Prosecutors laid out the evidence against Downs, all leading up to their star witness. [13], Prosecutors argued that Downs shot her children to be free of them, so that she could continue her affair with Knickerbocker, as she claimed that he let it be known that he did not want children in his life. I had a great family, a great life. "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. 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 found guilty in June, and sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years. In another one of her strange media appearances Downs spoke about the pregnancy. Late one May night in 1983, Diane Downs sped into an emergency room dropoff in Springfield, Ore., with a horrifying story to tell. Following the crimes, she made claims to police that a man had attempted to carjack her and had shot the children. After being recaptured, she was transferred to a more secure facility. 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. But as . 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In 1983, Diane Downs said stranger shot her 3 kids. 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. She had been shot in the left forearm, though her wound was not life-threatening. From Arizona to Oregon, the family had moved just shortly before the incident for Dianes job in the U.S. postal service. 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. [30][31][1] Downs maintained her innocence in all parole hearings. 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. She claimed that she was carjacked on a rural road near Springfield by a strange man who shot her and the children. 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. 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. As for Danny, he has kept his life private. The tragedy that hit the Downs' kids changed their whole life. The girl was later renamed Becky Babcock. 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. Diane Downs remains in prison in California. "She was white, she was not breathing. 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. In 1987, just three years into her sentence, Downs escaped from the correctional facility in Oregon where she was being held. "I knew within 30 minutes of talking with that woman that she was guilty": Surgeon who helped save one of Diane Downs' kids in 1983 after she shot her recalls chilling interaction. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. And she has been our national consciousness for 70 years, says Tony Parsons, Takeaway-lover celebrates birthday with cake in the shape of his favourite fast food, Brooklyn Beckham is cute - but he doesn't deserve his own cooking show just because his parents are famous - no-one does, Bob Proctor death: Self-help author behind You Were Born Rich passes away at 87. The revelation would shake Becky Babcock's young world and take her on a journey of self-discovery, filled with ups and downs, she said. This is the person who's supposed to be on my side. 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. In 1987, just three years into her sentence, Downs escaped from the correctional facility in Oregon where she was being held. I was afraid of how am I going to handle all this? he added. And she took a deserted country road with three sleeping kids in her car. A judge had already placed Downs' two surviving children in protective custody. Wilhite immediately jumped back into his car and raced to McKenzie-Williamette Medical Center as fast as he could. From their wounds, Christie suffered a stroke that left with a speech impairment, and Danny got paralyzed from the waist down. Like us on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/TheSunUSand follow us from our main Twitter account at@TheSunUS, News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. Email us atexclusive@the-sun.comor call212 416 4552. They told of her obsession with a married man who didn't want her kids around. The woman who was on trial for shooting her own children was pregnant again -- and it was no accident. 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. Jaeger says Downs told her she had picked someone on her postal route to seduce prior to her arrest. She says it was during the struggle with the stranger that she was shot in the arm. The child was later renamed Rebecca Babcock by her adoptive parents. Conflicting reports say Downs also acted as a surrogate during her fourth pregnancy, giving birth to a daughter after her trial in 1984. You know, she just asked, How is she doing? Not one emotional reaction, he said. After being recaptured, she was transferred to a more secure facility. The girl was later renamed Becky Babcock. And got out and ask what he wanted. The child was adopted and was later named Rebecca. 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. She took a detour off of Marcola Road onto Old Mohawk Road to do some sightseeing., By this time it was dark, and the kids were sleeping. After months of physical and mental therapy, Christie Downs was able to take the stand and tell what happened to her that horrible night. [15] Christie Downs, Diane Downs' first child who testified at her trial, suffers from a speech disability. When she [Downs] showed up, her [Christies] pulse rate went up high and you could see terror on her face, Wilihite said. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3 . DIANE Downs is serving a life sentence for horrific crimes she committed against her own children. Diane Downs laughs while reenacting shooting of 3 children: Part 2 Police found Downs' behavior suspicious. The couple divorced in 1980 over Steven's insistence their son, Danny, was the result of an affair and not his biological child. District Attorney Fred Hugi asked Christie if she remembered who shot her. That girl was later renamed Rebecca "Becky" Babcock.[6]. Crime author Ann Rule wrote on her website: "Christie and Danny who somehow survived their gunshot wounds have no contact with Diane. "She talked all the time. "I got pregnant because I miss Christie and I miss Danny and I miss Cheryl so much," she said. All the kids were asleep as it was past 9 o'clock pm and her children were fairly young. Christie is married and had a baby boy in 2005. Then, 10 days after Diane was sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years, she gave birth to a daughter she named Amy Elizabeth. See you at 9pm for our encore presentation of #MyMomsSins #ABC2020! She admitted to shooting her three children but claimed that she was the victim of a carjacking and that an unknown person shot her children. the incident happened on a dark road that led to Diane being accused of murder and attempted murder. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3, were inside her blood-soaked car, shot at close range. Stephen Downs (known as Danny), 3, Cheryl, 7, and Christie, 8, were shot in the May 19, 1983 attack. Why is she wounded in the arm? The surgeon who helped to save Christie's life told ABC News: When I looked at Christie I thought she was dead. [22] She received an additional five-year sentence for the escape. [3][14], Downs was convicted on all charges on June 17, 1984, and sentenced to life in prison plus fifty years. In the frantic scene, hospital employees quickly determined that Cheryl was already dead and that Christie and Danny were clinging to life. According toHeavy, crime author Ann Rule said: "Crime author Ann Rule wrote on her website: "Christie and Danny who somehow survived their gunshot wounds have no contact with Diane. "Sightseeing when it's pitch black out? 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The first letter I wrote Diane, I must have written 100 times, she says. She was denied parole in 2008 and again in 2010. In 1983, horror stuck in Oregon as a mother took it upon herself to end the life of her own children. Her pupils were dilated. 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. 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. May 13, 2010, 7:54 AM. "There were a number of things which didn't make sense, even that first night," Welch said. My parents wanted us to prosper, to learn and to grow, she told ABC. Thirty-five years ago, Diane Downs, now 64, was convicted of shooting her three children Danny, Cheryl, and Christie in Springfield, Oregon. I knew my entire life that I was adopted, Babcock tells the show in an exclusive clip obtained by PEOPLE. Christie and Danny were adopted by Lane County Prosecutor Fred Hugi and his wife, Joanne, in 1984. She said she pulled over and got out to talk to the man. And Christie's mother, Diane, could-- say whatever she wanted. Born June 27, 1984, Becky, 37, is famously known as the daughter of Diane Down, 66. And I thought to myself, What am I going to do with three shot children?. Two of the kids survived the shooting with life altering injuries, and one of the children died. Investigators later discovered that she had bought the handgun in Arizona. Downs said: "I got pregnant because I miss Christie and I miss Danny and I miss Cheryl so much. She was white She was not breathing. She found out who her biological mother was when she was 11 years old, ABC reported. 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. Powered by. On May 19, 1983, Diane shot the children Cheryl, 7, Christie, 8, and Danny, 3 multiple times at a close range. Downs was employed by the United States Postal Service, assigned to the mail routes in the city of Cottage Grove, Oregon. ET on ABC. Christie is married and had a baby boy in 2005. Photo: September 26, 1988. But what happened to her kids, Christie Ann and Stephen "Danny" Daniel? Copyright 2023 Distractify. 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. I mean, think about it. There's very few cases quite like this one, he said. 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. A break in the case finally came when investigators discovered Downs' secret diaries.
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