They had been shot multiple times at close range; 7-year-old Cheryl was already dead. Woman Seeks Clemency After 1985 Conviction for Killing Husband Did Sexism Put Her Behind Bars? Dr. Steven Wilhite had just gotten home when his beeper went off. "If you do something so horrific, at some point you have to ask for forgiveness.". For Knickerbocker, who was married, Diane Downs children were the equivalent of too many strings attached. Jessica Edens went on a killing spree in July 2017 before turning the gun on herself. 1987). Downs and some of her family continue to maintain her innocence and claim a convicted felon has confessed to shooting the children. She had been kept in the couple's freezer for several hours after her death. $37.75 8 Used from $37.75. "You probably won't. "It was a face to what I had been looking for and it wasn't a face that I wanted to see. ", Former Lane County District Attorney Pat Horton explained: "Her demeanor at the hospital did not conform to a traditional grieving mother whose children had just been shot, one murdered, the other two seriously clinging to life. denied, 738 P.2d 199 (Or. That one is Diane Downs, the American mother of three who murdered one of her offspring, and but for the skill of the doctor interviewed here, might have killed all three. "I asked the babysitter and I made it sound as if I knew," Babcock said. Babcock first went public about her mother in 2010 and has also met her in a bid to find out about her roots. Diane Downs during an interview at the Correctional Institute for Woman in Clinton, N.J., March 12, 1989. adoption, David Hunt and Patricia Heaton, Unexpected movie 2023. 4.7 out of 5 stars 3,152. She was sentenced to life in prison and an additional 50 years after shooting her three children, killing one. Had Downs felt this same emptiness when she gave Becky away? They were in the way.. Refusing to take rejection, Smith also fabricated a story about being car jacked by a strange man causing her two children to drown while strapped in their mother's car. The Downs documentary airs on 20/20 from 9 to 11 p.m. Friday, March 22 on ABC. The two would graduate together but briefly part, as Diane Downs enrolled at Pacific Coast Baptist Bible College in Orange, California, and Steve enlisted in the U.S. Navy. During the documentary, Babcock reacted to viewing her biological mom's creepy 2010 parole hearing. But Babcock realized that, deep down, she was nothing like her mother. And I did a lot of harsh drugs. Babcock recalled being "irresponsible, partying too much, and jumping from man to man" in her teens revealing she felt "it was difficult to accept my genetic makeup.". The shocking and disturbing truth was, Smith confessed that she had purposely pushed the car into the river drowning the children in hopes of winning her boyfriend back. "We didn't know what [Downs] would do," she said. One child died, and two survived but had serious injuries. Thirty-five years ago, Diane Downs, now 64, was convicted of shooting her three children- Danny, Cheryl, and Christie- in Springfield, Oregon. In 1980, her husband, Steven Downs, divorced her after he became convinced that young Danny wasnt his son. Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. When Babcock was a child, she tricked her babysitter into saying her biological mom's name leading her to search Barnes and Nobles to find a true crime book about her mom, the documentary revealed. But I believe that I may possibly be your biological daughter." 1989. They followed the mother's murder trial carefully. Diane Downs was sentenced to life plus 50 years and is currently incarcerated at Central California Women's Facility. "Oh, gosh, she was adorable," Jackie Babcock told "20/20" in a recent interview. The case received even more attention when the late true-crime author Ann Rule wrote a book about Downs life and the trial, called Small Sacrifices. The book was adapted for a TV-movie starring Farrah Fawcett, that aired in 1989. He holds dual bachelor's degrees from Pace University and a master's degree from New York University. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. This documentary relates the tales of four female killers, one you might have heard of. The medical examiner was unable to determine the girl's cause of death. At birth, her parents named her Elizabeth Diane Frederickson. Christie Ann, born in 1974, is the eldest of the Downs children, and Stephen Daniel, known as Danny, born in 1979, is the youngest. 9 (May, 1945). Not one tear, even though she knew that Cheryl had died," he said. . She successfully escaped the Oregon Women's Correctional Center and used clothing to keep herself from getting harmed by the barbed-wire fence, according to ABC News. A must-see for crime buffs. Sometimes lust can become lethal for a woman. 01:20:35. The Real Jigsaw Murderer Full Documentary Stephen Marshall. "Forgiveness kind of implies that I have ever really blamed her," Rusty said then. Shows. Becky always knew she was adopted, and at an early age, she began to ask about her parentage. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. Related content. Diane Downs shot her three children, killing her seven-year-old daughter Cheryl and wounding her other two children.An in-depth look at the lives and crimes . The female psycho is rare although for domestic violence against children women have greater representation, but I don't think Diane downs falls into that category. View our online Press Pack. Diane Downs biography. Farrah Fawcett is exceptional as Diane Downs, the woman who manages to kill one out of three kids. After learning about Diane Downs, read about Marianne Bachmeier, Germanys Revenge Mother who shot her childs killer. Email us atexclusive@the-sun.comor call212 416 4552. Her defense had long claimed she suffered from severe postpartum psychosis and was delusional during the killings and believed Satan had taken over her soul. Downs, who again comes up for parole next year, was denied parole previously, in 2008 and 2010. "She saw the kids as a burden," as one of the interview subjects in the "20/20" documentary says. The film was based on her mother's life. John Shea is also good as the D.A. You know, she just asked, How is she doing? Not one emotional reaction. ABC News. After everything was said and done, psychiatrists diagnosed Diane with narcissistic . Sometimes lust can become lethal for a woman. And to be born of a monster is not something I'm proud of.". But in April 2017, Smith walked into the police station and confessed to smothering her daughter with a pillow, saying she had mental issues and that she'd been off her medication. Diane often left Steven and went back to her parents, but they would always reconcile. The stranger, Downs claimed, shot her three children. Christy Sheats called her family into the living room for a family meeting in June 2016, hours after husband Jason Sheats told her he planned to divorce her. App. But she was lying: Smith ultimately admitted to letting her car roll into a lake with the boys strapped in their car seats. Small Sacrifices is a TV movie based on the best-selling true crime book by Ann Rule of the same name. Downs lied and said she didnt own a gun, but a search warrant revealed otherwise. And that's how I found out.". Here's TV doing true crime the way it should be done--slowly unfolding plot through character, threading the cops and perps stories together, good courtroom drama--it's spellbinding. A staff writer for All Thats Interesting, Marco Margaritoff has also published work at outlets including People, VICE, and Complex, covering everything from film to finance to technology. "It appears they [the kids] were shot in their sleep, and there would not have been any struggle, as pathetic as a comfort that that is," Lancaster County District Attorney Craig Stedman said afterward. She was arrested on Feb. 28, 1984. Not one tear, he said. All of the babies were either strangled or suffocated after Huntsman gave birth to them at home, which she admitted to police. "We picked the most amazing family I could possibly think of.". I'm not going to spoil that for you here. May 13, 2010, 7:54 AM. "I don't want to be here without you. Authorities learned about the deaths after Huntsman's estranged husband, Darren West, contacted police after finding a baby wrapped in a plastic bag in the garage. The film premiered on ABC on 12 November 1989 and features "Hungry Like The Wolf. She said we all write our own stories, despite our past. Shortly after her death, Zadie's mother, Stephanie Diane Smith, mourned her daughter's death on Instagram. And when Christie regained her speech, the facts were clear. New interviews and details - Tonight at 9/8c on ABC. Becky Babcock, the fourth and youngest child of Downs, explained in the documentary MY MOTHER'S SINS the reasoning behind why she began writing letters to her jailed mom. She saw the kids as a burden, as one of the interview subjects in the 20/20 documentary says. Downs and some of her family continue to maintain her innocence and claim a convicted felon has confessed to shooting the children. "I wanted to know how she felt, if she loved me, if she wanted me if she connected with me before she had given me up for adoption," Babcock explained. I don't. People judge me for that.". They had another sibling, born in the middle, in 1976, Cheryl Lynn, but she didn't survive the shooting. NR | 03.15.2019. Kitaplk. Downs, Joseph. See production, box office & company info. She successfully escaped the Oregon Women's Correctional Center and used clothing to keep herself from getting harmed by the barbed-wire fence, according to ABC News. Over the course of six letters, Downs' paranoia and psychosis came into full view. He told Downs he had no interest in being a daddy and ended the affair. They & Downs' daughter she had in 1984 were adopted. She began to think about her birth mother. See State v. Downs , 733 P.2d 119 (Or. View Lab Report - ZOOLOGY189-QUIZ 27.pdf from SCN EG101 at Ilocos Sur Polythecnic State College. Judge Foote: The death of a child is one of life's greatest tragedies, what might have been. It was a childhood straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting. She's a psycho. May 14, 2010 -- On June 17, 1984, Diane Downs was found guilty of shooting her three children, killing one. Cruz Beckham downs pints with dad David in Dublin's famous Temple Bar and shows off a . "I wanted to know how she felt, if she loved me, if she wanted me if she connected with me before she had given me up for adoption," Babcock explained. Her fourth baby, Amy Elizabeth, was adopted and given the name BeckyBabcock. On June 17, 1984, a jury found Diane Downs guilty of murder and attempted murder. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. When 19-year-old Sarah Stern's car is mysteriously found on a New Jersey bridge, a former classmate comes forward with information that helps authorities discover what happened. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. This landmark exhibition will feature more than 100 photographs that together redefine Diane Arbus (American, 1923-1971), one of the most . YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Marianne Bachmeier, Germanys Revenge Mother who shot her childs killer, Gypsy Rose Blanchard, the sick child who killed her mother. "Just know that someone very powerful has been watching over you all your life for me," Downs wrote in one letter. Babcock said that once she knew the blood of Diane Downs was inside her, she began to mimic her birth mother's impulsive behavior. Except black Men rarely do this kind of psychopathic shit. "Stained Glass by John La Farge." Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New ser., v. 3, no. But after several letters, Downs' tone changed. Diane Downs was born August 7, 1955 in Phoenix, Arizona. Before killing herself last June, Carola Arnau, 40, fatally shot her two children daughter 10-year-old Bellailani and son Noah, 4 in their Pennsylvania home. As the special recounts, the shocking story began on May 19, 1983, when Downs went to an emergency room in Springfield, with a story about how she had been driving on a rural Lane County road when a shaggy-haired stranger supposedly stopped the car. Diane was born on August 7, 1955, in Phoenix, Arizona. The names of her parents are Wesley Linden and Willadene Frederickson. "She started writing back about people that want to harm me andshe told me that if I loved my little boy I would take him far away from there," Babcock continued. All write our own stories, despite our past, as one of life 's greatest tragedies what... Daughter 's death on Instagram in being a daddy and ended the affair something I proud! 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