Christie and Danny were adopted by Lane County Prosecutor Fred Hugi and his wife, Joanne, in 1984. The two older kids were Diane's with ex-husband Steve, however, Danny wasn't Steve's. It was mainly about my biological mom. I knew my entire life that I was adopted, Babcock tells the show in an exclusive clip obtained by PEOPLE. 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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 . In a sense, Diane was her own worst enemy.". 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. 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. 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. READ MORE: abcn.ws/2W9dzyC In 1983, Diane Downs. Her first three children with her husband Steve are Stephen "Danny" Daniel (born 1979), Cheryl Lynn (born 1976), and Christie Ann (born 1974).. 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. What did she look like? The first two children were Dianes kids with her ex husband Steve Downs. 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. 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, Oregon. she said in an interview. The . The child was later renamed Rebecca Babcock by her adoptive parents. 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. 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. March 23, 2019 13:00 Impact x Nightline The Murders Before the Marathon 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. However, when all the details came to be understood by the police, Steve found out what really happened to his kids. Her older two children have remained out of the public eye. 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. Thirty-five years ago, Diane Downs, now 64, was convicted of shooting her three children Danny, Cheryl, and Christie in Springfield, Oregon. It was exciting. Danny was permanently paralyzed from the waist down as a result of his injuries. [2], On November 13, 1973, Diane married Steve Downs after running away from home. Wilhite immediately jumped back into his car and raced to McKenzie-Williamette Medical Center as fast as he could. Downs claimed that during this drive home, around 10 pm she saw a strange man standing in the road flagging her down. 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. On July 11, 1987, she escaped from her cell by scaling an eighteen-foot razor wire fence. All the kids were asleep as it was past 9 o'clock pm and her children were fairly young. When I see what others have suffered, I think my boss probably saved my life.. Jaeger said. But Im on track and Im really happy with the way life is.. A judge had already placed Downs' two surviving children in protective custody. Of course, being married, she has also changed her last name. "And along this road, off to the side, out stepped a man who flagged her down. Christie is married and had a baby boy in 2005. It's very seldom that does my body tingle like that, he added. Meanwhile, Christie Downs was slowly beginning to tell what she remembered of the shootings. 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. Following the crimes, she made claims to police that a man had attempted to carjack her and had shot the children. Too much for her own good, Welch said. In 1983, Diane Downs three children were brought to an Oregon hospital with gunshot wounds. He responded to McKenzie-Willamette Hospital and immediately interviewed Downs, a postal worker. Christie is married and had a baby boy in 2005. Learn about Christi (Hugi), Stephen (Danny), and Becky today. In court, according to Glamour, prosecutors argued that Downs motive to get rid of her children stemmed from the fact that her boyfriend at the time did not want kids. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3, were inside her blood-soaked car, shot at close range. Most of Downs' sentence is to be served consecutively. While police increasingly suspected Downs, she adamantly denied any involvement when speaking to the media. 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. Becky Babcock was born while Diane was incarcerated. They have both graduated from college. Her first three children with her husband Steve are Stephen "Danny" Daniel (born 1979), Cheryl Lynn (born 1976), and Christie Ann (born 1974). Her Facebook photos showcase a loving family living a normal life. 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. 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. 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.. She was afraid of her mother. Danielle Peterson/Statesman Journal via AP, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. It was as if she thought that if she kept talking enough, that you would believe her, Jaeger said. She was denied parole in 2008 and continues to proclaim her innocence. Copyright 2023 Distractify. After leaving the public eye in 2010, she spoke to ABC News' "20/20" to share her life now. Within two weeks police had tracked her down to the home of another inmate's husband just blocks from the prison. Christie Downs, now 44, and her brother, 39, were adopted by the prosecutor in the case. The couple divorced in 1980 because Steve thought Stephen Daniel, known as Danny, was the result of an extramarital affair by Diane. The two kids who had survived the attack were placed for adoption and Steve was no able to care for them. The revelation would shake Becky Babcock's young world and take her on a journey of self-discovery, filled with ups and downs, she said. That's insane to think that I would do such a thing and then bring the witnesses in against myself -- that's crazy.". The surgeon who helped to save Christie's life told ABC News: When I looked at Christie I thought she was dead. But what happened to Diane Downs' husband? While they were unable to find the weapon, they found unfired casings in her home with extractor markings from the murder weapon. She will be eligible for parole in 2020 and continues to proclaim her innocence. "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. Downs was found guilty in June, and sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years. [1], Elizabeth Diane Downs was born on August 7, 1955 in Phoenix, Arizona, to Wesley Linden (19302017) and Willadene (Engle) Frederickson. A 27-year-old divorced postal service worker, Downs claimed a bushy-haired stranger had shot them and maintains her innocence to this day. Diane graduated from Moon Valley High School in Phoenix, where she met Steve Downs. 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. 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. In a two-hour 20/20 documentary, Babcock opens up about learning the truth regarding her infamous mom. Diane Downs always wanted to be a mom, she told Inside Edition in its first-ever episode in 1989. Critics said she deliberately became pregnant in order to garner sympathy from the jury. She claimed that she was carjacked on a rural road near Springfield by a strange man who shot her and the children. We found that Diane Downs was emotionally flat. In the frantic scene, hospital employees quickly determined that Cheryl was already dead and that Christie and Danny were clinging to life. 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. I was afraid of how am I going to handle all this? he added. They have maintained private lives since and have never spoken publically about their birth mother. He and his wife, Joanne, adopted them in 1986. It was an interesting interview. 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. 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. 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. After Babcock found out about her notorious mother, she decided to make contact. There's very few cases quite like this one, he said. 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. On May 19, 1983, Diane shot the children Cheryl, 7, Christie, 8, and Danny, 3 multiple times at a close range. Christie became the star witness in the case, bravely testifying against her monster mom. A surgeon told ABC News of treating Christie: When I looked at Christie I thought she was dead, he said. DIANE Downs made international headlines for callously shooting three of her children - her fourth wasn't yet born. 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. 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. Her brother Danny was permanently paralyzed from the waist down but both survived. And Christie knew that.. After her recapture, Downs was transferred to the New Jersey Department of Corrections Clinton Correctional Facility for Women after heavy lobbying from Hugi. They told of her obsession with a married man who didn't want her kids around. California Department of Corrections Diane's 2 children who survived the shooting . For other inquiries, Contact Us. It's not even known if he still resides in Arizona, where he used to live with Diane and their 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 for Woman in Clinton, N.J., March 12, 1989. The tragedy that hit the Downs' kids changed their whole 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. 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. My parents wanted us to prosper, to learn and to grow, she told ABC. 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. Here's what we know. I mean, she is so close to death, its unbelievable.. . 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 . Christie, now in her mid-40s, still lives in Oregon, in Springfield, and has a big, loving family. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? In another one of her strange media appearances Downs spoke about the pregnancy. 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. She tells ABC, The impact of Diane Downs being my mom has altered the course of my life so many times. The girl was later renamed Becky Babcock. 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. Downs was found guilty in June, and sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years. On a May night in 1983, the young, divorced letter carrier drove up to the emergency room of a Springfield, Oregon, hospital. The lead prosecutor in the case, Lane County Assistant Dist. 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. Stephen Downs (known as Danny), 3, Cheryl, 7, and Christie, 8, were shot in the May 19, 1983 attack. Downs insisted that, Over the years, I have told you and the rest of the world that a man shot me and my children. 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. "She couldn't keep her mouth shut," Welch said. 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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.". [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. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3, were inside her blood-soaked car, shot at close range. "They have grown up in a very happy home with the Hugis.. Despite being convicted, Downs has always maintained her innocence. Danny, a computer whiz, is still partially paralyzed from the bullet in his back, but he is living a happy and normal life. Her blood pressure was non-existent or very low. Shortly before her death, Cheryl Lynn reportedly told a neighbor of her grandparents that she was afraid of her mother. 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. 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. In 1984, Diane Downs was convicted of shooting her three children, 3-year-old Danny, 7-year-old Cheryl, and 8-year-old Christie. READ NEXT: COVID-19 Stimulus Check: Did the HEROES Act Pass? Christie became the star witness in the case, bravely testifying against her monster mom. That's insane to think that I would do such a thing and then bring the witnesses in against myself -- that's crazy.". Therefore, they grew up privately and continue to live their adult lives privately. She told ABC, The impact of Diane Downs being my mom has altered the course of my life so many times. I think that's one of the things that-- ended up hurting her case. 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 was a notorious killer in Oregon, convicted in the 1983 shooting of her three children that left one of them dead. [24] While in prison, she earned an associate degree in General Studies. And I said to her, We don't know that. Downs was denied parole in December 2008, December 2010, and in 2020. District Attorney Fred Hugi asked Christie if she remembered who shot her. She described him as a "bushy haired stranger". All Rights Reserved. [29] She was not permitted a statement, but answered questions from the parole board. "She was white, she was not breathing. [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. 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. This is why I chose to tell my story. And why are the kids fatally or near-fatally wounded, and she, being right-handed, is shot in the left arm? Look at her," Jaeger said. "Why would I have taken my kids to the hospital?" The surgeon who helped to save Christie's life told ABC News: When I looked at Christie I thought she was dead. Downs is serving a life sentence for shooting her children, killing one They married in 1973, before divorcing in 1980. Within a few weeks, the kids who had survived were placed in protective custody and were no longer in Steve's care. Fred Hugi, adopted the children., Famed true-crime author Ann Rule wrote about the case. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. [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. "Why would I have taken my kids to the hospital?" Wilhite said Christie's blood pressure had been so low that she suffered a stroke. 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. She tried to cut her wrists when she was 13 years old. Downs said she then faked throwing her keys to divert the gunman's attention, pushed him out of the way, jumped back in her car and raced to the hospital with her badly wounded children. Despite being convicted, Downs has always maintained her innocence. She went to the University of Oregon and now lives with her husband and children in the town. [2] She has testified that her father sexually abused her when she was 12 years old. ", 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. Steve Downs, their father, actually left Diane in 1980 because he thought that Danny was the result of an extramarital affair that she had. The baby was taken by the state and delivered to adoptive parents. Downs, who still maintains her innocence, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison, plus 50 years. "There were a number of things which didn't make sense, even that first night," Welch said. A 27-year-old divorced postal service worker, Downs claimed a bushy-haired stranger had shot them and maintains her innocence to this day. In 1984, Diane was convicted of the death and injuries of her children, and she was sentenced to life in prison. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. [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. Is Oregon relatively virus-free, or are my children in greater danger than the red circle size suggests? I was nervous. She named the fourth baby Amy Elizabeth before the state handed her over to her adoptive parents. See you at 9pm for our encore presentation of #MyMomsSins #ABC2020! Within two weeks police had tracked her down to the home of another inmate's husband just blocks from the prison. Diane Downs Today: Where Is the Convicted Child Killer Now? I had a great family, a great life. We believe the motive for the shooting was to get Nick up here to Oregon to be with her. The first letter I wrote Diane, I must have written 100 times, she says. Diane Downs remains in prison in California. [12], Diane did not disclose to police that she owned a .22 caliber handgun, but both Steve and Knickerbocker informed authorities that she did. However, according to her interviews and Facebook page, Becky today appears to have forged a successful life. She was the star witness in her mom's prosecution and her testimony helped convict her. 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. In May of that year, the trial against Downs began with yet another inconceivable twist. Where is Diane Downs today? [30][31][1] Downs maintained her innocence in all parole hearings. In May of that year, the trial against Downs began with yet another inconceivable twist. Between the verdict and sentencing, the court recessed so that Downs could give birth to a girl she named Amy Elizabeth. 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