Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 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. It was an interesting interview. Christie is married and had a baby boy in 2005. She will be eligible for parole in 2020 and continues to proclaim her innocence. By the time she arrived at the hospital, Cheryl, seven, was already dead and the other two children had suffered devastating injuries. She tells ABC, The impact of Diane Downs being my mom has altered the course of my life so many times. Downs was a notorious killer in Oregon, convicted in the 1983 shooting of her three children that left one of them dead. "They have both graduated from college. 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. In 1987, just three years into her sentence, Downs escaped from the correctional facility in Oregon where she was being held. At one point, she communicated with Downs through letters, but those eventually stopped when Babcock asked Downs to stop contacting her. Conflicting reports say Downs also acted as a surrogate during her fourth pregnancy, giving birth to a daughter after her trial in 1984. Twitter 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 . And Christie knew that.. Although Downs denied having ever owned a .22 caliber gun, two of her former lovers told police they recalled seeing her with one. And-- so with that, then we were free to treat her as need be. She remembers Downs' demeanor in her interviews as peculiar. View our online Press Pack. That's insane to think that I would do such a thing and then bring the witnesses in against myself -- that's crazy.". Too much for her own good, Welch said. In 1987, just three years into her sentence, Downs escaped from the correctional facility in Oregon where she was being held. Diane didn't show much grievance for her murdered daughter and her two children that were in critical conditions. Late one May night in 1983, Diane Downs sped into an emergency room dropoff in Springfield, Ore., with a horrifying story to tell. 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. She has a son (born 2005) and a daughter, whom she named Cheryl in memory of her late sister. Here's what we know. A year later, when Diane was arrested and put on trial, Christie, at just 9 years old, having just recovered her ability to speak, testified against her in court. Christie and Danny were adopted by Lane County Prosecutor Fred Hugi and his wife, Joanne, in 1984. The judge made it clear that he did not intend for Downs to ever be free again. 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. Her pupils were dilated. While police increasingly suspected Downs, she adamantly denied any involvement when speaking to the media. He was instead a result of an affair Diane had with a married man. But surgeon Steve Wilhite managed to revive Christie after her blood pressure dipped dangerously low and she suffered a stroke. Her first three children with her husband Steve are 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. Downs said: "I got pregnant because I miss Christie and I miss Danny and I miss Cheryl so much. 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. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3, were inside her blood-soaked car, shot at close range. While police increasingly suspected Downs, she adamantly denied any involvement when speaking to the media. In the frantic scene, hospital employees quickly determined that Cheryl was already dead and that Christie and Danny were clinging to life. He worked quickly and eventually was able to revive Christie. He and his wife, Joanne, legally adopted the children in 1986. Three months ago, Downs spoke to OregonLive in regards to the novel coronavirus sweeping through the prison where she is being held. "Why would I have taken my kids to the hospital?" When she [Downs] showed up, her [Christies] pulse rate went up high and you could see terror on her face, Wilihite said. Powered by. When Downs went on trial in May of that year, she was pregnant again. And as she drove down the road, a man stepped out from the brush, the side of the road, and she stopped the car. She said she had not seen a male stranger that night. Her mother was on trial for shooting her siblings, and some believed that Diane Downs got pregnant to gain sympathy. Diane considered the kids to be a burden or a hindrance to Nick's arrival, Welch said. In May of that year, the trial against Downs began with yet another inconceivable twist. "And so the quickest, simplest way was to eliminate the children.". 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. 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. DIANE Downs made international headlines for callously shooting three of her children - her fourth wasn't yet born. 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. [15] Christie Downs, Diane Downs' first child who testified at her trial, suffers from a speech disability. But Im on track and Im really happy with the way life is.. 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. Steve Downs, their father, actually left Diane in 1980 because he thought that Danny was the result of an extramarital affair that she had. Her pupils were dilated. Her Facebook photos showcase a loving family living a normal life. Despite her difficult start, Becky was adopted and says she had a good childhood. As for Danny, he has kept his life private. Her blood pressure was non-existent or very low. Anne Jaeger was a local reporter for KEZI in Eugene, Ore., at the time. "You cant replace children, but you can replace the effect they give you. Downs then said she pretended to throw her car keys in a bush and the man went to go look for them. In 1983, horror stuck in Oregon as a mother took it upon herself to end the life of her own children. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3 . Who is Becky Babcock and where is she now? 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. In 1983, Diane Downs' three children were brought to an Oregon hospital with gunshot wounds. She graduated from the University of Oregon. 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. As an adult, Rebecca (Becky) appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show[18] and ABC's 20/20,[19] where she discussed how she felt about her biological mother. She says it was during the struggle with the stranger that she was shot in the arm. 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. 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). Her first three children with her husband Steve are Stephen "Danny" Daniel (born 1979), Cheryl Lynn (born 1976), and Christie Ann (born 1974). ET on ABC. Meanwhile, Christie Downs was slowly beginning to tell what she remembered of the shootings. 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. She described him as a "bushy haired stranger". But what happened to Diane Downs' husband? However, according to her interviews and Facebook page, Becky today appears to have forged a successful life. 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. 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. After Diane was convicted, the two living children were adopted by the prosecutor in the case and his wife, and it was Christie who ultimately pointed to her mother being responsible for the shooting. I was searching for that blood tie., I never had questions about my biological dad, Babcock continues. Downs, who still maintains her innocence, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison, plus 50 years. "I got pregnant because I miss Christie and I miss Danny and I miss Cheryl so much," she said. Downs claimed that during this drive home, around 10 pm she saw a strange man standing in the road flagging her down. "They have grown up in a very happy home with the Hugis.. They have grown up in a very happy home with the Hugis.. After that, she was charged with killing her 7-year-old daughter. 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. She's been called "evil" and "the . Det. Thank you all for sharing your stories with me and reminding me why I came forward. On May 19, 1983, Diane Downs and her three children were shot on a rural road in Oregon. Christie and Danny were adopted by Lane County Prosecutor Fred Hugi and his wife, Joanne, in 1984. The tragedy that hit the Downs' kids changed their whole life. On May 19, 1983, Elizabeth Diane Downs and her three small children were shot on a country road near Springfield, Oregon. "I got pregnant because I miss Christie and I miss Danny and I miss Cheryl so much," she said. Do I throw it away? Following the crimes, she made claims to police that a man had attempted to carjack her and had shot the children. Downs was denied parole in December 2008, December 2010, and in 2020. Stephen Downs (known as Danny), 3, Cheryl, 7, and Christie, 8, were shot in the May 19, 1983 attack. COVID-19 Stimulus Check: Did the HEROES Act Pass. Doug Welch remembers getting the call for what would turn out to be his first homicide investigation. And as long as he said that he wasn't going to be a father to anyone's children, they had to go.. "She couldn't keep her mouth shut," Welch said. She loves us. A judge had already placed Downs' two surviving children in protective custody. Her adoptive parents called her Rebecca Becky Babcock. [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. The Queen has almost never put a foot wrong as she marks 70th year on the throne. 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. Where are Diane Downs' children now? Distractify is a registered trademark. "Wouldn't I have made sure they were dead and then cried crocodile tears? But as . Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3, were inside her blood-soaked car, shot at close range. READ MORE: abcn.ws/2W9dzyC In 1983, Diane Downs. Then, 10 days after Diane was sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years, she gave birth to a daughter she named Amy Elizabeth. 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. 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. Downs had also been shot, in the left forearm, though her wound was not life threatening. 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. Diane Downs children: Where are Christie and Stephen now? "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.". She has been housed in California for the Oregon Department of Corrections since Aug. 30, 1993.. In a two-hour 20/20 documentary, Babcock opens up about learning the truth regarding her infamous mom. Her older two children have remained out of the public eye. This is the person who's supposed to be on my side. 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. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. Email us atexclusive@the-sun.comor call212 416 4552. I chose to, in a sense, allow her into my life.. 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. After months of physical and mental therapy, Christie Downs was able to take the stand and tell what happened to her that horrible night. And Christie's mother, Diane, could-- say whatever she wanted. But suspicions of Downs herself quickly began to surface. They have both graduated from college. The first letter I wrote Diane, I must have written 100 times, she says. She'd been shot in the left forearm, said Welch. He then opened the driver's side door and shot all 3 of her children. Becky is active on Facebook, where she sometimes shares stories about her background and television appearances, such as one on Dr. Oz and with Oprah Winfrey. Cheryl died; the other two children survived, but they suffered terrible wounds according to Glamour, the bullets paralyzed Danny and gave Christie a stroke. Despite being convicted, Downs has always maintained her innocence. Crime author Ann Rule wrote on her website: "Christie and Danny who somehow survived their gunshot wounds have no contact with Diane. Although Downs denied having ever owned a .22 caliber gun, ex-husband Steve Downs told police she took one with her when she moved to Oregon. Police arrested Downs Feb. 28, 1984, nine months after the shootings. What did she look like? I mean, obviously, if she's pregnant, she loves children, right?" One died; two survived but had serious injuries. [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. Video related to diane downs children now: christie, danny & becky today, My Mothers Sins l 20/20 Diane Downs l Part 2, WATCH THE FULL EPISODE OF 20/20: bit.ly/2uqkFD4 Diane Downs laughs while reenacting shooting of 3 children Police found Downs' behavior suspicious. The surgeon who helped to save Christie's life told ABC News: When I looked at Christie I thought she was dead. Copyright 2023 Distractify. They have both graduated from college. From their wounds, Christie suffered a stroke that left with a speech impairment, and Danny got paralyzed from the waist down. [30][31][1] Downs maintained her innocence in all parole hearings. 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. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Jaeger remembers worrying that Downs' pregnancy could affect the way jurors viewed her. Most of Downs' sentence is to be served consecutively. However, when all the details came to be understood by the police, Steve found out what really happened to his kids. Did I make a mistake? Jaeger said. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. 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. Subsequent investigations revealed that she had a strong motive to kill her children. And why are the kids fatally or near-fatally wounded, and she, being right-handed, is shot in the left arm? "She calculated that this would win her sympathy in her trial. He responded to McKenzie-Willamette Hospital and immediately interviewed Downs, a postal worker. While they were unable to find the weapon, they found unfired casings in her home with extractor markings from the murder weapon. 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. Powered by. And I said to her, We don't know that. She was denied parole in 2008 and continues to proclaim her innocence. [4] On May 8, 1982, Diane gave birth to a baby girl, whom she named Jennifer, while acting as a surrogate. She's the biggest threat to him, not three sleeping children.". Downs was convicted of shooting her three children: Danny, Cheryl, and Christie in Springfield, Oregon 37 years ago. 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. Downs' launched a violent attack on three of her children, Danny, Cheryl Lynn, and Christie Anne in 1983. When I see what others have suffered, I think my boss probably saved my life.. 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. In 1983, Diane Downs said stranger shot her 3 kids. 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. 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 . 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.". It was mainly about my biological mom. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. Christie is married and had a baby boy in 2005. It was an unthinkable, brutal killing in 1983 that terrified parents around the country. [29], Downs had parole hearings in 2010 and 2020, which were both denied. She says things to me like, Boy, this has really spoiled my vacation, and she also says, That really ruined my new car. She named one of her children after her dead sister Cheryl. Cops decided she was lying. After Babcock found out about her notorious mother, she decided to make contact. Downs had also been shot, in the left forearm, though her wound was not life threatening. Diane Downs gave birth to four children. Full names: Elizabeth Diane Downs Birth name: Elizabeth Diane Frederickson Date of birth: August 7, 1955 Age: 67 years old as of 2022 Place of birth: Phoenix, Arizona Gender: Female Nationality: American Ethnicity: White Zodiac sign: Leo Children: Christie Ann, Cheryl Lynn, Stephen Daniel, and Becky Babcock That's insane to think that I would do such a thing and then bring the witnesses in against myself -- that's crazy.". [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. Boris Johnson is stuck in a chaotic spiral of scandal, walkouts, and leaving dos so where does he go from here? I was afraid of how am I going to handle all this? he added. 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. Today, 35-year-old Babcock works as a behavioral health coordinator for children in Salem, Oregon. Meanwhile, Christie Downs was slowly beginning to tell what she remembered of the shootings. It was suspected I hit over 100 miles an hour coming down the freeway, he said. 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. Diane Downs is an American murder convict who has been serving a life sentence since 1984. When I looked in the mailbox and saw her letter, it was like Pandoras box. 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. The girl was later renamed Rebecca Babcock. 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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 . By the time Wilhite arrived, Downs had driven her blood-soaked car to the emergency room. 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 Ann, born in 1974, is the eldest of the Downs children, and Stephen Daniel, known as Danny, born in 1979, is the youngest. [5] When Downs went to trial in May 1984, she was again pregnant. At least, that's the story Diane Downs told police. Her brother Danny was permanently paralyzed from the waist down but both survived. 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