In another one of her strange media appearances Downs spoke about the pregnancy. She was sentenced to life plus 50 years for the crimes. Christie was the star witness in her mothers prosecution; she testified that her mother was the shooter. Wilhite said he then found a judge who issued an order making him and another doctor Christies guardians. She wed Steve Downs in 1973 when she was just 17 and the couple had two children together . I mean, she is so close to death, its unbelievable.. Downs' launched a violent attack on three of her children, Danny, Cheryl Lynn, and Christie Anne in 1983. Star Witness at Downs' Trial: Her Daughter. It was scary. I mean, obviously, if she's pregnant, she loves children, right?" I've never been so hyped in my life.. 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 remembers Downs' demeanor in her interviews as peculiar. I have never changed my story.[29] Her first parole hearing was on December 9, 2008. 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. 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. Subsequent investigations revealed that she had a strong motive to kill her children. And he replied, I want your car. She said, You've got to be kidding, at which time he pushed her aside and reached in with a gun and began shooting the kids-- the three kids.. Diane Downs children: Where are Christie and Stephen now? She replied, 'You've got to be kidding,' at which time he pushed her aside and reached in and shot the sleeping kids.". 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. Copyright 2023 Distractify. After leaving the public eye in 2010, she spoke to ABC News' "20/20" to share her life now. California Department of Corrections She, too, is now a mother. Critics said she deliberately became pregnant in order to garner sympathy from the jury. 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. 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. Her Facebook photos showcase a loving family living a normal life. 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. After months of physical and mental therapy, Christie Downs was able to take the stand and tell what happened to her that horrible night. [5] When Downs went to trial in May 1984, she was again pregnant. Police arrested Downs Feb. 28, 1984, nine months after the shootings. Downs had also been shot, in the left forearm, though her wound was not life threatening. In 1983, Diane Downs' three children were brought to an Oregon hospital with gunshot wounds. Shockingly, it was Downs daughter, Christie, who identified her mother in court as the shooter. They have grown up in a very happy home with the Hugis.. Beeper goes off, said, Get in here. 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? Diane Downs laughs while reenacting shooting of 3 children: Part 2 Police found Downs' behavior suspicious. Wilhite said he was immediately directed to start working to save Christie while another surgeon took Danny. She shot her three children but claimed that she was carjacked and that her children were shot by a stranger. That's insane to think that I would do such a thing and then bring the witnesses in against myself -- that's crazy.". But suspicions of Downs herself quickly began to surface. Det. She said she had not seen a male stranger that night. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. All Rights Reserved. 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. There was just a little part of me that felt like I was searching for something else. [29] After three hours of interviews and thirty minutes of deliberation, she was denied parole. [17], Prior to her arrest, Downs became pregnant with a fifth child, and gave birth to a girl, whom she named Amy Elizabeth, a month after her 1984 trial. The stroke Christie Downs suffered impaired her speech and initially prevented her from telling police what she had seen. It was as if she thought that if she kept talking enough, that you would believe her, Jaeger said. [3][14], Downs was convicted on all charges on June 17, 1984, and sentenced to life in prison plus fifty years. Email us atexclusive@the-sun.comor call212 416 4552. 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. 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. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Boris Johnson is stuck in a chaotic spiral of scandal, walkouts, and leaving dos so where does he go from here? 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. Stephen Downs (known as Danny), 3, Cheryl, 7, and Christie, 8, were shot in the May 19, 1983 attack. Is She Still In Jail? In 1987, just three years into her sentence, Downs escaped from the correctional facility in Oregon where she was being held. Look at her," Jaeger said. Diane Downs is an American murder convict who has been serving a life sentence since 1984. 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. Christie is married and had a baby boy in 2005. Despite being convicted, Downs has always maintained her innocence. I have used the term verbal vomit when talking' about Diane because she talked a lot. Thirty-five years ago, Diane Downs, now 64, was convicted of shooting her three children Danny, Cheryl, and Christie in Springfield, Oregon. Christie is married and had a baby boy in 2005. 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. For other inquiries, Contact Us. And, by the time she took them to the hospital, Cheryl was dead. "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. ET on ABC. Her blood pressure was non-existent or very low. Downs, who still maintains her innocence, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison, plus 50 years. Downs Family Diane Downs and her three children. Although Downs denied having ever owned a .22 caliber gun, ex-husband Steve Downs told police she took one with her when she moved to Oregon. She was white She was not breathing. After Downs trial, Christie and Danny were adopted by Hugi and his wife. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3, were inside her blood-soaked car, shot at close range. Christies Facebook page shows she has children, has a different married last name, and is living in Oregon. On May 19, 1983, Elizabeth Diane Downs and her three small children were shot on a country road near Springfield, Oregon. On a May night in 1983, the young, divorced letter carrier drove up to the emergency room of a Springfield, Oregon, hospital. She says it was during the struggle with the stranger that she was shot in the arm. Becky is the fourth and youngest child of Diane who is currently serving a life sentence for shooting three of . I was very stern with her.". This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. Diane Downs' ex husband, Steve Downs, lost a lot in May 1983 when his ex wife shot their three children, following their divorce in 1980. Her 7-year old daughter Cheryl died but her 3-year old son Danny and her 8-year old daughter Christie survived. Within two weeks police had tracked her down to the home of another inmate's husband just blocks from the prison. Heres what you need to know about where Diane Downs children are now: Shes been called evil and the devil. A mother of three, in love with a married man, who did the unthinkable. He was instead a result of an affair Diane had with a married man. Photo: September 26, 1988. "Her initial statement was that she had taken the kids out to a friend's house," said Welch. 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. Heavy is withholding that last name and the photos to protect her privacy. Her adoptive parents called her Rebecca Becky Babcock. The circumstances of Becky Babcocks birth were troubled to say the least. And she took a deserted country road with three sleeping kids in her car. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, 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. He responded to McKenzie-Willamette Hospital and immediately interviewed Downs, a postal worker. Diane Downs remains in prison in California. She told ABC, The impact of Diane Downs being my mom has altered the course of my life so many times. 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. "Danny, a computer whiz, is still partially paralyzed from the bullet in his back, but he is living a happy and normal life. And his response was, 'I want your car.' Her older two children have remained out of the public eye. READ NEXT: COVID-19 Stimulus Check: Did the HEROES Act Pass? A year later, when Diane was arrested and put on trial, Christie, at just 9 years old, having just recovered her ability to speak, testified against her in court. "She was white, she was not breathing. 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. When she got out to talk to this man, he immediately demanded that she give him her car keys, Downs claimed she refused and they got into a physical altercation that resulted in him shooting her in the left arm. 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 . The more she talked, and she talked a lot and frequently, the more she talked, the more things didn't make any sense. [3] Diane came from a family with strict conservative values. 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. But what happened to her kids, Christie Ann and Stephen "Danny" Daniel? The baby was taken by the state and delivered to adoptive parents. 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. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. "They have grown up in a very happy home with the Hugis.. What happened to Diane Downs' children? [2][3] Their first child, Christie Ann, was born in 1974. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Downs said: "I got pregnant because I miss Christie and I miss Danny and I miss Cheryl so much. ', I didnt just tear it open and start reading, Babcock tells the show. At the time Diane had told police that a stranger attempted to carjack her and shot the kids, and thats what her ex husband was told, too. As for Danny, he has kept his life private. Her first three children with her husband Steve are Stephen "Danny" Daniel (born 1979), Cheryl Lynn (born 1976), and Christie Ann (born 1974). Downs said she then faked throwing her keys to divert the gunman's attention, pushed him out of the way, jumped back in her car and raced to the hospital with her badly wounded children. [28], In her first application for parole in 2008, Downs reaffirmed her innocence. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. Atty. She was denied parole in 2008 and again in 2010. Watch the full story on "20/20" Friday, March 22, at 9 p.m. Christie became the star witness in the case, bravely testifying against her monster mom. Downs was a notorious killer in Oregon, convicted in the 1983 shooting of her three children that left one of them dead. They had another sibling, born in the middle, in 1976, Cheryl Lynn, but she didnt survive the shooting. Her mother was on trial for shooting her siblings, and some believed that Diane Downs got pregnant to gain sympathy. 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. Christie and Danny were adopted by Lane County Prosecutor Fred Hugi and his wife, Joanne, in 1984. Fred Hugi, adopted the children., Famed true-crime author Ann Rule wrote about the case. ET. Her blood pressure was non-existent or very low. Wilhite immediately jumped back into his car and raced to McKenzie-Williamette Medical Center as fast as he could. In 1983, horror stuck in Oregon as a mother took it upon herself to end the life of her own children. When I looked in the mailbox and saw her letter, it was like Pandoras box. "You cant replace children, but you can replace the effect they give you. He worked quickly and eventually was able to revive Christie. She named the fourth baby Amy Elizabeth before the state handed her over to her adoptive parents. Her first three children with her husband Steve are Stephen "Danny" Daniel (born 1979), Cheryl Lynn (born 1976), and Christie Ann (born 1974). Wilhite said Christie's blood pressure had been so low that she suffered a stroke. We found that Diane Downs was emotionally flat. A 27-year-old divorced postal service worker, Downs claimed a bushy-haired stranger had shot them and maintains her innocence to this day. But what happened to her kids, Christie Ann and Stephen "Danny" Daniel? I mean, she is so close to death, it's unbelievable.. [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. On Facebook, Becky wrote that she works at Pain management and went to Redmond High School. And Christie knew that.. A 27-year-old divorced postal service worker, Downs claimed a bushy-haired stranger had shot them and maintains her innocence to this day. Danny, a computer whiz, is still partially paralyzed from the bullet in his back, but he is living a happy and normal life. He then opened the driver's side door and shot all 3 of her children. she said in an interview. This is the person who's supposed to be on my side. 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. Powered by. ET) on ABC.

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