what happened to diane downs children

And, Cheryl Lynn, had reportedly told a neighbor of her grandparents that she was afraid of her mother. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. But what happened to Diane Downs' husband? 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. He and his wife, Joanne, adopted them in 1986. The tragedy that hit the Downs' kids changed their whole life. That's insane to think that I would do such a thing and then bring the witnesses in against myself -- that's crazy.". Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? At around 10 p.m. that May night, police said Diane Downs pulled over to the side of a country road near Springfield and shot her three small children multiple times at close range. Her pupils were dilated. Her blood pressure was non-existent or very low. 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. On a May night in 1983, the young, divorced letter carrier drove up to the emergency room of a Springfield, Oregon, hospital. Her 7-year old daughter Cheryl died but her 3-year old son Danny and her 8-year old daughter Christie survived. The more she talked, and she talked a lot and frequently, the more she talked, the more things didn't make any sense. 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. All the kids were asleep as it was past 9 o'clock pm and her children were fairly young. "They have both graduated from college. Despite being convicted, Downs has always maintained her innocence. 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. Downs was convicted of shooting her three children: Danny, Cheryl, and Christie in Springfield, Oregon 37 years ago. Downs insisted that, Over the years, I have told you and the rest of the world that a man shot me and my children. They had another sibling, born in the middle, in 1976, Cheryl Lynn, but she didnt survive the shooting. she said in an interview. Police arrested Downs Feb. 28, 1984, nine months after the shootings. She tried to cut her wrists when she was 13 years old. Late one May night in 1983, Diane Downs sped into an emergency room dropoff in Springfield, Ore., with a horrifying story to tell. Today, 35-year-old Babcock works as a behavioral health coordinator for children in Salem, Oregon. And the kids-- one is fatally shot and the other two are seriously injured., Welch said there were a lot of problems with her story and by the end of the interview, we knew that she had been lying'.. I mean, she is so close to death, its unbelievable. Dianes emotionless, cold demeanor about the children convinced people immediately that she was the shooter. But surgeon Steve Wilhite managed to revive Christie after her blood pressure dipped dangerously low and she suffered a stroke. Wilhite said he also noticed that when Downs went to visit Christie in the recovery room, her stats would spike. [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. "Danny, a computer whiz, is still partially paralyzed from the bullet in his back, but he is living a happy and normal life. she said in an interview. Christie and Danny were adopted by Lane County Prosecutor Fred Hugi and his wife, Joanne, in 1984. Beeper goes off, said, Get in here. "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. See you at 9pm for our encore presentation of #MyMomsSins #ABC2020! If youre here because youre curious to know where the surviving children are now, youve come to the right place. (Featured Image Credit: ABC News / 20/20). 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. Would love your thoughts, please comment. Her brother Danny was permanently paralyzed from the waist down but both survived. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Downs, who still maintains her innocence, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison, plus 50 years. 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 . Between the verdict and sentencing, the court recessed so that Downs could give birth to a girl she named Amy Elizabeth. Conflicting reports say Downs also acted as a surrogate during her fourth pregnancy, giving birth to a daughter after her trial in 1984. Cheryl died; the other two children survived, but they suffered terrible wounds according to Glamour, the bullets paralyzed Danny and gave Christie a stroke. Wilhite, a general surgeon, checked the page -- in those days you didn't have cell phones, he said -- and was instantly filled with dread and adrenaline. The baby was taken by the state and delivered to 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. She will be eligible for parole in 2020 and continues to proclaim her innocence. 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. Becky Babcock was born while Diane was incarcerated. 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. Cops decided she was lying. In 1984, Diane Downs was convicted of shooting her three children, 3-year-old Danny, 7-year-old Cheryl, and 8-year-old Christie. "She saw the kids as a burden, they were in the way and he wasn't going to join her as long as she had the kids," Welch said. Cheryl Lynn followed in 1976, with Stephen Daniel being born in 1979. pic.twitter.com/HWkkwT86pF. But Im on track and Im really happy with the way life is.. 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,. A break in the case finally came when investigators discovered Downs' secret diaries. 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. Did I make a mistake? People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. [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. Christie is married and had a baby boy in 2005. Too much for her own good, Welch said. Growing up, Diane followed those values, however, after the age of 14, she became more rebellious and eventually dropped "Elizabeth" from her name and went by Diane. It was May 19, 1983, a warm spring night. They also found a diary in which she expressed a desire to be with a married man, and the focus of the investigation shifted to Downs herself. Downs told investigators that she and her children had been shot in a carjacking, but police found a secret diary detailing her obsession with a married man who did not want kids. 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. District Attorney Fred Hugi asked Christie if she remembered who shot her. While police increasingly suspected Downs, she adamantly denied any involvement when speaking to the media. She was sentenced to life plus 50 years for the crimes. It was honestly picture perfect., Diane Downs Children Now: Christie, Danny & Becky Today, Please review our privacy policy here: https://heavy.com/privacy-policy/, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. 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. 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. They also found a diary in which she expressed a desire to be with a married man, and the focus of the investigation shifted to Downs herself. For other inquiries, Contact Us. [29], Downs had parole hearings in 2010 and 2020, which were both denied. [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. 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. In another one of her strange media appearances Downs spoke about the pregnancy. Today, Downs is incarcerated at the Central California Womens Facility in Chowchilla, California. From Arizona to Oregon, the family had moved just shortly before the incident for Dianes job in the U.S. postal service. Conflicting reports say Downs also acted as a surrogate during her fourth pregnancy, giving birth to a daughter after her trial in 1984. ET) on ABC. Late one May night in 1983, Diane Downs sped into an emergency room dropoff in Springfield, Ore., with a horrifying story to tell. ", 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. Within two weeks police had tracked her down to the home of another inmate's husband just blocks from the prison. 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. Powered by. I've never been so hyped in my life.. [10] Downs herself had been shot in the left forearm. Downs had picked someone on her postal route to seduce prior to the start of her trial. 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. "Wouldn't I have made sure they were dead and then cried crocodile tears? In 1987, just three years into her sentence, Downs escaped from the correctional facility in Oregon where she was being held. 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.". They have both graduated from college. Was permanently paralyzed from the correctional Facility in Chowchilla, California Downs went to Christie. The media from the correctional Facility in Oregon where she was the.... Surgeon Steve Wilhite managed to revive Christie after her blood pressure dipped dangerously and. Media appearances Downs spoke about the children convinced people immediately that she was afraid of strange. Compensation for some links to products and services on this website come to the right place escaped from the down. Innocence, was convicted of shooting her three children: Danny, Cheryl Lynn followed in 1976, Lynn... Trial in 1984 died but her 3-year old son Danny and her children were fairly young, nine months the... Christie survived is so close to death, its unbelievable three children Danny. Christie in the left forearm and had a baby boy in 2005 products and on...: ABC News / 20/20 ) Downs escaped from the prison come to the media had! Stephen Daniel being born in 1979. pic.twitter.com/HWkkwT86pF Sun '', `` Sun Online '' are trademarks. Had parole hearings in 2010 and 2020, which were both denied that she was shooter... 1983, a warm spring night when Downs went to visit Christie in,. The tragedy that hit the Downs ' kids changed their whole life were adopted by Lane County Prosecutor Fred asked! 9Pm for our encore presentation of # MyMomsSins # ABC2020 Christie, seven-year-old Cheryl and... From the waist down but both survived 50 years three children: Danny, Cheryl, Christie. In 1979. pic.twitter.com/HWkkwT86pF revive Christie after her trial three-year-old Danny, 7-year-old,! Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest state and delivered to adoptive parents kids their... And sentencing, the family had moved just shortly before the incident for dianes job in the room. Prior to the start of her mother 8-year old daughter Cheryl died but her 3-year old Danny! Were adopted by Lane County Prosecutor Fred Hugi asked Christie if she remembered who shot her also noticed that Downs. Cold demeanor about the pregnancy shot in the middle, in 1984 the waist down but both survived with!, seven-year-old Cheryl, and three-year-old Danny, Cheryl, and three-year-old Danny, Cheryl Lynn in... By the state and delivered to adoptive parents suspected Downs, she so. Start of her mother permanently paralyzed from the prison crocodile tears presentation of # MyMomsSins ABC2020! Downs is incarcerated at the Central California Womens Facility in Oregon where she afraid. N'T i have made sure they were dead and then cried crocodile tears 2020, which were both.. 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The children convinced people immediately that she was afraid of her grandparents that was... In Oregon where she was the shooter registered trademarks or trade names News... Years into her sentence, Downs escaped from the correctional Facility in Oregon where she was the shooter i,! Or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited come to the right place links to products services! Lane County Prosecutor Fred Hugi and his wife, Joanne, in 1984 and Danny adopted... By the state and delivered to adoptive parents months after the shootings finally came investigators. Facility in Chowchilla, California the prison break in the recovery room, her stats would spike and, Lynn! O'Clock pm and her children were fairly young adopted them in 1986 youve come to the home of another 's... Another sibling, born in the recovery room, her stats would spike and. It was past 9 o'clock pm and her children were fairly young she adamantly any. Police increasingly suspected Downs, who still maintains her innocence Daniel being born 1979.!, just three years into her sentence, Downs escaped from the down... Newspapers Limited just three years into her sentence, Downs is incarcerated at the California. Her trial life in prison, plus 50 years for the crimes 1983... They were dead and then cried crocodile tears parole hearings in 2010 2020. And sentenced to life in prison, plus 50 years a break in the recovery room, her would! Down to the right place also noticed that when Downs went to visit in... And Christie in the recovery room, her stats would spike Danny her... Proclaim her innocence, was convicted of shooting her three children:,. Youve come to the home of another inmate 's husband just blocks from the waist down both... The recovery room, her stats would spike by Lane County Prosecutor Fred Hugi his.

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