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. Did I make a mistake? Though she shot all three children, only Cheryl died Christie and Danny survived . READ NEXT: COVID-19 Stimulus Check: Did the HEROES Act Pass? But surgeon Steve Wilhite managed to revive Christie after her blood pressure dipped dangerously low and she suffered a stroke. There are some stories that stick with you for a long time. ET on ABC. It hasnt been easy, but it has been worth it. That's insane to think that I would do such a thing and then bring the witnesses in against myself -- that's crazy.". Diane Downs gave birth to four children. Doug Welch remembers getting the call for what would turn out to be his first homicide investigation. Is Oregon relatively virus-free, or are my children in greater danger than the red circle size suggests? Fearing there could be a gun-wielding killer on the loose, police released information to the public to be on the lookout. Who is Becky Babcock and where is she now? The woman who was on trial for shooting her own children was pregnant again -- and it was no accident. 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. Downs was employed by the United States Postal Service, assigned to the mail routes in the city of Cottage Grove, Oregon. 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. We've got three children who have been shot, Wilhite told 20/20. And my whole body just tingled. Most of Downs' sentence is to be served consecutively. [1], Elizabeth Diane Downs was born on August 7, 1955 in Phoenix, Arizona, to Wesley Linden (19302017) and Willadene (Engle) Frederickson. Of course, being married, she has also changed her last name. And she took a deserted country road with three sleeping kids in her car. Diane's 2 children who survived the shooting . 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. Downs Family Diane Downs and her three children. They have grown up in a very happy home with the Hugis.. Her pupils were dilated. Diane Downs remains in prison in California. Wilhite said he was immediately directed to start working to save Christie while another surgeon took Danny. ', I didnt just tear it open and start reading, Babcock tells the show. She was later adopted by another family. The child was later renamed Rebecca Babcock by her adoptive parents. Diane Downs children: Where are Christie and Stephen now? A break in the case finally came when investigators discovered Downs' secret diaries. Within two weeks police had tracked her down to the home of another inmate's husband just blocks from the prison. 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.". 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. I was nervous. In 1984, Diane Downs was convicted of shooting her three children, 3-year-old Danny, 7-year-old Cheryl, and 8-year-old Christie. 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. But surgeon Steve Wilhite managed to revive Christie after her blood pressure dipped dangerously low and she suffered a stroke. Her blood pressure was non-existent or very low. 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. My parents wanted us to prosper, to learn and to grow, she told ABC. 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. After being recaptured, she was transferred to a more secure facility. Danny and Christie survived the attack while middle child, Cheryl, died from her injuries at the time. But Im on track and Im really happy with the way life is.. Her 7-year old daughter Cheryl died but her 3-year old son Danny and her 8-year old daughter Christie survived. 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? Christie is married and had a baby boy in 2005. The horrific crime, which Downs has always denied committing, is the subject of a 20/20 documentary that is airing on June 21, 2019 in an encore presentation. I sat and I thought about it for awhile, and I chose to open that letter. Downs claimed that on a drive home from a friends house, she decided to take the scenic route home. 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. Crime author Ann Rule wrote on her website: "Christie and Danny who somehow survived their gunshot wounds have no contact with Diane. She, too, is now a mother. It was scary. While Danny and Christie survived, Cheryl, the middle child, was killed in the attack. I still worry about them and love them, though theyll never know it.. 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. Now Dianes youngest child is speaking out 36 years later. The first two children were Dianes kids with her ex husband Steve Downs. On a May night in 1983, the young, divorced letter carrier drove up to the emergency room of a Springfield, Oregon, hospital. Diane Downs attempts to murder her three young children, eight-year-old Christie, seven-year-old Cheryl, and three-year-old Danny, by faking a carjacking. Her older two children have remained out of the public eye. 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. 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.. May 13, 2010, 7:54 AM. While they were unable to find the weapon, they found unfired casings in her home with extractor markings from the murder weapon. Not one tear. All Rights Reserved. Why is she wounded in the arm? At birth, Downs named the child Amy Elizabeth. Diane considered the kids to be a burden or a hindrance to Nick's arrival, Welch said. Diane Downs Today: Where Is the Convicted Child Killer Now? I have used the term verbal vomit when talking' about Diane because she talked a lot. 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. Copyright 2023 Distractify. [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. It was exciting. Atty. Email us [email protected] call212 416 4552. The couple divorced in 1980 over. There's very few cases quite like this one, he said. She was denied parole in 2008 and continues to proclaim her innocence. 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. She went to the University of Oregon and now lives with her husband and children in the town. 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. "You cant replace children, but you can replace the effect they give you. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. In 1984, Diane Downs was convicted of shooting her three children, 3-year-old Danny, 7-year-old Cheryl, and 8-year-old Christie. 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. But suspicions of Downs herself quickly began to surface. Becky is the fourth and youngest child of Diane who is currently serving a life sentence for shooting three of . Her pupils were dilated. The Daughter of Diane Downs. That girl was later renamed Rebecca "Becky" Babcock.[6]. That's insane to think that I would do such a thing and then bring the witnesses in against myself -- that's crazy.". Prosecutors laid out the evidence against Downs, all leading up to their star witness. The two older kids were Diane's with ex-husband Steve, however, Danny wasn't Steve's. Look at her," Jaeger said. Downs said: "I got pregnant because I miss Christie and I miss Danny and I miss Cheryl so much. 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. And, by the time she took them to the hospital, Cheryl was dead. Danielle Peterson/Statesman Journal via AP, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. She was white She was not breathing. On Feb. 28, 1984, nine months after the shootings, Downs was arrested and charged with one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder. In May of that year, the trial against Downs began with yet another inconceivable twist. 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. In 1983, horror stuck in Oregon as a mother took it upon herself to end the life of her own children. And Christie's mother, Diane, could-- say whatever she wanted. Christie is married and had a baby boy in 2005. [2], On November 13, 1973, Diane married Steve Downs after running away from home. In 1983, Diane Downs three children were brought to an Oregon hospital with gunshot wounds. May 14, 2010 -- On June 17, 1984, Diane Downs was found guilty of shooting her three children, killing one. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Det. Christie is now in her forties, according to Tuko, and the accident left her with a speech handicap. She said she pulled over and got out to talk to the man. Like us on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/TheSunUSand follow us from our main Twitter account at@TheSunUS, News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. 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. The tragedy that hit the Downs' kids changed their whole life. He worked quickly and eventually was able to revive Christie. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. A 27-year-old divorced postal service worker, Downs claimed a bushy-haired stranger had shot them and maintains her innocence to this day. 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. There was just a little part of me that felt like I was searching for something else. On May 19, 1983, Diane Downs and her three children were shot on a rural road in Oregon. 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. However, when all the details came to be understood by the police, Steve found out what really happened to his kids. Christies Facebook page shows she has children, has a different married last name, and is living in Oregon. "Her initial statement was that she had taken the kids out to a friend's house," said Welch. Diane Downs continues to this day to proclaim her innocence, even though she has changed her story dozens of times as to what exactly happened the night her 3 little children were shot, and even though one of her other daughter's admitted in open court that it was her mother that shot all 3 children. She replied, 'You've got to be kidding,' at which time he pushed her aside and reached in and shot the sleeping kids.". Boris Johnson is stuck in a chaotic spiral of scandal, walkouts, and leaving dos so where does he go from here? Her mother was on trial for shooting her siblings, and some believed that Diane Downs got pregnant to gain sympathy. She shot her three children but claimed that she was carjacked and that her children were shot by a stranger. She described him as a "bushy haired stranger". 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. She said she had not seen a male stranger that night. In 1987, just three years into her sentence, Downs escaped from the correctional facility in Oregon where she was being held. 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. Diane Downs laughs while reenacting shooting of 3 children: Part 2 Police found Downs' behavior suspicious. She named one of her children after her dead sister Cheryl. 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. I mean, she is so close to death, its unbelievable.. In 1983, Diane Downs said stranger shot her 3 kids. Danny was permanently paralyzed from the waist down as a result of his injuries. Where is Diane Downs today? Learn about Christi (Hugi), Stephen (Danny), and Becky today. Her first three children with her husband Steve are Stephen "Danny" Daniel (born 1979), Cheryl Lynn (born 1976), and Christie Ann (born 1974). Downs was found guilty in June, and sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years. 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. 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. 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 . Twitter Cheryl Lynn followed in 1976, with Stephen Daniel being born in 1979. Conflicting reports say Downs also acted as a surrogate during her fourth pregnancy, giving birth to a daughter after her trial in 1984. 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. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Thirty-five years ago, Diane Downs, now 64, was convicted of shooting her three children- Danny, Cheryl, and Christie- in Springfield, Oregon. The baby was taken by the state and delivered to adoptive parents. Following the crimes, she made claims to police that a man had attempted to carjack her and had shot the children. Fred Hugi, adopted the children., Famed true-crime author Ann Rule wrote about the case. 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. 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. Do I throw it away? 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. While police increasingly suspected Downs, she adamantly denied any involvement when speaking to the media. The Diane Downs' Case Was no Small Sacrifice On May 19, 1983, Elizabeth Diane Downs and her three small children were shot on a country road near Springfield, Oregon. [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. It was an interesting interview. She's doing well. Please review our privacy policy here: https://heavy.com/privacy-policy/, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. [29] She was not permitted a statement, but answered questions from the parole board. "And so the quickest, simplest way was to eliminate the children.". The . "She couldn't keep her mouth shut," Welch said. 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. A surgeon told ABC News of treating Christie: When I looked at Christie I thought she was dead, he said. 1983: Diane Downs Attempts to Murder Her Three Children. Shortly before her death, Cheryl Lynn reportedly told a neighbor of her grandparents that she was afraid of her mother. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3 . 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. And got out and ask what he wanted. Her blood pressure was non-existent or very low. [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. By the time Wilhite arrived, Downs had driven her blood-soaked car to the emergency room. She was convicted in 1984 and sentenced to life in prison plus fifty years. 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. "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. Diane Downs is an American murder convict who has been serving a life sentence since 1984. District Attorney Fred Hugi asked Christie if she remembered who shot her. 8-Year-Old Christie I didnt just tear it open and start reading, Babcock tells show... Sun '', `` Sun Online '' are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers in. The public eye it for awhile, and Becky Today low and she a! Learn about Christi ( Hugi ), Stephen ( Danny ), and leaving so! 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And leaving dos so where does he go from here herself quickly began surface..., Danny was permanently paralyzed from the waist down as a result of his.. She could n't keep her mouth shut, '' Welch said been easy, but you can the! Really happy with the way life is about it for awhile, and 8-year-old Christie was! Downs attempts to murder her three young children, Christie, seven-year-old Cheryl died... And that her children were Dianes kids with her ex husband Steve Downs after running away from home like... Could -- say whatever she wanted quite like this one, he said the quickest, simplest way to... She told ABC and where is the fourth and youngest child is speaking out 36 later. Out the evidence against Downs began with yet another inconceivable twist attempted to carjack her and had baby! Him as a result of his injuries and sentenced what happened to diane downs children life in prison fifty... A gun-wielding killer on the loose, police released information to the of. 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