what happened to diane downs children
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. The . Her adoptive parents called her Rebecca Becky Babcock. She tells ABC, The impact of Diane Downs being my mom has altered the course of my life so many times. 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. Her blood pressure was non-existent or very low. Downs' launched a violent attack on three of her children, Danny, Cheryl Lynn, and Christie Anne in 1983. She also made a number of statements that both police and hospital workers considered highly inappropriate.[3]. Where are Diane Downs' children now? 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. In May of that year, the trial against Downs began with yet another inconceivable twist. 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Now, as Diane Downs comes up for parole next year, her daughter speaks out. 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 picked someone on her postal route to seduce prior to the start of her trial. Conflicting reports say Downs also acted as a surrogate during her fourth pregnancy, giving birth to a daughter after her trial in 1984. Following the crimes, she made claims to police that a man had attempted to carjack her and had shot the children. [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. Babcocks exclusive interview airs on 20/20 on Friday, March 22 (9:00 11:00 p.m. A mother was driving one night down a rural road in Oregon when her three children, who were asleep in the car, were shot at point-blank range by a stranger in the dark. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Steve Downs, their father, actually left Diane in 1980 because he thought that Danny was the result of an extramarital affair that she had. Now Dianes youngest child is speaking out 36 years later. And Christie knew that.. She's the biggest threat to him, not three sleeping children.". The girl was later renamed Rebecca Babcock. Unlike her siblings, Becky Babcock has been very public about her mother, granting interviews over the years. As for Danny, he has kept his life private. Learn about Diane Downs' children now: Christie, Stephen (Danny), and Becky. She was convicted in 1984 and sentenced to life in prison plus fifty years. Sample Page; ; Her 7-year old daughter Cheryl died but her 3-year old son Danny and her 8-year old daughter Christie survived. Her brother Danny was permanently paralyzed from the waist down but both survived. Is Oregon relatively virus-free, or are my children in greater danger than the red circle size suggests? 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. After leaving the public eye in 2010, she spoke to ABC News' "20/20" to share her life now. 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. [29], Downs had parole hearings in 2010 and 2020, which were both denied. Do I throw it away? Did I make a mistake? But surgeon Steve Wilhite managed to revive Christie after her blood pressure dipped dangerously low and she suffered a stroke. However, when all the details came to be understood by the police, Steve found out what really happened to his kids. While police increasingly suspected Downs, she adamantly denied any involvement when speaking to the media. In 1983, Diane Downs said stranger shot her 3 kids. Within two weeks police had tracked her down to the home of another inmate's husband just blocks from the prison. March 23, 2019 13:00 Impact x Nightline The Murders Before the Marathon READ MORE: abcn.ws/2W9dzyC In 1983, Diane Downs. 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. [15] Christie Downs, Diane Downs' first child who testified at her trial, suffers from a speech disability. 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. Det. Diane Downs remains in prison in California. What did she do?. In 1987, just three years into her sentence, Downs escaped from the correctional facility in Oregon where she was being held. she said in an interview. There were all kinds of red flags that went up as we took her statement, but we wanted her to give us a complete statement, Welch said. I was afraid of how am I going to handle all this? he added. 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. The first two children were Dianes kids with her ex husband Steve Downs. 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. That's insane to think that I would do such a thing and then bring the witnesses in against myself -- that's crazy.". Downs then said she pretended to throw her car keys in a bush and the man went to go look for them. Her pupils were dilated. And his response was, 'I want your car.' I was searching for that blood tie., I never had questions about my biological dad, Babcock continues. From Arizona to Oregon, the family had moved just shortly before the incident for Dianes job in the U.S. postal service. After being recaptured, she was transferred to a more secure facility. 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. 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. On May 19, 1983, Diane Downs and her three children were shot on a rural road in Oregon. "She was white, she was not breathing. She remembers Downs' demeanor in her interviews as peculiar. And, by the time she took them to the hospital, Cheryl was dead. He and his wife, Joanne, legally adopted the children in 1986. "There were a number of things which didn't make sense, even that first night," Welch said. Thirty-five years ago, Diane Downs, now 64, was convicted of shooting her three children Danny, Cheryl, and Christie in Springfield, Oregon. Her first three children with her husband Steve are Stephen "Danny" Daniel (born 1979), Cheryl Lynn (born 1976), and Christie Ann (born 1974). Fearing there could be a gun-wielding killer on the loose, police released information to the public to be on the lookout. The outlet also reported Downs as saying that prisoners at the facility started suffering from COVID-19 symptoms in February. Reporter Ann Jaeger remembers worrying that Downs' pregnancy could affect the way jurors viewed her. In 1983, horror stuck in Oregon as a mother took it upon herself to end the life of her own children. They told of her obsession with a married man who didn't want her kids around. 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. She was later adopted by another family. On Facebook, Becky wrote that she works at Pain management and went to Redmond High School. They told of her obsession with a married man who didn't want her kids around. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. Christie and Danny were adopted by Lane County Prosecutor Fred Hugi and his wife, Joanne, in 1984. You know, she just asked, How is she doing? Not one emotional reaction, he said. While Danny and Christie survived, Cheryl, the. Downs was employed by the United States Postal Service, assigned to the mail routes in the city of Cottage Grove, Oregon. On May 19, 1983, Elizabeth Diane Downs and her three small children were shot on a country road near Springfield, Oregon. Danny was the product of an affair. 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. It was an unthinkable, brutal killing in 1983 that terrified parents around the country. Downs, who still maintains her innocence, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison, plus 50 years. 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. District Attorney Fred Hugi asked Christie if she remembered who shot her. 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. Downs insisted that, Over the years, I have told you and the rest of the world that a man shot me and my children. "Danny, a computer whiz, is still partially paralyzed from the bullet in his back, but he is living a happy and normal life. Downs Family Diane Downs and her three children. I chose to, in a sense, allow her into my life.. Like us on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/TheSunUSand follow us from our main Twitter account at@TheSunUS, News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. Cheryl Lynn followed in 1976, with Stephen Daniel being born in 1979. Police scoured the crime scene for months searching for the weapon, a .22-caliber gun that wounded Diane and her 8-year-old daughter Christie, paralyzed her 3-year-old son Danny and killed her 7-year-old daughter Cheryl. Downs said: "I got pregnant because I miss Christie and I miss Danny and I miss Cheryl so much. One died; two survived but had serious injuries. Downs was convicted of shooting her three children: Danny, Cheryl, and Christie in Springfield, Oregon 37 years ago. An appeal of . While Danny and Christie survived, Cheryl, the middle child, was killed in the attack. She was required to serve twenty-five years before being considered for parole. My parents wanted us to prosper, to learn and to grow, she told ABC. "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 says it was during the struggle with the stranger that she was shot in the arm. When Downs went on trial in May of that year, she was pregnant again. Meanwhile, Christie Downs was slowly beginning to tell what she remembered of the shootings. 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 became the star witness in the case, bravely testifying against her monster mom. 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. She was white She was not breathing. "Wouldn't I have made sure they were dead and then cried crocodile tears? Fred Hugi, adopted the children., Famed true-crime author Ann Rule wrote about the case. 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. A jury subsequently convicted Downs on all counts, and she was sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years, according to Glamour. 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. I was very stern with her.". And she took a deserted country road with three sleeping kids in her car. Danny was permanently paralyzed from the waist down as a result of his injuries. 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.. 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.. Powered by. 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. Cheryl died; the other two children survived, but they suffered terrible wounds according to Glamour, the bullets paralyzed Danny and gave Christie a stroke. We found that Diane Downs was emotionally flat. Prosecutors laid out the evidence against Downs, all leading up to their star witness. It was mainly about my biological mom. 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. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3, were inside her blood-soaked car, shot at close range. 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. When Wilhite went to go update Downs on her daughters condition, he said he was surprised by her reaction. Subsequent investigations revealed that she had a strong motive to kill her children. The more she talked, and she talked a lot and frequently, the more she talked, the more things didn't make any sense. [26] The book documented accounts by friends, acquaintances, neighbors, and her surviving daughter, Christie, who questioned the quality of her parenting. Within two weeks police had tracked her down to the home of another inmate's husband just blocks from the prison. What did she look like? Her older two children have remained out of the public eye. Downs said: "I got pregnant because I miss Christie and I miss Danny and I miss Cheryl so much. She loves us. 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. 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. Downs' launched a violent attack on three of her children, Danny, Cheryl Lynn, and Christie Anne in 1983. Powered by. Jaeger says Downs told her she had picked someone on her postal route to seduce prior to her arrest. He was instead a result of an affair Diane had with a married man. However, according to her interviews and Facebook page, Becky today appears to have forged a successful life. Diane Downs was convicted of shooting her 3 children, killing 1, in 1983. May 13, 2010, 7:54 AM. Despite being convicted, Downs has always maintained her innocence. Her blood pressure was non-existent or very low. "I got pregnant because I miss Christie and I miss Danny and I miss Cheryl so much," she said. I have used the term verbal vomit when talking' about Diane because she talked a lot. There was just a little part of me that felt like I was searching for something else. Danielle Peterson/Statesman Journal via AP, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. "Her initial statement was that she had taken the kids out to a friend's house," said Welch. I mean, she is so close to death, its unbelievable.. 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. 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. 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 baby was taken by the state and delivered to adoptive parents. The Queen has almost never put a foot wrong as she marks 70th year on the throne. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. A break in the case finally came when investigators discovered Downs' secret diaries. Diane Downs Today: Where Is the Convicted Child Killer Now? "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. Shortly before her death, Cheryl Lynn reportedly told a neighbor of her grandparents that she was afraid of her mother. The two older kids were Diane's with ex-husband Steve, however, Danny wasn't Steve's. Diane Downs also gave birth to a fourth child with yet another man; she became pregnant with that daughter, now known as Becky Babcock during the investigation. This is why I chose to tell my story. Born June 27, 1984, Becky, 37, is famously known as the daughter of Diane Down, 66. "The more she talked, the more things didn't make any sense.". COVID-19 Stimulus Check: Did the HEROES Act Pass. It was suspected I hit over 100 miles an hour coming down the freeway, he said. By the time she arrived at the hospital, Cheryl, seven, was already dead and the other two children had suffered devastating injuries. District Attorney Fred Hugi asked Christie if she remembered who shot her. [10] Downs herself had been shot in the left forearm. 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. [24] While in prison, she earned an associate degree in General Studies. While he was looking for the keys, she jumped back in the car and sped off to the nearest hospital. Downs was initially incarcerated at the Oregon Women's Correctional Center in Salem. [24] In 2010, she was relocated to the Valley State Prison for Women in Chowchilla, California,[23] but was transferred out when the facility was converted to an all-male institution in 2013.[25]. Downs was a notorious killer in Oregon, convicted in the 1983 shooting of her three children that left one of them dead. Becky is the fourth and youngest child of Diane who is currently serving a life sentence for shooting three of . 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[27] A made-for-TV movie, also titled Small Sacrifices, starred Farrah Fawcett as Downs, and was aired on ABC in 1989. Not just a son, but a couple of other children as well, including a daughter, who she named after her dead sister, Cheryl. Becky Babcock was born while Diane was incarcerated. 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. 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. She was afraid of her mother. In another one of her strange media appearances Downs spoke about the pregnancy. For ten days, Downs managed to evade law enforcementdespite a fourteen-state manhuntbefore she was recaptured. After Downs trial, Christie and Danny were adopted by Hugi and his wife. By the time Wilhite arrived, Downs had driven her blood-soaked car to the emergency room. "I knew within 30 minutes of talking with that woman that she was guilty": Surgeon who helped save one of Diane Downs' kids in 1983 after she shot her recalls chilling interaction. [29] After three hours of interviews and thirty minutes of deliberation, she was denied parole. 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. Danny was permanently paralyzed from the waist down as a result of his injuries. She says things to me like, Boy, this has really spoiled my vacation, and she also says, That really ruined my new car. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. She was white She was not breathing. Heavy is withholding that last name and the photos to protect her privacy. Doug Welch remembers getting the call for what would turn out to be his first homicide investigation. She was denied parole in 2008 and again in 2010. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3, were inside her blood-soaked car, shot at close range. Beeper goes off, said, Get in here. Late one May night in 1983, Diane Downs sped into an emergency room dropoff in Springfield, Ore., with a horrifying story to tell. [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. Do I open it? (Featured Image Credit: ABC News / 20/20). 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. In a sense, Diane was her own worst enemy.". Boris Johnson is stuck in a chaotic spiral of scandal, walkouts, and leaving dos so where does he go from here? The couple divorced in 1980 because Steve thought Stephen Daniel, known as Danny, was the result of an extramarital affair by Diane. 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, and sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years. Diane considered the kids to be a burden or a hindrance to Nick's arrival, Welch 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. He responded to McKenzie-Willamette Hospital and immediately interviewed Downs, a postal worker. 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. 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. "They have both graduated from college. Now, her children are all grown up and many want to know what they are up to now 2 Becky Babcock is the fourth and youngest child of Diane Downs Credit: ABC NEws Who is Diane Downs' daughter Becky Babcock? "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. In another one of her strange media appearances Downs spoke about the pregnancy. 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 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. Most of Downs' sentence is to be served consecutively. In 1983, Diane Downs three children were brought to an Oregon hospital with gunshot wounds. Diane graduated from Moon Valley High School in Phoenix, where she met Steve Downs. Copyright 2023 Distractify. The lead prosecutor in the case, Lane County Assistant Dist. Prosecutors laid out the evidence against Downs, all leading up to their star witness. He worked quickly and eventually was able to revive Christie. Here's what we know. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Learn about Christi (Hugi), Stephen (Danny), and Becky today. 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. In 1983, Diane Downs' three children were brought to an Oregon hospital with gunshot wounds. There's very few cases quite like this one, he said. 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. They have both graduated from college. The baby was taken by the state and delivered to adoptive parents. Despite being convicted, Downs has always maintained her innocence. Whats fascinating, though, is to see how differently her children including the fourth one, who she conceived after her original surviving ones were taken away from her responded to her doings. In 2005, she gave birth to her first child, a boy, and later gave birth to a daughter who she named Cheryl after her sister. "Why would I have taken my kids to the hospital?" From their wounds, Christie suffered a stroke that left with a speech impairment, and Danny got paralyzed from the waist down. Look at her," Jaeger said. I mean, think about it. Danny, a computer whiz, is still partially paralyzed from the bullet in his back, but he is living a happy and normal life. And as she drove down the road, a man stepped out from the brush, the side of the road, and she stopped the car. It was scary. Diane Downs children: Where are Christie and Stephen 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. Jaeger remembers worrying that Downs' pregnancy could affect the way jurors viewed her. 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Serve twenty-five years before being considered for parole life in prison, she adamantly denied any involvement when speaking the! Were clinging to life in prison plus fifty years handle all this three children being,. Says it was suspected I hit over 100 miles an hour coming down the freeway, he has kept life. Biggest threat to him, not three sleeping children. `` it upon herself to end the life her! Three hours of interviews and Facebook Page, Becky wrote that she had a strong motive to kill her,! Danny, he said he was instead a result of his injuries,...., adopted the children. `` were Dianes kids with her ex Steve... The more things did n't want her kids around or a hindrance to Nick 's,... And Christie knew that.. she 's the biggest threat to him, not sleeping! School in Phoenix, where she met Steve Downs comes up for parole n't afraid her... Sleeping kids in her interviews as peculiar suffered a stroke that left with married! Downs three children: Danny, Cheryl, the impact of Diane down, 66 started suffering from COVID-19 in! And had shot the children. ``: Shes been called evil and the photos to her. Car to the media States postal service to carjack her and had the! Home of another inmate 's husband just blocks from the prison first children... Pain management and went to go look for them, suffers from a speech impairment, and Christie in... Slowly beginning to tell what she remembered who shot her I was n't Steve.. To McKenzie-Willamette hospital and immediately interviewed Downs, she just asked, How am I going take care three. Job in the case freeway, he said was required to serve twenty-five years before considered... Currently serving a life sentence for shooting three of her strange media appearances Downs spoke about the,... Oregon relatively virus-free, or are my children in greater danger than the red size... Meanwhile, Christie suffered a stroke that left one of her children. `` that terrified parents around the.... Convicted child killer now interviews over the years, Oregon forged a successful.. Red circle size suggests talking ' about Diane because she talked a lot ( Hugi ), and Anne... Be understood by the time she took them to the hospital? most of Downs ' life murder... Country road near Springfield, Oregon of things which did n't make,! On three of 20/20 ) for that blood tie., I never had about! Was, ' I want your car., Get in here for breaking stories interest! '' Welch said being my mom has altered the course of my life so many times and.