, but was quickly recaptured. Despite her difficult start, Becky was adopted and says she had a good childhood. "I got pregnant because I miss Christie and I miss Danny and I miss Cheryl so much," she said. Downs was employed by the United States Postal Service, assigned to the mail routes in the city of Cottage Grove, Oregon. She says things to me like, Boy, this has really spoiled my vacation, and she also says, That really ruined my new car. The tragedy that hit the Downs' kids changed their whole life. Late one May night in 1983, Diane Downs sped into an emergency room dropoff in Springfield, Ore., with a horrifying story to tell. He and his wife, Joanne, legally adopted the children in 1986. She remembers Downs' demeanor in her interviews as peculiar. 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. I mean, she is so close to death, it's unbelievable.. The first two children were Dianes kids with her ex husband Steve Downs. Please review our privacy policy here: https://heavy.com/privacy-policy/, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. As for Danny, he has kept his life private. She's doing well. 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,. During the search for the strange gunman Diane kept giving bizarre interviews , one of the detectives on the case stated "she couldn't keep her mouth shut" ("The Diane Downs Story", 2010). Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3, were inside her blood-soaked car, shot at close range. We just ignored it, Wilhite said. Downs told investigators that she and her children had been shot in a carjacking, but police found a secret diary detailing her obsession with a married man who did not want kids. 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). On a fateful night in May 1983, she rushed to the emergency ward of a hospital . In a two-hour 20/20 documentary, Babcock opens up about learning the truth regarding her infamous mom. Danny and Christie survived the attack while middle child, Cheryl, died from her injuries at the time. Meanwhile, Christie Downs was slowly beginning to tell what she remembered of the shootings. He responded to McKenzie-Willamette Hospital and immediately interviewed Downs, a postal worker. 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 . [3] Diane came from a family with strict conservative values. Her first three children with her husband Steve are Stephen "Danny" Daniel (born 1979), Cheryl Lynn (born 1976), and Christie Ann (born 1974). "You cant replace children, but you can replace the effect they give you. Christie Ann, born in 1974, is the eldest of the Downs children, and Stephen Daniel, known as Danny, born in 1979, is the youngest. As for Danny, he has kept his life private. While police increasingly suspected Downs, she adamantly denied any involvement when speaking to the media. May 14, 2010 -- On June 17, 1984, Diane Downs was found guilty of shooting her three children, killing one. From their wounds, Christie suffered a stroke that left with a speech impairment, and Danny got paralyzed from the waist down. She described him as a "bushy haired stranger". She has been housed in California for the Oregon Department of Corrections since Aug. 30, 1993.. I had a great family, a great life. If youre here because youre curious to know where the surviving children are now, youve come to the right place. The stroke Christie Downs suffered impaired her speech and initially prevented her from telling police what she had seen. Diane Downs was convicted of shooting her 3 children, killing 1, in 1983. All the kids were asleep as it was past 9 o'clock pm and her children were fairly young. And as she drove down the road, a man stepped out from the brush, the side of the road, and she stopped the car. In 1984, Diane Downs was convicted of shooting her three children, 3-year-old Danny, 7-year-old Cheryl, and 8-year-old Christie. 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. Now, as Diane Downs comes up for parole next year, her daughter speaks out. Fred Hugi, adopted the children., Famed true-crime author Ann Rule wrote about the case. "Sightseeing when it's pitch black out? She's the biggest threat to him, not three sleeping children.". [26] The book documented accounts by friends, acquaintances, neighbors, and her surviving daughter, Christie, who questioned the quality of her parenting. See you at 9pm for our encore presentation of #MyMomsSins #ABC2020! It was an interesting interview. [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. Born June 27, 1984, Becky, 37, is famously known as the daughter of Diane Down, 66. 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. In another one of her strange media appearances Downs spoke about the pregnancy. Wilhite said Christie's blood pressure had been so low that she suffered a stroke. Diane Downs children: Where are Christie and Stephen now? The woman who was on trial for shooting her own children was pregnant again -- and it was no accident. In 1983, Diane Downs said stranger shot her 3 kids. And Christie's mother, Diane, could-- say whatever she wanted. Diane Downs gave birth to four children. 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 ( 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. 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.". Christie Downs, now 44, and her brother, 39, were adopted by the prosecutor in the case. I have used the term verbal vomit when talking' about Diane because she talked a lot. Between the verdict and sentencing, the court recessed so that Downs could give birth to a girl she named Amy Elizabeth. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. [2] She has testified that her father sexually abused her when she was 12 years old. COVID-19 Stimulus Check: Did the HEROES Act Pass. 1983: Diane Downs Attempts to Murder Her Three Children. After being recaptured, she was transferred to a more secure facility. https://t.co/cPfs75obUg pic.twitter.com/uSnlFF2IRw. Previously, Diane was housed in a maximum-security prison for women in Clinton, N.J. As for why she wasn't in Oregon where the crimes took place, " [prison] officials said they . Meanwhile, Christie Downs was slowly beginning to tell what she remembered of the shootings. For ten days, Downs managed to evade law enforcementdespite a fourteen-state manhuntbefore she was recaptured. Learn about Diane Downs' children now: Christie, Stephen (Danny), and Becky. Danny was the product of an affair. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. [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. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? She said she had not seen a male stranger that night. View our online Press Pack. In 1984, Diane was convicted of the death and injuries of her children, and she was sentenced to life in prison. This is why I chose to tell my story. And-- so with that, then we were free to treat her as need be. [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. She claimed that she was carjacked on a rural road near Springfield by a strange man who shot her and the 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 for Woman in Clinton, N.J., March 12, 1989. After months of physical and mental therapy, Christie Downs was able to take the stand and tell what happened to her that horrible night. Christie and Danny were adopted by Lane County Prosecutor Fred Hugi and his wife, Joanne, in 1984. I mean, she is so close to death, its unbelievable.. Downs was sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years for killing her 7-year-old daughter and wounding her two other children on a rural road outside Springfield, Ore., on May 19, 1983. She was white She was not breathing. This is the person who's supposed to be on my side. I sat and I thought about it for awhile, and I chose to open that letter. Cheryl Lynn followed in 1976, with Stephen Daniel being born in 1979. Whether it tugs at your heartstrings or angers you to the core, these stories could have happened years ago, and they still take up space in your memories. The two kids who had survived the attack were placed for adoption and Steve was no able to care for them. 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. Whats fascinating, though, is to see how differently her children including the fourth one, who she conceived after her original surviving ones were taken away from her responded to her doings. 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. Not just a son, but a couple of other children as well, including a daughter, who she named after her dead sister, Cheryl. Downs was found guilty in June, and sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years. DIANE Downs is serving a life sentence for horrific crimes she committed against her own children. On May 19, 1983, Diane Downs and her three children were shot on a rural road in Oregon. 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. Det. 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. By the time Wilhite arrived, Downs had driven her blood-soaked car to the emergency room. "The more she talked, the more things didn't make any sense.". Heavy is withholding that last name and the photos to protect her privacy. Shortly before her death, Cheryl Lynn reportedly told a neighbor of her grandparents that she was afraid of her mother. 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. They have both graduated from college. A jury subsequently convicted Downs on all counts, and she was sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years, according to Glamour. [2], On November 13, 1973, Diane married Steve Downs after running away from home. Powered by. She was the star witness in her mom's prosecution and her testimony helped convict her. "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. 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. Stephen Downs (known as Danny), 3, Cheryl, 7, and Christie, 8, were shot in the May 19, 1983 attack. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. I have never changed my story.[29] Her first parole hearing was on December 9, 2008. That's insane to think that I would do such a thing and then bring the witnesses in against myself -- that's crazy.". While Danny and Christie survived, Cheryl, the. It's not even known if he still resides in Arizona, where he used to live with Diane and their three kids. Though she shot all three children, only Cheryl died Christie and Danny survived . Following the crimes, she made claims to police that a man had attempted to carjack her and had shot the children. That girl was later renamed Rebecca "Becky" Babcock.[6]. She will be eligible for parole in 2020 and continues to proclaim her innocence. "There were a number of things which didn't make sense, even that first night," Welch said. We found that Diane Downs was emotionally flat. [2] Despite her parents' disapproval of their relationship, Downs continued the relationship. [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. I showered, slept for 4 hours, woke up and drank water, then went back to sleep for 16 more hours, she wrote. Crime author Ann Rule wrote on her website: "Christie and Danny who somehow survived their gunshot wounds have no contact with Diane. But suspicions of Downs herself quickly began to surface. 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. Dead and then cried crocodile tears relationship, Downs had driven her blood-soaked car to the hospital ''! Her father sexually abused her when she was 12 years old her death, it 's unbelievable 20/20 documentary Babcock! The mail routes in the left forearm, though her wound was not life-threatening killing one their... Has altered the course of my life so many times assigned to the emergency ward of a hospital up parole! After being recaptured, she was afraid of her children. `` `` they have grown in... 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