Rebecca wrote to Downs in her younger years, and has stated that she regrets the contact, regarding her mother as a monster.[20] [21]. The outlet also reported Downs as saying that prisoners at the facility started suffering from COVID-19 symptoms in February. Downs' launched a violent attack on three of her children, Danny, Cheryl Lynn, and Christie Anne in 1983. Christie is now in her forties, according to Tuko, and the accident left her with a speech handicap. Downs was denied parole in December 2008, December 2010, and in 2020. He was instead a result of an affair Diane had with a married man. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. I have used the term verbal vomit when talking' about Diane because she talked a lot. 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. 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. 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. "You cant replace children, but you can replace the effect they give you. She said she had not seen a male stranger that night. Her Facebook photos showcase a loving family living a normal life. Her adoptive parents called her Rebecca Becky Babcock. My parents wanted us to prosper, to learn and to grow, she told ABC. When she was asked who shot them, she replied with, my mom. After everything was said and done, and Diane was convicted, both Christie and Danny went to live with Fred Hugi, the lead prosecutor in the case. She's doing well. Late one May night in 1983, Diane Downs sped into an emergency room dropoff in Springfield, Ore., with a horrifying story to tell. She was denied parole in 2008 and again in 2010. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3, were inside her blood-soaked car, shot at close range. She tried to cut her wrists when she was 13 years old. After Babcock found out about her notorious mother, she decided to make contact. 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. There was just a little part of me that felt like I was searching for something else. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3, were inside her blood-soaked car, shot at close range. He then opened the driver's side door and shot all 3 of her children. Jaeger said. Fearing there could be a gun-wielding killer on the loose, police released information to the public to be on the lookout. Despite being convicted, Downs has always maintained her innocence. When then-prosecutor Fred Hugi asked Christie if she remembered who shot her, Christie Downs replied, "My mom.". All Rights Reserved. But there were a number of things which didn't make any sense., Why would a mother sightsee when it's dark out? It was scary. Atty. Her first three children with her husband Steve are Stephen "Danny" Daniel (born 1979), Cheryl Lynn (born 1976), and Christie Ann (born 1974).. https://t.co/cPfs75obUg pic.twitter.com/uSnlFF2IRw. She claimed that she was carjacked on a rural road near Springfield by a strange man who shot her and the children. Do I throw it away? It was May 19, 1983, a warm spring night. Ten days before Downs' sentencing, Amy was seized by the State of Oregon, and adopted by Chris and Jackie Babcock, who subsequently renamed her Rebecca. Diane Downs remains in prison in California. "She calculated that this would win her sympathy in her trial. Diane Downs children: Where are Christie and Stephen now? The first two children were Dianes kids with her ex husband Steve Downs. That's insane to think that I would do such a thing and then bring the witnesses in against myself -- that's crazy.". [22] She received an additional five-year sentence for the escape. Elizabeth Diane Downs, the convicted childkiller who escaped July 11, 1987 from the women's prison in Salem, Ore., is escorted out of state police headquarters in Salem following her capture July 21, 1987. She was denied parole in 2008 and continues to proclaim her innocence. She went to the University of Oregon and now lives with her husband and children in the town. Where is Diane Downs today? Danielle Peterson/Statesman Journal via AP, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. [29] Lane County District Attorney Douglas Harcleroad wrote to the parole board: Downs continues to fail to demonstrate any honest insight into her criminal behavior even after her convictions, she continues to fabricate new versions of events under which the crimes occurred.[29] He also wrote that she alternately refers to her assailants as a bushy-haired stranger, two men wearing ski masks, or drug dealers and corrupt law enforcement officials.[29] Downs participated in the hearing from the Valley State Prison for Women. And I said to her, We don't know that. Now, as Diane Downs comes up for parole next year, her daughter speaks out. 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. Her three children -- 8-year-old Christie, 7-year-old Cheryl and 3 . While Danny and Christie survived, Cheryl, the. On Feb. 28, 1984, nine months after the shootings, Downs was arrested and charged with one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder. Her 7-year old daughter Cheryl died but her 3-year old son Danny and her 8-year old daughter Christie survived. [32], Last edited on 17 February 2023, at 03:51, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, "Diane Downs: Her Children Got in the Way of Her Love", "The True Story of Diane Downs: How a Mother Shot Her 3 Kids for Her Lover", "Woman on finding peace after learning mother is child killer Diane Downs: 'Though that's biologically my makeup, it's not who I am inside', "Woman finds peace after learning mother is convicted child killer Diane Downs", Christie Downs: Three Years Old Murder Survival of the 80s, "Becky Babcock: My Mother Was a Murderer", "Becky Babcock: A Girl's Fight to Escape her Mother's Crimes", "Diane Downs: Her Children Got in the Way of Her Love', "Diane Downs maintains innocence as parole hearing looms", "Diane Downs Denied by Oregon Parole Board", "Diane Downs Latest Parole Hearing is Next Month", "Where Is Diane Downs Today? Prosecutors laid out the evidence against Downs, all leading up to their star witness. 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. Today, 35-year-old Babcock works as a behavioral health coordinator for children in Salem, Oregon. Diane Downs is an American murder convict who has been serving a life sentence since 1984. Christies Facebook page shows she has children, has a different married last name, and is living in Oregon. What did she look like? Christie is married and had a baby boy in 2005. Christie and Danny were adopted by Lane County Prosecutor Fred Hugi and his wife, Joanne, in 1984. The girl was later renamed Becky Babcock. In 1987, just three years into her sentence, Downs escaped from the correctional facility in Oregon where she was being held. Her blood pressure was non-existent or very low. Fearing there could be a gun-wielding killer on the loose, police released information to the public to be on the lookout. Police arrested Downs Feb. 28, 1984, nine months after the shootings. Her blood pressure was non-existent or very low. California Department of Corrections As for Danny, he has kept his life private. After high school, she enrolled at Pacific Coast Baptist Bible College in Orange, California, but was expelled after one year for promiscuous behavior and returned to her parents' home in Arizona. 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. It's not even known if he still resides in Arizona, where he used to live with Diane and their three kids. Doug Welch remembers getting the call for what would turn out to be his first homicide investigation. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. Police arrested Downs Feb. 28, 1984, nine months after the shootings. Is She Still In Jail? When she [Downs] showed up, her [Christies] pulse rate went up high and you could see terror on her face, Wilihite said. Danny and Christie survived the attack while middle child, Cheryl, died from her injuries at the time. Like us on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/TheSunUSand follow us from our main Twitter account at@TheSunUS, News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. Fred Hugi, adopted the children., Famed true-crime author Ann Rule wrote about the case. We believe the motive for the shooting was to get Nick up here to Oregon to be with her. When Downs went on trial in May of that year, she was pregnant again. There are some stories that stick with you for a long time. And I thought to myself, What am I going to do with three shot children?. 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. ', I didnt just tear it open and start reading, Babcock tells the show. "She talked all the time. Late one May night in 1983, Diane Downs sped into an emergency room dropoff in Springfield, Ore., with a horrifying story to tell. Like us on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/TheSunUSand follow us from our main Twitter account at@TheSunUS, 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, Diane Downs with her three children Stephen, Christie and Cheryl, Diane Downs is serving a life sentence for the attack on her children, Downs gave birth to a fourth child after her trial in 1984, Christie testified against her mother, pictured. 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. "She was white, she was not breathing. The woman who was on trial for shooting her own children was pregnant again -- and it was no accident. She'd been shot in the left forearm, said Welch. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. And she's not. Christie Ann, born in 1974, is the eldest of the Downs children, and Stephen Daniel, known as Danny, born in 1979, is the youngest. In a sense, Diane was her own worst enemy.". She graduated from the University of Oregon. And as long as he said that he wasn't going to be a father to anyone's children, they had to go.. [29] She was not permitted a statement, but answered questions from the parole board. Shortly before her death, Cheryl Lynn reportedly told a neighbor of her grandparents that she was afraid of her mother. Downs had also been shot, in the left forearm, though her wound was not life threatening. 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. 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. Diane didn't show much grievance for her murdered daughter and her two children that were in critical conditions. 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. 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. She wed Steve Downs in 1973 when she was just 17 and the couple had two children together . [12], Diane did not disclose to police that she owned a .22 caliber handgun, but both Steve and Knickerbocker informed authorities that she did. Thirty-five years ago, Diane Downs, now 64, was convicted of shooting her three children Danny, Cheryl, and Christie in Springfield, Oregon. The Daughter of Diane Downs. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. "I got pregnant because I miss Christie and I miss Danny and I miss Cheryl so much," she said. And got out and ask what he wanted. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. District Attorney Fred Hugi asked Christie if she remembered who shot her. 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. Though she shot all three children, only Cheryl died Christie and Danny survived . Elizabeth Diane Downs, the convicted childkiller who escaped July 11, 1987 from the women's prison in Salem, Ore., is escorted out of state police headquarters in Salem following her capture July 21, 1987. "She was white, she was not breathing. Christie Downs, now 44, and her brother, 39, were adopted by the prosecutor in the case. It's very seldom that does my body tingle like that, he added. Dr. Steven Wilhite had just walked into his house after a long day working at a Springfield, Oregon, hospital when his beeper went off. 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