I have never changed my story.[29] Her first parole hearing was on December 9, 2008. 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 didn't know when to keep her mouth shut.. Diane Downs Today: Where Is the Convicted Child Killer Now? Fearing there could be a gun-wielding killer on the loose, police released information to the public to be on the lookout. And she's not. 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. Downs is serving a life sentence for shooting her children, killing one They married in 1973, before divorcing in 1980. Her pupils were dilated. Fred Hugi, adopted the children., Famed true-crime author Ann Rule wrote about the case. "Sightseeing when it's pitch black out? 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. I knew my entire life that I was adopted, Babcock tells the show in an exclusive clip obtained by PEOPLE. In 1987, just three years into her sentence, Downs escaped from the correctional facility in Oregon where she was being held. A judge had already placed Downs' two surviving children in protective custody. 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. This is why I chose to tell my story. Copyright 2023 Distractify. View our online Press Pack. She was sentenced to life plus 50 years for the crimes. He worked quickly and eventually was able to revive Christie. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. "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. [15] Christie Downs, Diane Downs' first child who testified at her trial, suffers from a speech disability. She described him as a "bushy haired stranger". It was mainly about my biological mom. 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. 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. Today, Downs is incarcerated at the Central California Womens Facility in Chowchilla, California. 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.". She shot her three children but claimed that she was carjacked and that her children were shot by a stranger. "She talked all the time. "Danny, a computer whiz, is still partially paralyzed from the bullet in his back, but he is living a happy and normal life. The tragedy that hit the Downs' kids changed their whole life. Born June 27, 1984, Becky, 37, is famously known as the daughter of Diane Down, 66. "Wouldn't I have made sure they were dead and then cried crocodile tears? 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 also made a number of statements that both police and hospital workers considered highly inappropriate.[3]. It was scary. The child was adopted and was later named Rebecca. 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. They had another sibling, born in the middle, in 1976, Cheryl Lynn, but she didnt survive the shooting. The Daughter of Diane Downs. She wed Steve Downs in 1973 when she was just 17 and the couple had two children together . Prosecutors laid out the evidence against Downs, all leading up to their star witness. [24] While in prison, she earned an associate degree in General Studies. 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. [2], On November 13, 1973, Diane married Steve Downs after running away from home. Downs was denied parole in December 2008, December 2010, and in 2020. He responded to McKenzie-Willamette Hospital and immediately interviewed Downs, a postal worker. Shockingly, it was Downs daughter, Christie, who identified her mother in court as the shooter. 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. [3] Diane came from a family with strict conservative values. When Downs went on trial in May of that year, she was pregnant again. 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. It hasnt been easy, but it has been worth it. 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. Watch the full story on "20/20" Friday, March 22, at 9 p.m. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Twitter Danny was permanently paralyzed from the waist down as a result of his injuries. Diane Downs gave birth to four children. Danny was permanently paralyzed from the waist down as a result of his injuries. In a two-hour 20/20 documentary, Babcock opens up about learning the truth regarding her infamous mom. They have grown up in a very happy home with the Hugis., Both individuals chose to live a life away from the spotlight- they didnt want prying eyes to remind them of the horrors of their past and to haunt them more than it already did. "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. Downs' launched a violent attack on three of her children, Danny, Cheryl Lynn, and Christie Anne in 1983. Despite being convicted, Downs has always maintained her innocence. 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. Reporter Ann Jaeger remembers worrying that Downs' pregnancy could affect the way jurors viewed her. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3, were inside her blood-soaked car, shot at close range. She says it was during the struggle with the stranger that she was shot in the arm. 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. But suspicions of Downs herself quickly began to surface. 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. [2][3] Their first child, Christie Ann, was born in 1974. 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. [29] After three hours of interviews and thirty minutes of deliberation, she was denied parole. Christie was the star witness in her mothers prosecution; she testified that her mother was the shooter. Heavy is withholding that last name and the photos to protect her privacy. 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. ET. Wilhite said he was immediately directed to start working to save Christie while another surgeon took Danny. 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. 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. Now Dianes youngest child is speaking out 36 years later. Downs was initially incarcerated at the Oregon Women's Correctional Center in Salem. She tells ABC, The impact of Diane Downs being my mom has altered the course of my life so many times. 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. I mean, obviously, if she's pregnant, she loves children, right?" 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. Diane Downs is an American murder convict who has been serving a life sentence since 1984. I think that's one of the things that-- ended up hurting her case. Thank you all for sharing your stories with me and reminding me why I came forward. Cheryl died; the other two children survived, but they suffered terrible wounds according to Glamour, the bullets paralyzed Danny and gave Christie a stroke. The couple divorced in 1980 over. 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. 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. 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