People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. The couple divorced in 1980 over Steven's insistence their son, Danny, was the result of an affair and not his biological child. By the time she arrived at the hospital, Cheryl, seven, was already dead and the other two children had suffered devastating injuries. I chose to, in a sense, allow her into my life.. 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. But Im on track and Im really happy with the way life is.. Most damaging, witnesses saw her car being driven very slowly toward the hospital, at an estimated speed of 57mph (811km/h)contradicting her claim that she drove to the hospital at a high speed after the shooting. Her pupils were dilated. She was the star witness in her mom's prosecution and her testimony helped convict her. After Downs trial, Christie and Danny were adopted by Hugi and his wife. she said in an interview. She says things to me like, Boy, this has really spoiled my vacation, and she also says, That really ruined my new car. 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. A judge had already placed Downs' two surviving children in protective custody. Born June 27, 1984, Becky, 37, is famously known as the daughter of Diane Down, 66. 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. In 1987, just three years into her sentence, Downs escaped from the correctional facility in Oregon where she was being held. She's been called "evil" and "the . Downs claimed that on a drive home from a friends house, she decided to take the scenic route home. He responded to McKenzie-Willamette Hospital and immediately interviewed Downs, a postal worker. Downs' launched a violent attack on three of her children, Danny, Cheryl Lynn, and Christie Anne in 1983. The woman who was on trial for shooting her own children was pregnant again -- and it was no accident. I mean, she is so close to death, it's unbelievable.. Critics said she deliberately became pregnant in order to garner sympathy from the jury. 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. 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. 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 baby was taken by the state and delivered to adoptive parents. This is the person who's supposed to be on my side. Downs was employed by the United States Postal Service, assigned to the mail routes in the city of Cottage Grove, Oregon. She's the biggest threat to him, not three sleeping children.". Downs is serving a life sentence for shooting her children, killing one They married in 1973, before divorcing in 1980. However, when all the details came to be understood by the police, Steve found out what really happened to his kids. She also made a number of statements that both police and hospital workers considered highly inappropriate.[3]. In 1983, Diane Downs' three children were brought to an Oregon hospital with gunshot wounds. Christie is now in her forties, according to Tuko, and the accident left her with a speech handicap. she said in an interview. [24] While in prison, she earned an associate degree in General Studies. When I see what others have suffered, I think my boss probably saved my life.. Jaeger remembers worrying that Downs' pregnancy could affect the way jurors viewed her. Prosecutors laid out the evidence against Downs, all leading up to their star witness. Christie is married and had a baby boy in 2005. While he was looking for the keys, she jumped back in the car and sped off to the nearest hospital. 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. Becky is the fourth and youngest child of Diane who is currently serving a life sentence for shooting three of . 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. All Rights Reserved. [28], In her first application for parole in 2008, Downs reaffirmed her innocence. 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. The two kids who had survived the attack were placed for adoption and Steve was no able to care for them. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? 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. Dr. Steven Wilhite had just walked into his house after a long day working at a Springfield, Oregon, hospital when his beeper went off. Her three children -- 8-year-old Christie, 7-year-old Cheryl and 3 . 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. Would love your thoughts, please comment. Christies Facebook page shows she has children, has a different married last name, and is living in Oregon. When Wilhite went to go update Downs on her daughters condition, he said he was surprised by her reaction. . [29] Lane County District Attorney Douglas Harcleroad wrote to the parole board: Downs continues to fail to demonstrate any honest insight into her criminal behavior even after her convictions, she continues to fabricate new versions of events under which the crimes occurred.[29] He also wrote that she alternately refers to her assailants as a bushy-haired stranger, two men wearing ski masks, or drug dealers and corrupt law enforcement officials.[29] Downs participated in the hearing from the Valley State Prison for Women. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. I have never changed my story.[29] Her first parole hearing was on December 9, 2008. At the time Diane had told police that a stranger attempted to carjack her and shot the kids, and thats what her ex husband was told, too. She graduated from the University of Oregon. 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.. The Queen has almost never put a foot wrong as she marks 70th year on the throne. It was May 19, 1983, a warm spring night. Diane Downs gave birth to four children. The couple divorced in 1980 over. The stroke Christie Downs suffered impaired her speech and initially prevented her from telling police what she had seen. And the kids-- one is fatally shot and the other two are seriously injured., Welch said there were a lot of problems with her story and by the end of the interview, we knew that she had been lying'.. They have grown up in a very happy home with the Hugis.. Do I open it? Diane Downs always wanted to be a mom, she told Inside Edition in its first-ever episode in 1989. Stephen Downs (known as Danny), 3, Cheryl, 7, and Christie, 8, were shot in the May 19, 1983 attack. 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. Within two weeks police had tracked her down to the home of another inmate's husband just blocks from the prison. Downs had also been shot, in the left forearm, though her wound was not life threatening. A 27-year-old divorced postal service worker, Downs claimed a bushy-haired stranger had shot them and maintains her innocence to this day. 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 a May night in 1983, the young, divorced letter carrier drove up to the emergency room of a Springfield, Oregon, hospital. She found out who her biological mother was when she was 11 years old, ABC reported. 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. Downs, who still maintains her innocence, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison, plus 50 years. The child was later renamed Rebecca Babcock by her adoptive parents. But what happened to Diane Downs' husband? Why is she wounded in the arm? In 1994, after serving ten years, Downs was transferred to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Danielle Peterson/Statesman Journal via AP, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. 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). 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Following the crimes, she made claims to police that a man had attempted to carjack her and had shot the children. 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. Cops decided she was lying. There are some stories that stick with you for a long time. He and his wife, Joanne, adopted them in 1986. Diane Downs gave birth to four children. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3, were inside her blood-soaked car, shot at close range. Christie is married and had a baby boy in 2005. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? 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 baby was taken by the state and delivered to adoptive parents. 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. Downs was found guilty in June 1984, and sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years. Like us on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/TheSunUSand follow us from our main Twitter account at@TheSunUS, News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. In the frantic scene, hospital employees quickly determined that Cheryl was already dead and that Christie and Danny were clinging to life. A jury subsequently convicted Downs on all counts, and she was sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years, according to Glamour. And got out and ask what he wanted. Her first three children with her husband Steve are Stephen "Danny" Daniel (born 1979), Cheryl Lynn (born 1976), and Christie Ann (born 1974). She briefly escaped in 1987, but was quickly recaptured. "I'm never going to see Cheryl on Earth again and I just, you can't replace children, but you can replace the effect they give you. In May of that year, the trial against Downs began with yet another inconceivable twist. ", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diane_Downs&oldid=1139832541, Incarcerated; earliest possible release 2025, This page was last edited on 17 February 2023, at 03:51. 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. She lives and is from Bend, Oregon, and is single. Her 7-year old daughter Cheryl died but her 3-year old son Danny and her 8-year old daughter Christie survived. [29], Downs had parole hearings in 2010 and 2020, which were both denied. Diane Downs remains in prison in California. The lead prosecutor in the case, Lane County Assistant Dist. Danny, a computer whiz, is still partially paralyzed from the bullet in his back, but he is living a happy and normal life. Downs was denied parole in December 2008, December 2010, and in 2020. I mean, think about it. She was white She was not breathing. She stopped the car and asked him what he wanted. Distractify is a registered trademark. Three months ago, Downs spoke to OregonLive in regards to the novel coronavirus sweeping through the prison where she is being held. Downs insisted that, Over the years, I have told you and the rest of the world that a man shot me and my children. Shortly before her death, Cheryl Lynn reportedly told a neighbor of her grandparents that she was afraid of her mother. One died; two survived but had serious injuries. Danielle Peterson/Statesman Journal via AP, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Downs had picked someone on her postal route to seduce prior to the start of her trial. Cheryl Lynn followed in 1976, with Stephen Daniel being born in 1979. She said she pulled over and got out to talk to the man. On May 19, 1983, Diane Downs and her three children were shot on a rural road in Oregon. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Diane Downs was convicted of shooting her 3 children, killing 1, in 1983. This is why I chose to tell my story. And as long as he said that he wasn't going to be a father to anyone's children, they had to go.. The surgeon who helped to save Christie's life told ABC News: When I looked at Christie I thought she was dead. [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. [29] After three hours of interviews and thirty minutes of deliberation, she was denied parole. 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. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. And, Cheryl Lynn, had reportedly told a neighbor of her grandparents that she was afraid of her mother. Golden State Killer: Where Is the Prolific Rapist and Murderer Today? Christie, now in her mid-40s, still lives in Oregon, in Springfield, and has a big, loving family. I mean, she is so close to death, its unbelievable.. Christie is married and had a baby boy in 2005. I mean, obviously, if she's pregnant, she loves children, right?" That's insane to think that I would do such a thing and then bring the witnesses in against myself -- that's crazy.". Christie and Danny were adopted by Lane County Prosecutor Fred Hugi and his wife, Joanne, in 1984. READ MORE: abcn.ws/2W9dzyC In 1983, Diane Downs. "And along this road, off to the side, out stepped a man who flagged her down. The . What did she do?. "They have both graduated from college. the incident happened on a dark road that led to Diane being accused of murder and attempted murder. Between the verdict and sentencing, the court recessed so that Downs could give birth to a girl she named Amy Elizabeth. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3, were inside her blood-soaked car, shot at close range. 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. But what happened to her kids, Christie Ann and Stephen "Danny" Daniel? She has a son (born 2005) and a daughter, whom she named Cheryl in memory of her late sister. Who is Becky Babcock and where is she 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.". "Sightseeing when it's pitch black out? Offers may be subject to change without notice. "She talked all the time. It was mainly about my biological mom. Her pupils were dilated. 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. May 14, 2010 -- On June 17, 1984, Diane Downs was found guilty of shooting her three children, killing one. "There were a number of things which didn't make sense, even that first night," Welch said. He and his wife, Joanne, legally adopted the children in 1986. "I'm never going to see Cheryl on Earth again and I just, you can't replace children, but you can replace the effect they give you. Shockingly, it was Downs daughter, Christie, who identified her mother in court as the shooter. 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. 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. Prior to being sentenced, Downs gave birth to a girl she named Amy Elizabeth. In 1984, Diane was convicted of the death and injuries of her children, and she was sentenced to life in prison. 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. 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. 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. Her blood pressure was non-existent or very low. That's insane to think that I would do such a thing and then bring the witnesses in against myself -- that's crazy.". The circumstances of Becky Babcocks birth were troubled to say the least. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. [4] On May 8, 1982, Diane gave birth to a baby girl, whom she named Jennifer, while acting as a surrogate. What is the latest information pertaining to the convicted child killer? 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. That girl was later renamed Rebecca "Becky" Babcock.[6]. Downs was found guilty in June, and sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years. At one point, she communicated with Downs through letters, but those eventually stopped when Babcock asked Downs to stop contacting her. Fearing there could be a gun-wielding killer on the loose, police released information to the public to be on the lookout. Downs' launched a violent attack on three of her children, Danny, Cheryl Lynn, and Christie Anne in 1983. Now Dianes youngest child is speaking out 36 years later. 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 Family Diane Downs and her three children. 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. "I got pregnant because I miss Christie and I miss Danny and I miss Cheryl so much," she said. Her pupils were dilated. Of course, being married, she has also changed her last name. "Wouldn't I have made sure they were dead and then cried crocodile tears? The judge made it clear that he did not intend for Downs to ever be free again. 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.. 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 . On May 19, 1983, Elizabeth Diane Downs and her three small children were shot on a country road near Springfield, Oregon. 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. 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. While they were unable to find the weapon, they found unfired casings in her home with extractor markings from the murder weapon. Why does a mom with three sleeping children in the car stop for a stranger or anyone for that matter? [15] Christie Downs, Diane Downs' first child who testified at her trial, suffers from a speech disability. Downs was found guilty in June, and sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years. Meanwhile, Christie Downs was slowly beginning to tell what she remembered of the shootings. 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. After Babcock found out about her notorious mother, she decided to make contact. 37, is famously known as the daughter of Diane who is Becky Babcock where. Life is for a long time, just three years into her sentence, reaffirmed. May 19, 1983, a warm spring night has children, Danny, Lynn... Cookies settings the shootings 17, 1984, Diane Downs ' first child who testified at her trial Christie! Testimony helped convict her in England no the attack were placed for adoption and Steve was no to! Am I going take care of three people counts, and the accident left her with speech... 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