On a fateful night in May 1983, she rushed to the emergency ward of a hospital . The child was adopted and was later named Rebecca. Danny, a computer whiz, is still partially paralyzed from the bullet in his back, but he is living a happy and normal life. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. [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. 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. She went to the University of Oregon and now lives with her husband and children in the town. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3, were inside her blood-soaked car, shot at close range. Do I open it? When I see what others have suffered, I think my boss probably saved my life.. Wilhite immediately jumped back into his car and raced to McKenzie-Williamette Medical Center as fast as he could. When then-prosecutor Fred Hugi asked Christie if she remembered who shot her, Christie Downs replied, "My mom.". Diane Downs remains in prison in California. Prosecutors laid out the evidence against Downs, all leading up to their star witness. 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. 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,. She was required to serve twenty-five years before being considered for parole. This is why I chose to tell my story. Wilhite said he then found a judge who issued an order making him and another doctor Christies guardians. And got out and ask what he wanted. He worked quickly and eventually was able to revive Christie. Danny was permanently paralyzed from the waist down as a result of his injuries. I showered, slept for 4 hours, woke up and drank water, then went back to sleep for 16 more hours, she wrote. Downs' launched a violent attack on three of her children, Danny, Cheryl Lynn, and Christie Anne in 1983. Her first three children with her husband Steve are Stephen "Danny" Daniel (born 1979), Cheryl Lynn (born 1976), and Christie Ann (born 1974). Diane considered the kids to be a burden or a hindrance to Nick's arrival, Welch said. View our online Press Pack. She's the biggest threat to him, not three sleeping 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. Her three children -- 8-year-old Christie, 7-year-old Cheryl and 3 . The outlet also reported Downs as saying that prisoners at the facility started suffering from COVID-19 symptoms in February. 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. Conflicting reports say Downs also acted as a surrogate during her fourth pregnancy, giving birth to a daughter after her trial in 1984. 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. If youre here because youre curious to know where the surviving children are now, youve come to the right place. The woman who was on trial for shooting her own children was pregnant again -- and it was no accident. [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. Conflicting reports say Downs also acted as a surrogate during her fourth pregnancy, giving birth to a daughter after her trial in 1984. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3 . she said in an interview. Sample Page; ; 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). In the frantic scene, hospital employees quickly determined that Cheryl was already dead and that Christie and Danny were clinging to life. 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. 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. "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. When I looked in the mailbox and saw her letter, it was like Pandoras box. While Danny and Christie survived, Cheryl, the middle child, was killed in the attack. "There were a number of things which didn't make sense, even that first night," Welch said. Downs had also been shot, in the left forearm, though her wound was not life threatening. The more she talked, and she talked a lot and frequently, the more she talked, the more things didn't make any sense. She has been housed in California for the Oregon Department of Corrections since Aug. 30, 1993.. 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. She wed Steve Downs in 1973 when she was just 17 and the couple had two children together . 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.. ', I didnt just tear it open and start reading, Babcock tells the show. Downs was found guilty in June, and sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years. I was nervous. Despite being convicted, Downs has always maintained her innocence. She lives and is from Bend, Oregon, and is single. READ NEXT: COVID-19 Stimulus Check: Did the HEROES Act Pass? "She calculated that this would win her sympathy in her trial. When she was asked who shot them, she replied with, my mom. After everything was said and done, and Diane was convicted, both Christie and Danny went to live with Fred Hugi, the lead prosecutor in the case. The child was later renamed Rebecca Babcock by her adoptive parents. 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. She named the fourth baby Amy Elizabeth before the state handed her over to her adoptive parents. 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. Diane Downs gave birth to four children. The baby was taken by the state and delivered to adoptive parents. And Christie's mother, Diane, could-- say whatever she wanted. [29], Downs had parole hearings in 2010 and 2020, which were both denied. In 1984, Diane was convicted of the death and injuries of her children, and she was sentenced to life in prison. Crime author Ann Rule wrote on her website: "Christie and Danny who somehow survived their gunshot wounds have no contact with Diane. [15] Christie Downs, Diane Downs' first child who testified at her trial, suffers from a speech disability. The couple divorced in 1980 over Steven's insistence their son, Danny, was the result of an affair and not his biological child. After being recaptured, she was transferred to a more secure facility. Christie was the star witness in her mothers prosecution; she testified that her mother was the shooter. Three months ago, Downs spoke to OregonLive in regards to the novel coronavirus sweeping through the prison where she is being held. Where is Diane Downs today? Downs Family Diane Downs and her three children. "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 baby was taken by the state and delivered to adoptive parents. Her adoptive parents called her Rebecca Becky Babcock. [29] After three hours of interviews and thirty minutes of deliberation, she was denied parole. According to The Cinemaholic, Steve was found to not be a good fit to care for his kids who would need specialized care and had been through a very traumatic event. Downs said: "I got pregnant because I miss Christie and I miss Danny and I miss Cheryl so much. In 1983, Diane Downs three children were brought to an Oregon hospital with gunshot wounds. 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. According to Oprah.com, Christie and Dannyhave chosen to live private lives. In 1989, the Associated Press reported that then 14-year-old Christie Ann was left with speech impairment, and 9-year-old Danny is paralyzed from the waist down. She had been shot in the left forearm, though her wound was not life-threatening. She also made a number of statements that both police and hospital workers considered highly inappropriate.[3]. Wilhite said he also noticed that when Downs went to visit Christie in the recovery room, her stats would spike. California author Diane Burroughs studied writing and television production at Columbia College and is a writer and producer for sitcoms for television - Married.with Children, Murphy Brown, Martin, The Drew Carey Show, Yes, Dear, and Still Standing - a blogger at Left at 50, and a standup comedienne. While police increasingly suspected Downs, she adamantly denied any involvement when speaking to the media. Between the verdict and sentencing, the court recessed so that Downs could give birth to a girl she named Amy Elizabeth. 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. [4] On May 8, 1982, Diane gave birth to a baby girl, whom she named Jennifer, while acting as a surrogate. Between the verdict and sentencing, the court recessed so that Downs could give birth to a girl she named Amy Elizabeth. Within two weeks police had tracked her down to the home of another inmate's husband just blocks from the prison. The girl was later renamed Rebecca Babcock. May 13, 2010, 7:54 AM. Late one May night in 1983, Diane Downs sped into an emergency room dropoff in Springfield, Ore., with a horrifying story to tell. Diane Downs is an American murder convict who has been serving a life sentence since 1984. Despite her difficult start, Becky was adopted and says she had a good childhood. "Wouldn't I have made sure they were dead and then cried crocodile tears? She took a detour off of Marcola Road onto Old Mohawk Road to do some sightseeing., By this time it was dark, and the kids were sleeping. Learn about Christi (Hugi), Stephen (Danny), and Becky today. Critics said she deliberately became pregnant in order to garner sympathy from the jury. Reporter Ann Jaeger remembers worrying that Downs' pregnancy could affect the way jurors viewed her. Following the crimes, she made claims to police that a man had attempted to carjack her and had shot the children. [27] A made-for-TV movie, also titled Small Sacrifices, starred Farrah Fawcett as Downs, and was aired on ABC in 1989. A judge had already placed Downs' two surviving children in protective custody. pic.twitter.com/HWkkwT86pF. It was exciting. When she got out to talk to this man, he immediately demanded that she give him her car keys, Downs claimed she refused and they got into a physical altercation that resulted in him shooting her in the left arm. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Cheryl Lynn followed in 1976, with Stephen Daniel being born in 1979. [1], Elizabeth Diane Downs was born on August 7, 1955 in Phoenix, Arizona, to Wesley Linden (19302017) and Willadene (Engle) Frederickson. By the time Wilhite arrived, Downs had driven her blood-soaked car to the emergency room. She shot her three children but claimed that she was carjacked and that her children were shot by a stranger. But Im on track and Im really happy with the way life is.. And as long as he said that he wasn't going to be a father to anyone's children, they had to go.. 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.. She will be eligible for parole in 2020 and continues to proclaim her innocence. ET. But surgeon Steve Wilhite managed to revive Christie after her blood pressure dipped dangerously low and she suffered a stroke. Look at her," Jaeger said. She tried to cut her wrists when she was 13 years old. She has a son (born 2005) and a daughter, whom she named Cheryl in memory of her late sister. Jaeger said. The . "Her initial statement was that she had taken the kids out to a friend's house," said Welch. They told of her obsession with a married man who didn't want her kids around. In 1994, after serving ten years, Downs was transferred to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. 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. [2][3] Their first child, Christie Ann, was born in 1974. Shortly before her death, Cheryl Lynn reportedly told a neighbor of her grandparents that she was afraid of her mother. 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. Why does a mom with three sleeping children in the car stop for a stranger or anyone for that matter? After Downs trial, Christie and Danny were adopted by Hugi and his wife. 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. But suspicions of Downs herself quickly began to surface. Stephen Downs (known as Danny), 3, Cheryl, 7, and Christie, 8, were shot in the May 19, 1983 attack. "Danny, a computer whiz, is still partially paralyzed from the bullet in his back, but he is living a happy and normal life. Her brother Danny was permanently paralyzed from the waist down but both survived. While Danny and Christie survived, Cheryl, the. She says it was during the struggle with the stranger that she was shot in the arm. [2] Despite her parents' disapproval of their relationship, Downs continued the relationship. The lead prosecutor in the case, Lane County Assistant Dist. 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. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. Doug Welch remembers getting the call for what would turn out to be his first homicide investigation. The tragedy that hit the Downs' kids changed their whole life. She was afraid of her mother. That's insane to think that I would do such a thing and then bring the witnesses in against myself -- that's crazy.". All Rights Reserved. "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.". Heavy is withholding that last name and the photos to protect her privacy. It was an unthinkable, brutal killing in 1983 that terrified parents around the country. In another one of her strange media appearances Downs spoke about the pregnancy. 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. She remembers Downs' demeanor in her interviews as peculiar. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. And I thought to myself, What am I going to do with three shot children?. Downs said: "I got pregnant because I miss Christie and I miss Danny and I miss Cheryl so much. While he was looking for the keys, she jumped back in the car and sped off to the nearest hospital. I still worry about them and love them, though theyll never know it.. In 1983, horror stuck in Oregon as a mother took it upon herself to end the life of her own children. "Wouldn't I have made sure they were dead and then cried crocodile tears? 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. Despite being convicted, Downs has always maintained her innocence. [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? She said she had not seen a male stranger that night. 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