what happened to diane downs childrenwhat happened to diane downs children
He and his wife, Joanne, legally adopted the children in 1986. Jaeger says Downs told her she had picked someone on her postal route to seduce prior to her arrest. Did I make a mistake? "The more she talked, the more things didn't make any sense.". 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. Christie Downs, now 44, and her brother, 39, were adopted by the prosecutor in the case. She named one of her children after her dead sister Cheryl. We've got three children who have been shot, Wilhite told 20/20. And my whole body just tingled. Diane Downs Today: Where Is the Convicted Child Killer Now? 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. 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. She was convicted in 1984 and sentenced to life in prison plus fifty years. It was an interesting interview. "I got pregnant because I miss Christie and I miss Danny and I miss Cheryl so much," she said. She will be eligible for parole in 2020 and continues to proclaim her innocence. Becky Babcock was born while Diane was incarcerated. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Would love your thoughts, please comment. After her recapture, Downs was transferred to the New Jersey Department of Corrections Clinton Correctional Facility for Women after heavy lobbying from Hugi. The woman who was on trial for shooting her own children was pregnant again -- and it was no accident. Reporter Ann Jaeger remembers worrying that Downs' pregnancy could affect the way jurors viewed her. 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 . Downs claimed that during this drive home, around 10 pm she saw a strange man standing in the road flagging her down. 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. 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. Downs said: "I got pregnant because I miss Christie and I miss Danny and I miss Cheryl so much. Danielle Peterson/Statesman Journal via AP, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. And got out and ask what he wanted. The surgeon who helped to save Christie's life told ABC News: When I looked at Christie I thought she was dead. We just ignored it, Wilhite said. But what happened to Diane Downs' husband? Anne Jaeger was a local reporter for KEZI in Eugene, Ore., at the time. Danny and Christie survived the attack while middle child, Cheryl, died from her injuries at the time. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 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 1983, Diane Downs three children were brought to an Oregon hospital with gunshot wounds. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Prior to her sentencing, Downs gave birth to a baby girl whom she named Amy Elizabeth. Offers may be subject to change without notice. And his response was, 'I want your car.' I mean, obviously, if she's pregnant, she loves children, right?" There isnt a whole lot known about where Steve Downs is these days. The . I've never been so hyped in my life.. 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. Downs had picked someone on her postal route to seduce prior to the start of her trial. The outlet also reported Downs as saying that prisoners at the facility started suffering from COVID-19 symptoms in February. She stopped the car and asked him what he wanted. Danny was permanently paralyzed from the waist down as a result of his injuries. May 14, 2010 -- On June 17, 1984, Diane Downs was found guilty of shooting her three children, killing one. She says things to me like, Boy, this has really spoiled my vacation, and she also says, That really ruined my new car. 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.. [3][14], Downs was convicted on all charges on June 17, 1984, and sentenced to life in prison plus fifty years. Here's what we know. 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. 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. 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. 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. Golden State Killer: Where Is the Prolific Rapist and Murderer Today? After Downs trial, Christie and Danny were adopted by Hugi and his wife. (Featured Image Credit: ABC News / 20/20). She'd been shot in the left forearm, said Welch. 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. Diane graduated from Moon Valley High School in Phoenix, where she met Steve Downs. 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. She didn't know when to keep her mouth shut.. At least, that's the story Diane Downs told police. Downs was found guilty in June 1984, and sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years. ET. Downs then said she pretended to throw her car keys in a bush and the man went to go look for them. I showered, slept for 4 hours, woke up and drank water, then went back to sleep for 16 more hours, she wrote. Downs was found guilty in June, and sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years. "They have both graduated from college. When I looked in the mailbox and saw her letter, it was like Pandoras box. In May of that year, the trial against Downs began with yet another inconceivable twist. Watch the full story on "20/20" Friday, March 22, at 9 p.m. 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's 2 children who survived the shooting . 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. She has a son (born 2005) and a daughter, whom she named Cheryl in memory of her late sister. "She talked all the time. "She was white, she was not breathing. [24] While in prison, she earned an associate degree in General Studies. Christie became the star witness in the case, bravely testifying against her monster mom. 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. In the frantic scene, hospital employees quickly determined that Cheryl was already dead and that Christie and Danny were clinging to life. A break in the case finally came when investigators discovered Downs' secret diaries. Danny, a computer whiz, is still partially paralyzed from the bullet in his back, but he is living a happy and normal life. Downs is serving a life sentence for shooting her children, killing one They married in 1973, before divorcing in 1980. She was denied parole in 2008 and again in 2010. She claimed that she was carjacked on a rural road near Springfield by a strange man who shot her and the children. [10] Downs herself had been shot in the left forearm. And as long as he said that he wasn't going to be a father to anyone's children, they had to go.. The couple divorced in 1980 over Steven's insistence their son, Danny, was the result of an affair and not his biological child. Copyright 2023 Distractify. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. On May 19, 1983, Diane Downs and her three children were shot on a rural road in Oregon. Wilhite immediately jumped back into his car and raced to McKenzie-Williamette Medical Center as fast as he could. From their wounds, Christie suffered a stroke that left with a speech impairment, and Danny got paralyzed from the waist down. Christie is married and had a baby boy in 2005. I was nervous. [2][3] Their first child, Christie Ann, was born in 1974. But Im on track and Im really happy with the way life is.. Where are Diane Downs' children now? They told of her obsession with a married man who didn't want her kids around. In 1987, just three years into her sentence, Downs escaped from the correctional facility in Oregon where she was being held. On Facebook, Becky wrote that she works at Pain management and went to Redmond High School. 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.. 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. "You cant replace children, but you can replace the effect they give you. Her Facebook photos showcase a loving family living a normal life. Det. Wilhite said he also noticed that when Downs went to visit Christie in the recovery room, her stats would spike. 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.". In 1984, Diane Downs was convicted of shooting her three children, 3-year-old Danny, 7-year-old Cheryl, and 8-year-old Christie. And Christie knew that.. She was later adopted by another family. The two older kids were Diane's with ex-husband Steve, however, Danny wasn't Steve's. "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. 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. 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. 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.". "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.". 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Downs' sentence meant she could not be considered for parole until 2009. Diane considered the kids to be a burden or a hindrance to Nick's arrival, Welch said. It's not even known if he still resides in Arizona, where he used to live with Diane and their three kids. But suspicions of Downs herself quickly began to surface. She was denied parole in 2008 and continues to proclaim her innocence. That's insane to think that I would do such a thing and then bring the witnesses in against myself -- that's crazy.". Police arrested Downs Feb. 28, 1984, nine months after the shootings. Christie is married and had a baby boy in 2005. In the frantic scene, hospital employees quickly determined that Cheryl was already dead and that Christie and Danny were clinging to life. According to Glamour, the motive given for why Diane shot her kids was thought to be because the married man she was seeing at the time did not want any 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. In another one of her strange media appearances Downs spoke about the pregnancy. 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. 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. 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. Her first three children with her husband Steve are Stephen "Danny" Daniel (born 1979), Cheryl Lynn (born 1976), and Christie Ann (born 1974).. Thirty-five years ago, Diane Downs, now 64, was convicted of shooting her three children Danny, Cheryl, and Christie in Springfield, Oregon. She told ABC, The impact of Diane Downs being my mom has altered the course of my life so many times. "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. 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. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3, were inside her blood-soaked car, shot at close range. She, too, is now a mother. Heavy is withholding that last name and the photos to protect her privacy. Christie and Danny were adopted by Lane County Prosecutor Fred Hugi and his wife, Joanne, in 1984. The child was later renamed Rebecca Babcock by her adoptive parents. Christie Ann, born in 1974, is the eldest of the Downs children, and Stephen Daniel, known as Danny, born in 1979, is the youngest. [3] Diane came from a family with strict conservative values. 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. And she's not. Within two weeks police had tracked her down to the home of another inmate's husband just blocks from the prison. As for Danny, he has kept his life private. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. she said in an interview. 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 . Meanwhile, Christie Downs was slowly beginning to tell what she remembered of the shootings. Do I open it? 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. Late one May night in 1983, Diane Downs sped into an emergency room dropoff in Springfield, Ore., with a horrifying story to tell. At birth, Downs named the child Amy Elizabeth. She said she had not seen a male stranger that night. Downs was employed by the United States Postal Service, assigned to the mail routes in the city of Cottage Grove, Oregon. What did she do?. When she [Downs] showed up, her [Christies] pulse rate went up high and you could see terror on her face, Wilihite said. Twitter 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. "You cant replace children, but you can replace the effect they give you. In 1994, after serving ten years, Downs was transferred to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Cops decided she was lying. Downs, who still maintains her innocence, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison, plus 50 years. Why is she wounded in the arm? But as . 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. Downs was found guilty in June, and sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years. [She said] she had been out visiting a friend who had a horse up in the Marcola area -- she and the kids -- and when it grew dark they headed home. Diane Downs gave birth to four children. The child was adopted and was later named Rebecca. Diane Downs children: Where are Christie and Stephen now? Though she shot all three children, only Cheryl died Christie and Danny survived . 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,. 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. Diane Downs remains in prison in California. Jaeger remembers worrying that Downs' pregnancy could affect the way jurors viewed her. While he was looking for the keys, she jumped back in the car and sped off to the nearest hospital. View our online Press Pack. She briefly escaped in 1987, but was quickly recaptured. "And so the quickest, simplest way was to eliminate the children.". By the time she arrived at the hospital, Cheryl, seven, was already dead and the other two children had suffered devastating injuries. High School in Phoenix, Where she was white, she was being held of injuries... 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