Danielle Peterson/Statesman Journal via AP, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. Although Downs denied having ever owned a .22 caliber gun, two of her former lovers told police they recalled seeing her with one. Diane Downs and her three children They raise many concerns over her three-decade old conviction for the shooting of her three children, one of whom died, and say even the most basic tests for courts were not met or passed. Diane considered the kids to be a burden or a hindrance to Nick's arrival, Welch said. Jaeger said. 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. I was very stern with her.". 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. EUGENE -- It was 27 years ago tomorrow that single mother Elizabeth Diane Downs shot her three children -- killing one and seriously injuring the other two -- on a dark, rural Lane County. 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. He and his wife, Joanne, legally adopted the children in 1986. "They have grown up in a very happy home with the Hugis.. 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. Distractify is a registered trademark. In 1987, just three years into her sentence, Downs escaped from the correctional facility in Oregon where she was being held. Most of Downs' sentence is to be served consecutively. Stephen danny downs was the son of Diane Downs is a murderer who was convicted in the United States and is currently serving a life term for the crime she committed in 1984. She says things to me like, Boy, this has really spoiled my vacation, and she also says, That really ruined my new car. [2] Despite her parents' disapproval of their relationship, Downs continued the relationship. Christie is now in her forties, according to Tuko, and the accident left her with a speech handicap. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. "You cant replace children, but you can replace the effect they give you. Downs' launched a violent attack on three of her children, Danny, Cheryl Lynn, and Christie Anne in 1983. [24] While in prison, she earned an associate degree in General Studies. Boris Johnson is stuck in a chaotic spiral of scandal, walkouts, and leaving dos so where does he go from here? Learn about Christi (Hugi), Stephen (Danny), and Becky today. It was May 19, 1983, a warm spring night. Late one May night in 1983, Diane Downs sped into an emergency room dropoff in Springfield, Ore., with a horrifying story to tell. What is the latest information pertaining to the convicted child killer? [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. Police arrested Downs Feb. 28, 1984, nine months after the shootings. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. While police increasingly suspected Downs, she adamantly denied any involvement when speaking to the media. ", 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. She was white She was not breathing. [8][9] Upon arrival, Cheryl (aged 7) was already dead, Danny (aged 3) was paralyzed from the waist down, and Christie (aged 8) had suffered a disabling stroke. 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. "She was white, she was not breathing. 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. The surgeon who helped to save Christie's life told ABC News: When I looked at Christie I thought she was dead. Downs had also been shot, in the left forearm, though her wound was not life threatening. In the frantic scene, hospital employees quickly determined that Cheryl was already dead and that Christie and Danny were clinging to life. Her pupils were dilated. What happened to Diane Downs' children? Christie is married and had a baby boy in 2005. A surgeon told ABC News of treating Christie: When I looked at Christie I thought she was dead, he said. [15] Christie Downs, Diane Downs' first child who testified at her trial, suffers from a speech disability. When I looked at Christie I thought she was dead, he said. Diane Downs gave birth to four children. And I thought to myself, What am I going to do with three shot children?. Christie, now in her mid-40s, still lives in Oregon, in Springfield, and has a big, loving family. What did she do?. Growing up, Diane followed those values, however, after the age of 14, she became more rebellious and eventually dropped "Elizabeth" from her name and went by Diane. Her first three children with her husband Steve are Stephen "Danny" Daniel (born 1979), Cheryl Lynn (born 1976), and Christie Ann (born 1974). Then, 10 days after Diane was sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years, she gave birth to a daughter she named Amy Elizabeth. While Danny and Christie survived, Cheryl, the. 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. 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. Would love your thoughts, please comment. 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. I have used the term verbal vomit when talking' about Diane because she talked a lot. In May of that year, the trial against Downs began with yet another inconceivable twist. 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. (Featured Image Credit: ABC News / 20/20). Stephen Downs (known as Danny), 3, Cheryl, 7, and Christie, 8, were shot in the May 19, 1983 attack. The baby was taken by the state and delivered to adoptive parents. 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. She said she had not seen a male stranger that night. "She was white, she was not breathing. My childhood was of dreams and we had every opportunity that we wanted. He and his wife, Joanne, adopted them in 1986. 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. There's very few cases quite like this one, he said. Her 7-year old daughter Cheryl died but her 3-year old son Danny and her 8-year old daughter Christie survived. She briefly escaped in 1987, but was quickly recaptured. Author Ann Rule wrote the book Small Sacrifices (1987), which detailed Downs' life and murder trial. In another one of her strange media appearances Downs spoke about the pregnancy. The girl was later renamed Rebecca Babcock. Her pupils were dilated. In 1987, just three years into her sentence, Downs escaped from the correctional facility in Oregon where she was being held. From Arizona to Oregon, the family had moved just shortly before the incident for Dianes job in the U.S. postal service. Babcocks exclusive interview airs on 20/20 on Friday, March 22 (9:00 11:00 p.m. 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. The stroke Christie Downs suffered impaired her speech and initially prevented her from telling police what she had seen. "And it grew dark and upon their return home she decided to -- to do some sightseeing. 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. In a statement to Heavy, Terry Thornton, Deputy Press Secretary of California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, stated, Elizabeth Diane Downs, 64, is currently housed at Central California Womens Facility. ET) on ABC. Two of the kids survived the shooting with life altering injuries, and one of the children died. Rebecca wrote to Downs in her younger years, and has stated that she regrets the contact, regarding her mother as a monster.[20] [21]. 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. "Wouldn't I have made sure they were dead and then cried crocodile tears? She stopped the car and asked him what he wanted. She shot her three children but claimed that she was carjacked and that her children were shot by a stranger. She remembers Downs' demeanor in her interviews as peculiar. On Facebook, Becky wrote that she works at Pain management and went to Redmond High School. She says it was during the struggle with the stranger that she was shot in the arm. I've never been so hyped in my life.. Her three children -- 8-year-old Christie, 7-year-old Cheryl and 3 . 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. 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 more she talked, and she talked a lot and frequently, the more she talked, the more things didn't make any sense. Diane Downs attempts to murder her three young children, eight-year-old Christie, seven-year-old Cheryl, and three-year-old Danny, by faking a carjacking. She didn't know when to keep her mouth shut.. On May 19, 1983, Diane shot the children Cheryl, 7, Christie, 8, and Danny, 3 multiple times at a close range. Downs was found guilty in June, and sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years. When Downs went on trial in May of that year, she was pregnant again. According to Oprah.com, Christie and Dannyhave chosen to live private lives. In 1989, the Associated Press reported that then 14-year-old Christie Ann was left with speech impairment, and 9-year-old Danny is paralyzed from the waist down. She had been shot in the left forearm, though her wound was not life-threatening. 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.. But Im on track and Im really happy with the way life is.. Wilhite said he was immediately directed to start working to save Christie while another surgeon took Danny. And she's not. Thirty-five years ago, Diane Downs, now 64, was convicted of shooting her three children Danny, Cheryl, and Christie in Springfield, Oregon. Shockingly, it was Downs daughter, Christie, who identified her mother in court as the shooter. 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. Diane Downs children: Where are Christie and Stephen now? 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. Like us on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/TheSunUSand follow us from our main Twitter account at@TheSunUS, News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. Diane Downs is an American murder convict who has been serving a life sentence since 1984. she said in an interview. Late one May night in 1983, Diane Downs sped into an emergency room dropoff in Springfield, Ore., with a horrifying story to tell. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. Not one tear. She replied, 'You've got to be kidding,' at which time he pushed her aside and reached in and shot the sleeping kids.". Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3, were inside her blood-soaked car, shot at close range. 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