The Daughter of Diane Downs. Heavy is withholding that last name and the photos to protect her privacy. 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. 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. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. "Danny, a computer whiz, is still partially paralyzed from the bullet in his back, but he is living a happy and normal life. Now, as Diane Downs comes up for parole next year, her daughter speaks out. She said she pulled over and got out to talk to the man. Cheryl died; the other two children survived, but they suffered terrible wounds according to Glamour, the bullets paralyzed Danny and gave Christie a stroke. When I see what others have suffered, I think my boss probably saved my life.. That's insane to think that I would do such a thing and then bring the witnesses in against myself -- that's crazy.". From Arizona to Oregon, the family had moved just shortly before the incident for Dianes job in the U.S. postal service. She briefly escaped in 1987, but was quickly recaptured. She's the biggest threat to him, not three sleeping children.". It was mainly about my biological mom. [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. But suspicions of Downs herself quickly began to surface. In 1983, horror stuck in Oregon as a mother took it upon herself to end the life of her own 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. He was instead a result of an affair Diane had with a married man. She remembers Downs' demeanor in her interviews as peculiar. ET. Diane graduated from Moon Valley High School in Phoenix, where she met Steve Downs. Downs was a notorious killer in Oregon, convicted in the 1983 shooting of her three children that left one of them dead. 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. "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.". I was nervous. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. 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. And Christie Downs, the only witness to the crime (her younger brother Danny was believed to have been asleep at the time), had suffered a stroke that impaired her speech and initially prevented her from telling police what she had seen. Christie is married and had a baby boy in 2005. And as long as he said that he wasn't going to be a father to anyone's children, they had to go.. Downs had also been shot, in the left forearm, though her wound was not life threatening. In 1983, horror stuck in Oregon as a mother took it upon herself to end the life of her own children. 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. Her older two children have remained out of the public eye. In 1994, after serving ten years, Downs was transferred to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Her first three children with her husband Steve are Stephen "Danny" Daniel (born 1979), Cheryl Lynn (born 1976), and Christie Ann (born 1974). Would love your thoughts, please comment. Downs' launched a violent attack on three of her children, Danny, Cheryl Lynn, and Christie Anne in 1983. While he was looking for the keys, she jumped back in the car and sped off to the nearest hospital. She described him as a "bushy haired stranger". There isnt a whole lot known about where Steve Downs is these days. Shortly before her death, Cheryl Lynn reportedly told a neighbor of her grandparents that she was afraid of her mother. The more she talked, and she talked a lot and frequently, the more she talked, the more things didn't make any sense. From their wounds, Christie suffered a stroke that left with a speech impairment, and Danny got paralyzed from the waist down. I was afraid of how am I going to handle all this? he added. Diane didn't show much grievance for her murdered daughter and her two children that were in critical conditions. 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. In the frantic scene, hospital employees quickly determined that Cheryl was already dead and that Christie and Danny were clinging to life. And she has been our national consciousness for 70 years, says Tony Parsons, Takeaway-lover celebrates birthday with cake in the shape of his favourite fast food, Brooklyn Beckham is cute - but he doesn't deserve his own cooking show just because his parents are famous - no-one does, Bob Proctor death: Self-help author behind You Were Born Rich passes away at 87. While Danny and Christie survived, Cheryl, the. The outlet also reported Downs as saying that prisoners at the facility started suffering from COVID-19 symptoms in February. Downs was initially incarcerated at the Oregon Women's Correctional Center in Salem. A 27-year-old divorced postal service worker, Downs claimed a bushy-haired stranger had shot them and maintains her innocence to this day. He responded to McKenzie-Willamette Hospital and immediately interviewed Downs, a postal worker. READ NEXT: COVID-19 Stimulus Check: Did the HEROES Act Pass? Christie was the star witness in her mothers prosecution; she testified that her mother was the shooter. 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. We just ignored it, Wilhite said. Therefore, they grew up privately and continue to live their adult lives privately. 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. 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. In another one of her strange media appearances Downs spoke about the pregnancy. Copyright 2023 Distractify. Sample Page; ; Investigators later discovered that she had bought the handgun in Arizona. Meanwhile, Christie Downs was slowly beginning to tell what she remembered of the shootings. An appeal of . She was denied parole in 2008 and continues to proclaim her innocence. Not one tear. Danny and Christie survived the attack while middle child, Cheryl, died from her injuries at the time. Her pupils were dilated. The stroke Christie Downs suffered impaired her speech and initially prevented her from telling police what she had seen. 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. She, too, is now a mother. 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. After her recapture, Downs was transferred to the New Jersey Department of Corrections Clinton Correctional Facility for Women after heavy lobbying from Hugi. Her first three children with her husband Steve are Stephen "Danny" Daniel (born 1979), Cheryl Lynn (born 1976), and Christie Ann (born 1974). Beeper goes off, said, Get in here. 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. Her pupils were dilated. For other inquiries, Contact Us. He then opened the driver's side door and shot all 3 of her children. 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. 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.. And I said to her, We don't know that. She named one of her children after her dead sister Cheryl. She graduated from the University of Oregon. 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. And I thought to myself, What am I going to do with three shot children?. Downs told investigators that she and her. They have grown up in a very happy home with the Hugis.. 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 . A jury subsequently convicted Downs on all counts, and she was sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years, according to Glamour. 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.. On a May night in 1983, the young, divorced letter carrier drove up to the emergency room of a Springfield, Oregon, hospital. Following the crimes, she made claims to police that a man had attempted to carjack her and had shot the children. You know, she just asked, How is she doing? Not one emotional reaction, he said. Her 7-year old daughter Cheryl died but her 3-year old son Danny and her 8-year old daughter Christie survived. "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. She was required to serve twenty-five years before being considered for parole. She said she had not seen a male stranger that night. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. Diane Downs gave birth to four children. The child was adopted and was later named Rebecca. 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. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3, were inside her blood-soaked car, shot at close range. Christie is now in her forties, according to Tuko, and the accident left her with a speech handicap. 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. She has been housed in California for the Oregon Department of Corrections since Aug. 30, 1993.. Her mother was on trial for shooting her siblings, and some believed that Diane Downs got pregnant to gain sympathy. Would love your thoughts, please comment. A judge had already placed Downs' two surviving children in protective custody. Downs said: "I got pregnant because I miss Christie and I miss Danny and I miss Cheryl so much. She remembers Downs' demeanor in her interviews as peculiar. "They have grown up in a very happy home with the Hugis.. "Wouldn't I have made sure they were dead and then cried crocodile tears? In 1983, Diane Downs three children were brought to an Oregon hospital with gunshot wounds. When then-prosecutor Fred Hugi asked Christie if she remembered who shot her, Christie Downs replied, "My mom.". Danny was permanently paralyzed from the waist down as a result of his injuries. But surgeon Steve Wilhite managed to revive Christie after her blood pressure dipped dangerously low and she suffered a stroke. On July 11, 1987, she escaped from her cell by scaling an eighteen-foot razor wire fence. 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. I knew my entire life that I was adopted, Babcock tells the show in an exclusive clip obtained by PEOPLE. The couple divorced in 1980 over Steven's insistence their son, Danny, was the result of an affair and not his biological child. 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 two older kids were Diane's with ex-husband Steve, however, Danny wasn't Steve's. And she's not. While police increasingly suspected Downs, she adamantly denied any involvement when speaking to the media. "People would see little sound bites of her talking on television, and I think they started getting the feeling that there's something really wrong with this person," Jaeger said. Danny was the product of an affair. When I looked in the mailbox and saw her letter, it was like Pandoras box. After being recaptured, she was transferred to a more secure facility. 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. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? And as she drove down the road, a man stepped out from the brush, the side of the road, and she stopped the car. And, Cheryl Lynn, had reportedly told a neighbor of her grandparents that she was afraid of her mother. [26] The book documented accounts by friends, acquaintances, neighbors, and her surviving daughter, Christie, who questioned the quality of her parenting. At one point, she communicated with Downs through letters, but those eventually stopped when Babcock asked Downs to stop contacting her. Her brother Danny was permanently paralyzed from the waist down but both survived. [3][14], Downs was convicted on all charges on June 17, 1984, and sentenced to life in prison plus fifty years. That's insane to think that I would do such a thing and then bring the witnesses in against myself -- that's crazy.". [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. 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. [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. 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. Born June 27, 1984, Becky, 37, is famously known as the daughter of Diane Down, 66. Email us atexclusive@the-sun.comor call212 416 4552. Who is Becky Babcock and where is she now? 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. We found that Diane Downs was emotionally flat. Author Ann Rule wrote the book Small Sacrifices (1987), which detailed Downs' life and murder trial. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3 . According toHeavy, crime author Ann Rule said: "Crime author Ann Rule wrote on her website: "Christie and Danny who somehow survived their gunshot wounds have no contact with Diane. Downs was found guilty in June, and sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years. What is the latest information pertaining to the convicted child killer? And Christie knew that.. But surgeon Steve Wilhite managed to revive Christie after her blood pressure dipped dangerously low and she suffered a stroke. the incident happened on a dark road that led to Diane being accused of murder and attempted murder. Christie, now in her mid-40s, still lives in Oregon, in Springfield, and has a big, loving family. But Im on track and Im really happy with the way life is.. Two of the kids survived the shooting with life altering injuries, and one of the children died. May 13, 2010, 7:54 AM. She named the fourth baby Amy Elizabeth before the state handed her over to her adoptive parents. 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. 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. Christie and Danny were adopted by Lane County Prosecutor Fred Hugi and his wife, Joanne, in 1984. EUGENE -- It was 27 years ago tomorrow that single mother Elizabeth Diane Downs shot her three children -- killing one and seriously injuring the other two -- on a dark, rural Lane County. 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. She was denied parole in 2008 and again in 2010. Diane considered the kids to be a burden or a hindrance to Nick's arrival, Welch said. The girl was later renamed Rebecca Babcock. Distractify is a registered trademark. 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. "And it grew dark and upon their return home she decided to -- to do some sightseeing. 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. In 1983, Diane Downs' three children were brought to an Oregon hospital with gunshot wounds. Ten days after her sentencing, Downs gave birth to a daughter named Amy Elizabeth. 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 Christie Downs, the only witness to the crime (her younger brother Danny was believed to have been asleep at the time), had suffered a stroke that impaired her speech and prevented her from telling police what she had seen. Do I throw it away? Conflicting reports say Downs also acted as a surrogate during her fourth pregnancy, giving birth to a daughter after her trial in 1984. 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. Downs was employed by the United States Postal Service, assigned to the mail routes in the city of Cottage Grove, Oregon. On May 19, 1983, Elizabeth Diane Downs and her three small children were shot on a country road near Springfield, Oregon. She loves us. "She saw the kids as a burden, they were in the way and he wasn't going to join her as long as she had the kids," Welch said. In 1987, just three years into her sentence, Downs escaped from the correctional facility in Oregon where she was being held. In the frantic scene, hospital employees quickly determined that Cheryl was already dead and that Christie and Danny were clinging to life. And his response was, 'I want your car.' Based on this and additional evidence, Downs was arrested on February 28, 1984, nine months after the shooting, and charged with one count of murder, and two counts each of attempted murder and criminal assault. Downs said: "I got pregnant because I miss Christie and I miss Danny and I miss Cheryl so much. Downs was found guilty in June 1984, and sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. she said in an interview. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. 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. We believe the motive for the shooting was to get Nick up here to Oregon to be with her. Doug Welch remembers getting the call for what would turn out to be his first homicide investigation. [15] Christie Downs, Diane Downs' first child who testified at her trial, suffers from a speech disability. Becky Babcock is speaking out about her infamous mother, Diane Downs, who was convicted of killing her own 7-year-old child and attempting to murder her other two children, ages 8 and 3, in . What did she do?. Wilhite said he then found a judge who issued an order making him and another doctor Christies guardians. Police arrested Downs Feb. 28, 1984, nine months after the shootings. [2] Despite her parents' disapproval of their relationship, Downs continued the relationship. And got out and ask what he wanted. Downs' launched a violent attack on three of her children, Danny, Cheryl Lynn, and Christie Anne in 1983. 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. 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' sentence meant she could not be considered for parole until 2009. Despite being convicted, Downs has always maintained her innocence. 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? Did I make a mistake? And she took a deserted country road with three sleeping kids in her car. Steve Downs, their father, actually left Diane in 1980 because he thought that Danny was the result of an extramarital affair that she had. 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. Downs had been a suspect from the beginning. Twitter [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? Police arrested Downs Feb. 28, 1984, nine months after the shootings. Christie Downs, now 44, and her brother, 39, were adopted by the prosecutor in the case. Danny and Christie survived the attack while middle child, Cheryl, died from her injuries at the time. Diane Downs gave birth to four children. "She couldn't keep her mouth shut," Welch said. All the kids were asleep as it was past 9 o'clock pm and her children were fairly young. 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). She tried to cut her wrists when she was 13 years old. She didn't know when to keep her mouth shut.. While Danny and Christie survived, Cheryl, the middle child, was killed in the attack. Not just a son, but a couple of other children as well, including a daughter, who she named after her dead sister, Cheryl. Thirty-five years ago, Diane Downs, now 64, was convicted of shooting her three children- Danny, Cheryl, and Christie- in Springfield, Oregon. By the time Wilhite arrived, Downs had driven her blood-soaked car to the emergency room. 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. Within two weeks police had tracked her down to the home of another inmate's husband just blocks from the prison. Hospital employees determined that then-7-year-old Cheryl was already dead and that then-8-year-old Christie and then-3-year-old Danny were clinging to life. [1], Elizabeth Diane Downs was born on August 7, 1955 in Phoenix, Arizona, to Wesley Linden (19302017) and Willadene (Engle) Frederickson. 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. After months of physical and mental therapy, Christie Downs was finally able to take the stand and tell what happened to her that horrible night. In May of that year, the trial against Downs began with yet another inconceivable twist. Conflicting reports say Downs also acted as a surrogate during her fourth pregnancy, giving birth to a daughter after her trial in 1984. She named the fourth baby Amy Elizabeth before the state handed her over to her adoptive parents. I wanted to relate to her not as a mother, because I had a mother just as somebody who felt the pain and the emptiness that I felt in that time., She wrote back super quickly, Babcock says. 1983 shooting of her strange media appearances Downs spoke about the adoption which detailed Downs ' life and trial... Escaped from her injuries at the Oregon Department of Corrections Clinton Correctional for. She briefly escaped in 1987, she was the shooter his response was, ' I want your.! 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