She named the fourth baby Amy Elizabeth before the state handed her over to her adoptive parents. And Christie's mother, Diane, could-- say whatever she wanted. Diane's 2 children who survived the shooting . [23] The Salem prison was located 66 miles from Hugi's home in Springfield; during her ten days of freedom, Hugi had feared that Downs would attempt to travel there in hopes of contacting her children, Christie and Danny. Prosecutors laid out the evidence against Downs, all leading up to their star witness. [15], Psychiatrists diagnosed her with narcissistic, histrionic, and antisocial personality disorders, labeling her as a deviant sociopath.[16], Downs' two surviving children eventually went to live with the lead prosecutor on the case, Fred Hugi. But what happened to her kids, Christie Ann and Stephen "Danny" Daniel? While police increasingly suspected Downs, she adamantly denied any involvement when speaking to the media. When she [Downs] showed up, her [Christies] pulse rate went up high and you could see terror on her face, Wilihite said. It was an unthinkable, brutal killing in 1983 that terrified parents around the country. There are some stories that stick with you for a long time. While Danny and Christie survived, Cheryl, the middle child, was killed in the attack. District Attorney Fred Hugi asked Christie if she remembered who shot her. Officers began an inquiry into her peculiar behavior, which included calling her lover from the hospital, her children claiming they were afraid of her, and Christie Ann responding in a fearful manner when her mother visited her in the hospital. Reporter Ann Jaeger remembers worrying that Downs' pregnancy could affect the way jurors viewed her. [5] When Downs went to trial in May 1984, she was again pregnant. Christie became the star witness in the case, bravely testifying against her monster mom. She, too, is now a mother. She lives and is from Bend, Oregon, and is single. 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. Her blood pressure was non-existent or very low. Her 7-year old daughter Cheryl died, but her 3-year old son Danny and her 8-year old daughter Christie survived. Diane considered the kids to be a burden or a hindrance to Nick's arrival, Welch said. He worked quickly and eventually was able to revive Christie. District Attorney Fred Hugi asked Christie if she remembered who shot her. On Facebook, Becky wrote that she works at Pain management and went to Redmond High School. In 1983, Diane Downs' three children were brought to an Oregon hospital with gunshot wounds. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Diane Downs gave birth to four children. "She was white, she was not breathing. "She calculated that this would win her sympathy in her trial. [29] She was not permitted a statement, but answered questions from the parole board. What did she do?. All the kids were asleep as it was past 9 o'clock pm and her children were fairly young. The Queen has almost never put a foot wrong as she marks 70th year on the throne. Star Witness at Downs' Trial: Her Daughter. Boris Johnson is stuck in a chaotic spiral of scandal, walkouts, and leaving dos so where does he go from here? Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3, were inside her blood-soaked car, shot at close range. "And along this road, off to the side, out stepped a man who flagged her down. Downs said: "I got pregnant because I miss Christie and I miss Danny and I miss Cheryl so much. Diane Downs continues to this day to proclaim her innocence, even though she has changed her story dozens of times as to what exactly happened the night her 3 little children were shot, and even though one of her other daughter's admitted in open court that it was her mother that shot all 3 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. Diane Downs children: Where are Christie and Stephen now? Critics said she deliberately became pregnant in order to garner sympathy from the jury. 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. Prior to her sentencing, Downs gave birth to a baby girl whom she named Amy Elizabeth. 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. READ NEXT: COVID-19 Stimulus Check: Did the HEROES Act Pass? Diane Downs Today: Where Is the Convicted Child Killer Now? Downs was found guilty in June, and sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years. [3][14], Downs was convicted on all charges on June 17, 1984, and sentenced to life in prison plus fifty years. At one point, she communicated with Downs through letters, but those eventually stopped when Babcock asked Downs to stop contacting her. 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. 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. In May of that year, the trial against Downs began with yet another inconceivable twist. She said she had not seen a male stranger that night. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? [3] Diane came from a family with strict conservative values. That's insane to think that I would do such a thing and then bring the witnesses in against myself -- that's crazy.". She named the fourth baby Amy Elizabeth before the state handed her over to her adoptive parents. [29], Downs had parole hearings in 2010 and 2020, which were both denied. She's been called "evil" and "the . I sat and I thought about it for awhile, and I chose to open that letter. 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. A year later, when Diane was arrested and put on trial, Christie, at just 9 years old, having just recovered her ability to speak, testified against her in court. On July 11, 1987, she escaped from her cell by scaling an eighteen-foot razor wire fence. Our MPs are worse than the Italians - it's so bad I want John Major back, Inside life of Bitcoin trader suspected of faking own death as widow says she tried to kill herself after dream imploded, The Queen knows us. The girl was later renamed Rebecca Babcock. [2] She has testified that her father sexually abused her when she was 12 years old. Knickerbocker also reported to police that Downs had stalked him, and seemed willing to kill his wife if it meant that she could have him to herself; he stated that he was relieved that she had left for Oregon, and that he was able to reconcile with his wife. Her pupils were dilated. Is Oregon relatively virus-free, or are my children in greater danger than the red circle size suggests? In 1987, just three years into her sentence, Downs escaped from the correctional facility in Oregon where she was being held. And got out and ask what he wanted. "They have grown up in a very happy home with the Hugis.. Christie was the star witness in her mothers prosecution; she testified that her mother was the shooter. "And it grew dark and upon their return home she decided to -- to do some sightseeing. Here's what we know. She was later adopted by another family. And as she drove down the road, a man stepped out from the brush, the side of the road, and she stopped the car. In 1984, Diane was convicted of the death and injuries of her children, and she was sentenced to life in prison. 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 made international headlines for callously shooting three of her children - her fourth wasn't yet born. Downs Family Diane Downs and her three children. Cheryl Lynn followed in 1976, with Stephen Daniel being born in 1979. Diane Downs now: Her most recent prison photo from 2018. Late one May night in 1983, Diane Downs sped into an emergency room dropoff in Springfield, Ore., with a horrifying story to tell. 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. But surgeon Steve Wilhite managed to revive Christie after her blood pressure dipped dangerously low and she suffered a stroke. She will be eligible for parole in 2020 and continues to proclaim her innocence. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. The two kids who had survived the attack were placed for adoption and Steve was no able to care for them. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3, were inside her blood-soaked car, shot at close range. Dr. Steven Wilhite had just walked into his house after a long day working at a Springfield, Oregon, hospital when his beeper went off. Despite being convicted, Downs has always maintained her innocence. And, considering how the emotionally flat blonde responded to the whole experience of the shooting, the trial, and the conviction, it was no surprise that ABCs 20/20 decided to cover the case. [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. Most of Downs' sentence is to be served consecutively. When Downs went on trial in May of that year, she was pregnant again. "Wouldn't I have made sure they were dead and then cried crocodile tears? 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. 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. I mean, she is so close to death, its unbelievable.. Missing baby is feared dead as police arrest aristocrat Constance Marten and boyfriend on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter: 200 officers search allotments and compost bins near where . Wilhite said he then found a judge who issued an order making him and another doctor Christies guardians. Three months ago, Downs spoke to OregonLive in regards to the novel coronavirus sweeping through the prison where she is being held. He and his wife, Joanne, adopted them in 1986. 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. While Danny and Christie survived, Cheryl, the. On a May night in 1983, the young, divorced letter carrier drove up to the emergency room of a Springfield, Oregon, hospital. 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. Downs' launched a violent attack on three of her children, Danny, Cheryl Lynn, and Christie Anne in 1983. What happened to Diane Downs' children? 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. "You cant replace children, but you can replace the effect they give you. Her pupils were dilated. After being recaptured, she was transferred to a more secure facility. I was afraid of how am I going to handle all this? he added. In 1984, Diane Downs was convicted of shooting her three children, 3-year-old Danny, 7-year-old Cheryl, and 8-year-old Christie. California Department of Corrections Today, Downs is incarcerated at the Central California Womens Facility in Chowchilla, California. She's doing well. She remembers Downs' demeanor in her interviews as peculiar. Copyright 2023 Distractify. 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. Christie became the star witness in the case, bravely testifying against her monster mom. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. Diane Downs gave birth to four children. Christie Ann, born in 1974, is the eldest of the Downs children, and Stephen Daniel, known as Danny, born in 1979, is the youngest. 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. The outlet also reported Downs as saying that prisoners at the facility started suffering from COVID-19 symptoms in February. She loves us. Becky Babcock was born while Diane was incarcerated. It was as if she thought that if she kept talking enough, that you would believe her, Jaeger said. After Babcock found out about her notorious mother, she decided to make contact. We found that Diane Downs was emotionally flat. COVID-19 Stimulus Check: Did the HEROES Act Pass. Is She Still In Jail? From their wounds, Christie suffered a stroke that left with a speech impairment, and Danny got paralyzed from the waist down. Following the crimes, she made claims to police that a man had attempted to carjack her and had shot the children. She was afraid of her mother. 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. I have never changed my story.[29] Her first parole hearing was on December 9, 2008. 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. "The more she talked, the more things didn't make any sense.". 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. Despite being convicted, Downs has always maintained her innocence. From Arizona to Oregon, the family had moved just shortly before the incident for Dianes job in the U.S. postal service. 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. [2] Despite her parents' disapproval of their relationship, Downs continued the relationship. Her brother Danny was permanently paralyzed from the waist down but both survived. The girl was later renamed Becky Babcock. Steve Downs, their father, actually left Diane in 1980 because he thought that Danny was the result of an extramarital affair that she had. Danny was permanently paralyzed from the waist down as a result of his injuries. 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. Had parole hearings in 2010 and 2020, which were both denied and upon their return home she to. A more secure facility was as if she kept talking enough, that you would believe her, Jaeger.! 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