[29], Downs had parole hearings in 2010 and 2020, which were both denied. Thirty-five years ago, Diane Downs, now 64, was convicted of shooting her three children- Danny, Cheryl, and Christie- in Springfield, Oregon. She says it was during the struggle with the stranger that she was shot in the arm. At least, that's the story Diane Downs told police. A break in the case finally came when investigators discovered Downs' secret diaries. During the time they were together, Diane gave birth to three children, Stephen "Danny" Daniel (born 1979), Cheryl Lynn (born 1976), and Christie Ann (born 1974). 1983: Diane Downs Attempts to Murder Her Three Children. 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. After leaving the public eye in 2010, she spoke to ABC News' "20/20" to share her life now. Investigators later discovered that she had bought the handgun in Arizona. Conflicting reports say Downs also acted as a surrogate during her fourth pregnancy, giving birth to a daughter after her trial in 1984. She tells ABC, The impact of Diane Downs being my mom has altered the course of my life so many times. ET on ABC. 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. Her blood pressure was non-existent or very low. 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. 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. Convicted child killer Diane Downs is seen on a video as the Oregon parole board unanimously rules that she remains dangerous and must stay in prison during a hearing at Chemeketa Community College in Salem, Ore., Dec. 10, 2010. Downs was a notorious killer in Oregon, convicted in the 1983 shooting of her three children that left one of them dead. They told of her obsession with a married man who didn't want her kids around. The surgeon who helped to save Christie's life told ABC News: When I looked at Christie I thought she was dead. "Danny, a computer whiz, is still partially paralyzed from the bullet in his back, but he is living a happy and normal life. 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. 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. "They have grown up in a very happy home with the Hugis.. In 1983, Diane Downs three children were brought to an Oregon hospital with gunshot wounds. Her Facebook photos showcase a loving family living a normal life. Shortly before her death, Cheryl Lynn reportedly told a neighbor of her grandparents that she was afraid of her mother. 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. She says it was during the struggle with the stranger that she was shot in the arm. I knew my entire life that I was adopted, Babcock tells the show in an exclusive clip obtained by PEOPLE. 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. Danny and Christie survived the attack while middle child, Cheryl, died from her injuries at the time. Downs had also been shot, in the left forearm, though her wound was not life threatening. One died; two survived but had serious injuries. 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. After being recaptured, she was transferred to a more secure facility. Most damaging, witnesses saw her car being driven very slowly toward the hospital, at an estimated speed of 57mph (811km/h)contradicting her claim that she drove to the hospital at a high speed after the shooting. I mean, she is so close to death, its unbelievable.. May 14, 2010 -- On June 17, 1984, Diane Downs was found guilty of shooting her three children, killing one. ", 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. From their wounds, Christie suffered a stroke that left with a speech impairment, and Danny got paralyzed from the waist down. He was instead a result of an affair Diane had with a married man. I showered, slept for 4 hours, woke up and drank water, then went back to sleep for 16 more hours, she wrote. In 1983, Diane Downs' three children were brought to an Oregon hospital with gunshot wounds. Her pupils were dilated. Babcocks exclusive interview airs on 20/20 on Friday, March 22 (9:00 11:00 p.m. Then, 10 days after Diane was sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years, she gave birth to a daughter she named Amy Elizabeth. "Wouldn't I have made sure they were dead and then cried crocodile tears? "They have both graduated from college. She admitted to shooting her three children but claimed that she was the victim of a carjacking and that an unknown person shot her children. Is She Still In Jail? She was denied parole in 2008 and continues to proclaim her innocence. Prosecutors laid out the evidence against Downs, all leading up to their star witness. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3, were inside her blood-soaked car, shot at close range. Photo: September 26, 1988. He and his wife, Joanne, legally adopted the children in 1986. She will be eligible for parole in 2020 and continues to proclaim her innocence. She, too, is now a mother. A 27-year-old divorced postal service worker, Downs claimed a bushy-haired stranger had shot them and maintains her innocence to this day. What happened to Diane Downs' children? [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. Wilhite said he then found a judge who issued an order making him and another doctor Christies guardians. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. 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] After three hours of interviews and thirty minutes of deliberation, she was denied parole. And, by the time she took them to the hospital, Cheryl was dead. 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. By the time she arrived at the hospital, Cheryl, seven, was already dead and the other two children had suffered devastating injuries. And got out and ask what he wanted. [10] Downs herself had been shot in the left forearm. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? 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 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 was white, she was not breathing. "There were a number of things which didn't make sense, even that first night," Welch said. She was the star witness in her mom's prosecution and her testimony helped convict her. Downs' launched a violent attack on three of her children, Danny, Cheryl Lynn, and Christie Anne in 1983. Look at her," Jaeger said. She remembers Downs' demeanor in her interviews as peculiar. 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. 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. We've got three children who have been shot, Wilhite told 20/20. And my whole body just tingled. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. Wilhite immediately jumped back into his car and raced to McKenzie-Williamette Medical Center as fast as he could. 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. 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. 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. The baby was taken by the state and delivered to adoptive parents. 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On a fateful night in May 1983, she rushed to the emergency ward of a hospital . "Sightseeing when it's pitch black out? The more she talked, and she talked a lot and frequently, the more she talked, the more things didn't make any sense. Christie is now in her forties, according to Tuko, and the accident left her with a speech handicap. Would love your thoughts, please comment. Shockingly, it was Downs daughter, Christie, who identified her mother in court as the shooter. [32], Last edited on 17 February 2023, at 03:51, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, "Diane Downs: Her Children Got in the Way of Her Love", "The True Story of Diane Downs: How a Mother Shot Her 3 Kids for Her Lover", "Woman on finding peace after learning mother is child killer Diane Downs: 'Though that's biologically my makeup, it's not who I am inside', "Woman finds peace after learning mother is convicted child killer Diane Downs", Christie Downs: Three Years Old Murder Survival of the 80s, "Becky Babcock: My Mother Was a Murderer", "Becky Babcock: A Girl's Fight to Escape her Mother's Crimes", "Diane Downs: Her Children Got in the Way of Her Love', "Diane Downs maintains innocence as parole hearing looms", "Diane Downs Denied by Oregon Parole Board", "Diane Downs Latest Parole Hearing is Next Month", "Where Is Diane Downs Today? In a two-hour 20/20 documentary, Babcock opens up about learning the truth regarding her infamous mom. She said she had not seen a male stranger that night. Watch the full story on "20/20" Friday, March 22, at 9 p.m. Like us on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/TheSunUSand follow us from our main Twitter account at@TheSunUS, 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, 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. And his response was, 'I want your car.' Despite being convicted, Downs has always maintained her innocence. See you at 9pm for our encore presentation of #MyMomsSins #ABC2020! Diane Downs gave birth to four children. But as . [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. 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