Amy, who was adopted and given the name BeckyBabcock, went public about her mother in 2010 and has also met her in a bid to find out about her roots. The circumstances of Becky Babcocks birth were troubled to say the least. 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. Is Oregon relatively virus-free, or are my children in greater danger than the red circle size suggests? 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. "She was white, she was not breathing. The couple divorced in 1980 over Steven's insistence their son, Danny, was the result of an affair and not his biological child. That's insane to think that I would do such a thing and then bring the witnesses in against myself -- that's crazy.". What is the latest information pertaining to the convicted child killer? Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3, were inside her blood-soaked car, shot at close range. She briefly escaped in 1987, but was quickly recaptured. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. The outlet also reported Downs as saying that prisoners at the facility started suffering from COVID-19 symptoms in February. 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. After Downs trial, Christie and Danny were adopted by Hugi and his wife. She'd been shot in the left forearm, said Welch. In 1983, horror stuck in Oregon as a mother took it upon herself to end the life of her own children. And she took a deserted country road with three sleeping kids in her car. Danny was permanently paralyzed from the waist down as a result of his injuries. I was nervous. "They have grown up in a very happy home with the Hugis.. They told of her obsession with a married man who didn't want her kids around. Conflicting reports say Downs also acted as a surrogate during her fourth pregnancy, giving birth to a daughter after her trial in 1984. The . When I hear about three children being shot, I thought, How am I going take care of three people? Because I wasn't afraid of what I needed to do. READ NEXT: COVID-19 Stimulus Check: Did the HEROES Act Pass? The Queen has almost never put a foot wrong as she marks 70th year on the throne. Between the verdict and sentencing, the court recessed so that Downs could give birth to a girl she named Amy Elizabeth. "And it grew dark and upon their return home she decided to -- to do some sightseeing. Downs claimed that on a drive home from a friends house, she decided to take the scenic route home. Downs was sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years for killing her 7-year-old daughter and wounding her two other children on a rural road outside Springfield, Ore., on May 19, 1983. The couple divorced in 1980 over. However, according to her interviews and Facebook page, Becky today appears to have forged a successful life. "She couldn't keep her mouth shut," Welch said. She said she had not seen a male stranger that night. 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. "You cant replace children, but you can replace the effect they give you. [7], On May 19, 1983, Downs shot her three children, and drove them in a blood-spattered car to McKenzie-Willamette Hospital in Springfield, Oregon. Where are Diane Downs' children now? She didn't know when to keep her mouth shut.. 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. And got out and ask what he wanted. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. 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. Now, her children are all grown up and many want to know what they are up to now 2 Becky Babcock is the fourth and youngest child of Diane Downs Credit: ABC NEws Who is Diane Downs' daughter Becky Babcock? Learn about Diane Downs' children now: Christie, Stephen (Danny), and Becky. Her pupils were dilated. It was May 19, 1983, a warm spring night. Det. On July 11, 1987, she escaped from her cell by scaling an eighteen-foot razor wire fence. EUGENE -- It was 27 years ago tomorrow that single mother Elizabeth Diane Downs shot her three children -- killing one and seriously injuring the other two -- on a dark, rural Lane County. A break in the case finally came when investigators discovered Downs' secret diaries. She tells ABC, The impact of Diane Downs being my mom has altered the course of my life so many times. On Facebook, Becky wrote that she works at Pain management and went to Redmond High School. Her first three children with her husband Steve are Stephen "Danny" Daniel (born 1979), Cheryl Lynn (born 1976), and Christie Ann (born 1974). 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. Downs' sentence meant she could not be considered for parole until 2009. And Christie's mother, Diane, could-- say whatever she wanted. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. I cant remember a specific time when my mom or dad said youre adopted. But when I was about eight years old, I started asking questions about the adoption. Within two weeks police had tracked her down to the home of another inmate's husband just blocks from the prison. 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. 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. We just ignored it, Wilhite said. Wilhite said Christie's blood pressure had been so low that she suffered a stroke. Ten days after her sentencing, Downs gave birth to a daughter named Amy Elizabeth. [29] She was not permitted a statement, but answered questions from the parole board. Christie is married and had a baby boy in 2005. She shot her three children but claimed that she was carjacked and that her children were shot by a stranger. She named the fourth baby Amy Elizabeth before the state handed her over to her adoptive parents. She said she had not seen a male stranger that night. Star Witness at Downs' Trial: Her Daughter. 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'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. A jury subsequently convicted Downs on all counts, and she was sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years, according to Glamour. I knew my entire life that I was adopted, Babcock tells the show in an exclusive clip obtained by PEOPLE. When Wilhite went to go update Downs on her daughters condition, he said he was surprised by her reaction. I've never been so hyped in my life.. Doug Welch, then a detective with the Lane County Sheriff's Office, remembers getting the call for what would turn out to be his first homicide investigation. We believe the motive for the shooting was to get Nick up here to Oregon to be with her. The child was later renamed Rebecca Babcock by her adoptive parents. While he was looking for the keys, she jumped back in the car and sped off to the nearest hospital. 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. He responded to McKenzie-Willamette Hospital and immediately interviewed Downs, a postal worker. Prior to being sentenced, Downs gave birth to a girl she named Amy Elizabeth. Prosecutors laid out the evidence against Downs, all leading up to their star witness. The horrific crime, which Downs has always denied committing, is the subject of a 20/20 documentary that is airing on June 21, 2019 in an encore presentation. What happened to Diane Downs' children? [3][14], Downs was convicted on all charges on June 17, 1984, and sentenced to life in prison plus fifty years. 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. Then, 10 days after Diane was sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years, she gave birth to a daughter she named Amy Elizabeth. She, too, is now a mother. Wilhite said he and the hospital staff who worked on the Downs kids on that horrific May night were not surprised by the outcome of the case. Downs was found guilty in June, and sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years. When Downs went on trial in May of that year, she was pregnant again. She went to the University of Oregon and now lives with her husband and children in the town. Her first three children with her husband Steve are Stephen "Danny" Daniel (born 1979), Cheryl Lynn (born 1976), and Christie Ann (born 1974).. Diane Downs is currently serving her sentence of life plus 50 years at Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla, Calif., where she's been since August 1993. A mother was driving one night down a rural road in Oregon when her three children, who were asleep in the car, were shot at point-blank range by a stranger in the dark. In 1984, Diane Downs was convicted of shooting her three children, 3-year-old Danny, 7-year-old Cheryl, and 8-year-old Christie. 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. View our online Press Pack. See you at 9pm for our encore presentation of #MyMomsSins #ABC2020! ET) on ABC. I still worry about them and love them, though theyll never know it.. [28], In her first application for parole in 2008, Downs reaffirmed her innocence. On May 19, 1983, Diane Downs and her three children were shot on a rural road in Oregon. The baby was taken by the state and delivered to adoptive parents. I was searching for that blood tie., I never had questions about my biological dad, Babcock continues. During the search for the strange gunman Diane kept giving bizarre interviews , one of the detectives on the case stated "she couldn't keep her mouth shut" ("The Diane Downs Story", 2010). Atty. The two older kids were Diane's with ex-husband Steve, however, Danny wasn't Steve's. She wed Steve Downs in 1973 when she was just 17 and the couple had two children together . You know, she just asked, How is she doing? Not one emotional reaction, he said. Jaeger said. Christie was the star witness in her mothers prosecution; she testified that her mother was the shooter. "Why would I have taken my kids to the hospital?" Her mother was on trial for shooting her siblings, and some believed that Diane Downs got pregnant to gain sympathy. Danny is said to be going about his daily routine, but specifics regarding his personal life, such as his spouse and children, have remained a mystery, according to Tuko. After her recapture, Downs was transferred to the New Jersey Department of Corrections Clinton Correctional Facility for Women after heavy lobbying from Hugi. Fearing there could be a gun-wielding killer on the loose, police released information to the public to be on the lookout. I got blood all over the back of it, I knew within 30 minutes of talking with that woman that she was guilty., And then, Wilhite said, even more shocking to him was when Downs told him that she knew Christie was brain dead and told him, I want you to pull the plug., In other words, let her die, Wilhite said. She has a son (born 2005) and a daughter, whom she named Cheryl in memory of her late sister. There's very few cases quite like this one, he said. Powered by. Did I make a mistake? [15] Christie Downs, Diane Downs' first child who testified at her trial, suffers from a speech disability. The woman who was on trial for shooting her own children was pregnant again -- and it was no accident. "I got pregnant because I miss Christie and I miss Danny and I miss Cheryl so much," she said. In May of that year, the trial against Downs began with yet another inconceivable twist. In 1987, just three years into her sentence, Downs escaped from the correctional facility in Oregon where she was being held. 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. When I see what others have suffered, I think my boss probably saved my life.. By the time Wilhite arrived, Downs had driven her blood-soaked car to the emergency room. Cops decided she was lying. I showered, slept for 4 hours, woke up and drank water, then went back to sleep for 16 more hours, she wrote. 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. The Diane Downs case is well-known and infamous; she's accused of shooting her three children along a roadway in Springfield, Oregon on May 19, 1983. I mean, think about it. ET. 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. Heavy is withholding that last name and the photos to protect her privacy. "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.". 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. She described him as a "bushy haired stranger". My childhood was of dreams and we had every opportunity that we wanted. 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. She tried to cut her wrists when she was 13 years old. [10] Downs herself had been shot in the left forearm. Christie Downs, now 44, and her brother, 39, were adopted by the prosecutor in the case. She went to the University of Oregon and now lives with her husband and children in the town. Downs said: "I got pregnant because I miss Christie and I miss Danny and I miss Cheryl so much. He responded to McKenzie-Willamette Hospital and immediately interviewed Downs, a postal worker. 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 prevented her from telling police what she had seen. Since his ex wife was sentenced to life in prison, he has not reappeared in public life nor has he given any television interviews about his family. But what happened to her kids, Christie Ann and Stephen "Danny" Daniel? "Sightseeing when it's pitch black out? Diane didn't show much grievance for her murdered daughter and her two children that were in critical conditions. The outlet reported that the prison houses 3,000 inmates and, as of April, was being locked down to protect against the spread of the virus. She said she pulled over and got out to talk to the man. It was exciting. 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. [2], On November 13, 1973, Diane married Steve Downs after running away from home. The couple divorced in 1980 because Steve thought Stephen Daniel, known as Danny, was the result of an extramarital affair by Diane. Christie is now in her forties, according to Tuko, and the accident left her with a speech handicap. Twitter I sat and I thought about it for awhile, and I chose to open that letter. 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'.. Prior to her sentencing, Downs gave birth to a baby girl whom she named Amy Elizabeth. There was just a little part of me that felt like I was searching for something else. For other inquiries, Contact Us. ', I didnt just tear it open and start reading, Babcock tells the show. Downs said: "I got pregnant because I miss Christie and I miss Danny and I miss Cheryl so much. [26] The book documented accounts by friends, acquaintances, neighbors, and her surviving daughter, Christie, who questioned the quality of her parenting. The Daughter of Diane Downs. At least, that's the story Diane Downs told police. Police scoured the crime scene for months searching for the weapon, a .22-caliber gun that wounded Diane and her 8-year-old daughter Christie, paralyzed her 3-year-old son Danny and killed her 7-year-old daughter Cheryl. It was as if she thought that if she kept talking enough, that you would believe her, Jaeger said. 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. [1], Elizabeth Diane Downs was born on August 7, 1955 in Phoenix, Arizona, to Wesley Linden (19302017) and Willadene (Engle) Frederickson. "People would see little sound bites of her talking on television, and I think they started getting the feeling that there's something really wrong with this person," Jaeger said. Following the crimes, she made claims to police that a man had attempted to carjack her and had shot the children. Who is Becky Babcock and where is she now? Downs' launched a violent attack on three of her children, Danny, Cheryl Lynn, and Christie Anne in 1983. 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. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. She graduated from the University of Oregon. Too much for her own good, Welch said. But there were a number of things which didn't make any sense., Why would a mother sightsee when it's dark out? Diane Downs is an American murder convict who has been serving a life sentence since 1984. [12], Diane did not disclose to police that she owned a .22 caliber handgun, but both Steve and Knickerbocker informed authorities that she did. Downs claimed that during this drive home, around 10 pm she saw a strange man standing in the road flagging her down. By the time she arrived at the hospital, Cheryl, seven, was already dead and the other two children had suffered devastating injuries. The girl was later renamed Rebecca Babcock. Why is she wounded in the arm? She stopped the car and asked him what he wanted. ", 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. And I said to her, We don't know that. Today, 35-year-old Babcock works as a behavioral health coordinator for children in Salem, Oregon. May 12, 2010 — -- Late one May night in 1983, Diane Downs sped into an emergency room dropoff in Springfield, Ore., with a horrifying story to tell. Would love your thoughts, please comment. And I thought to myself, What am I going to do with three shot children?. On May 19, 1983, Diane Downs drove herself and her three children to an emergency room in Springfield, Oregon, saying she had been shot by a "bushy-haired ma. Despite being convicted, Downs has always maintained her innocence. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3, were inside her blood-soaked car, shot at close range. 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. Until 2009 at the facility started suffering from COVID-19 symptoms in February behavioral health coordinator for children Salem! 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