It was May 19, 1983, a warm spring night. "Why would I have taken my kids to the hospital?" California author Diane Burroughs studied writing and television production at Columbia College and is a writer and producer for sitcoms for television - Married.with Children, Murphy Brown, Martin, The Drew Carey Show, Yes, Dear, and Still Standing - a blogger at Left at 50, and a standup comedienne. "And it grew dark and upon their return home she decided to -- to do some sightseeing. In May of that year, the trial against Downs began with yet another inconceivable twist. Diane graduated from Moon Valley High School in Phoenix, where she met Steve Downs. Cheryl Lynn followed in 1976, with Stephen Daniel being born in 1979. Suspicions heightened when Downs, upon arrival at the hospital to visit her children, phoned Robert Knickerbocker, a married man and former coworker in Arizona with whom she had been having an affair. The circumstances of Becky Babcocks birth were troubled to say the least. That's insane to think that I would do such a thing and then bring the witnesses in against myself -- that's crazy.". Downs was initially incarcerated at the Oregon Women's Correctional Center in Salem. 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. [22] She received an additional five-year sentence for the escape. She went to the University of Oregon and now lives with her husband and children in the town. 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 Diane Downs now: Her most recent prison photo from 2018. Christie was the star witness in her mothers prosecution; she testified that her mother was the shooter. But surgeon Steve Wilhite managed to revive Christie after her blood pressure dipped dangerously low and she suffered a stroke. The couple divorced in 1980 over Steven's insistence their son, Danny, was the result of an affair and not his biological child. Today, Downs is incarcerated at the Central California Womens Facility in Chowchilla, California. Is She Still In Jail? Reporter Ann Jaeger remembers worrying that Downs' pregnancy could affect the way jurors viewed her. Email us atexclusive@the-sun.comor call212 416 4552. "You cant replace children, but you can replace the effect they give you. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3, were inside her blood-soaked car, shot at close range. Downs Family Diane Downs and her three children. I showered, slept for 4 hours, woke up and drank water, then went back to sleep for 16 more hours, she wrote. The . Too much for her own good, Welch said. If my story touches even one person, it was all worth it, she wrote, sharing a positive message she received from a woman whose daughter is adopted and who says Becky was brought into this life to make a difference.. [2] Despite her parents' disapproval of their relationship, Downs continued the relationship. 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. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. Danny was the product of an affair. And, Cheryl Lynn, had reportedly told a neighbor of her grandparents that she was afraid of her mother. In a sense, Diane was her own worst enemy.". 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. She tried to cut her wrists when she was 13 years old. Watch the full story on "20/20" THIS FRIDAY, March 22 at 9 p.m. Steve Downs, their father, actually left Diane in 1980 because he thought that Danny was the result of an extramarital affair that she had. READ MORE: abcn.ws/2W9dzyC In 1983, Diane Downs. 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. Despite being convicted, Downs has always maintained her innocence. Downs then said she pretended to throw her car keys in a bush and the man went to go look for them. [3] Much of the case against her rested on the testimony of her surviving daughter, Christie, who, once she recovered her ability to speak, described how her mother shot all three children while parked at the side of the road, and then shot herself in the arm. I think that's one of the things that-- ended up hurting her case. 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. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? It's not even known if he still resides in Arizona, where he used to live with Diane and their three kids. Cheryl died; the other two children survived, but they suffered terrible wounds according to Glamour, the bullets paralyzed Danny and gave Christie a stroke. 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. ", 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. It was mainly about my biological mom. He and his wife, Joanne, adopted them in 1986. At one point, she communicated with Downs through letters, but those eventually stopped when Babcock asked Downs to stop contacting her. Downs was a notorious killer in Oregon, convicted in the 1983 shooting of her three children that left one of them dead. Downs had also been shot, in the left forearm, though her wound was not life threatening. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. The two older kids were Diane's with ex-husband Steve, however, Danny wasn't Steve's. 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. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. But what happened to Diane Downs' husband? I had a great family, a great life. Prosecutors laid out the evidence against Downs, all leading up to their star witness. 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. Now, as Diane Downs comes up for parole next year, her daughter speaks out. Then, 10 days after Diane was sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years, she gave birth to a daughter she named Amy Elizabeth. The child was adopted and was later named Rebecca. 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. However, when all the details came to be understood by the police, Steve found out what really happened to his kids. After that, she was charged with killing her 7-year-old daughter. "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.". [29] Lane County District Attorney Douglas Harcleroad wrote to the parole board: Downs continues to fail to demonstrate any honest insight into her criminal behavior even after her convictions, she continues to fabricate new versions of events under which the crimes occurred.[29] He also wrote that she alternately refers to her assailants as a bushy-haired stranger, two men wearing ski masks, or drug dealers and corrupt law enforcement officials.[29] Downs participated in the hearing from the Valley State Prison for Women. she said in an interview. Diane Downs remains in prison in California. Danny and Christie survived the attack while middle child, Cheryl, died from her injuries at the time. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. Her pupils were dilated. Despite being convicted, Downs has always maintained her innocence. She says it was during the struggle with the stranger that she was shot in the arm. A break in the case finally came when investigators discovered Downs' secret diaries. He responded to McKenzie-Willamette Hospital and immediately interviewed Downs, a postal worker. READ NEXT: COVID-19 Stimulus Check: Did the HEROES Act Pass? Wilhite said he then found a judge who issued an order making him and another doctor Christies guardians. [2] She has testified that her father sexually abused her when she was 12 years old. A jury subsequently convicted Downs on all counts, and she was sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years, according to Glamour. 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. I've never been so hyped in my life.. [26] The book documented accounts by friends, acquaintances, neighbors, and her surviving daughter, Christie, who questioned the quality of her parenting. 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. 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. She was afraid of her mother. [3][14], Downs was convicted on all charges on June 17, 1984, and sentenced to life in prison plus fifty years. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. 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. 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. The woman who was on trial for shooting her own children was pregnant again -- and it was no accident. Shockingly, it was Downs daughter, Christie, who identified her mother in court as the shooter. Diane Downs gave birth to four children. Becky Babcock is speaking out about her infamous mother, Diane Downs, who was convicted of killing her own 7-year-old child and attempting to murder her other two children, ages 8 and 3, in . He and his wife, Joanne, legally adopted the children in 1986. Learn about Diane Downs' children now: Christie, Stephen (Danny), and Becky. The case of Diane Downs and her three children is one of those a horrible tragic case that people still think about 37 years later. [10] Downs herself had been shot in the left forearm. She also made a number of statements that both police and hospital workers considered highly inappropriate.[3]. She was denied parole in 2008 and continues to proclaim her innocence. Why does a mom with three sleeping children in the car stop for a stranger or anyone for that matter? Atty. Christie and Danny were adopted by Lane County Prosecutor Fred Hugi and his wife, Joanne, in 1984. "I got pregnant because I miss Christie and I miss Danny and I miss Cheryl so much," she said. Prosecutors think that Diane had sparked up a relationship with a married man who didnt want kids and that this became the motive for murder. Born June 27, 1984, Becky, 37, is famously known as the daughter of Diane Down, 66. Trial for shooting her own good, Welch said today, Downs is incarcerated the! Followed in 1976, with Stephen Daniel being born in 1979 for a stranger or anyone that... Five-Year sentence for the escape in Phoenix, where he used to live with Diane their! 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