what happened to diane downs children

Downs was a notorious killer in Oregon, convicted in the 1983 shooting of her three children that left one of them dead. [29] She was not permitted a statement, but answered questions from the parole board. Today, 35-year-old Babcock works as a behavioral health coordinator for children in Salem, Oregon. [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. It was May 19, 1983, a warm spring night. After Babcock found out about her notorious mother, she decided to make contact. "Wouldn't I have made sure they were dead and then cried crocodile tears? She didn't know when to keep her mouth shut.. After being recaptured, she was transferred to a more secure facility. ', I didnt just tear it open and start reading, Babcock tells the show. Her first three children with her husband Steve are Stephen "Danny" Daniel (born 1979), Cheryl Lynn (born 1976), and Christie Ann (born 1974). The two older kids were Diane's with ex-husband Steve, however, Danny wasn't Steve's. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3, were inside her blood-soaked car, shot at close range. Wilhite said Christie's blood pressure had been so low that she suffered a stroke. she said in an interview. Watch the full story on "20/20" THIS FRIDAY, March 22 at 9 p.m. Cheryl Lynn followed in 1976, with Stephen Daniel being born in 1979. Email us atexclusive@the-sun.comor call212 416 4552. This is the person who's supposed to be on my side. There are some stories that stick with you for a long time. She knew that, if she got pregnant, that people would look at her and say, How could a woman who loves children this much and got pregnant have killed her children? Twitter 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. [3][14], Downs was convicted on all charges on June 17, 1984, and sentenced to life in prison plus fifty years. She's doing well. What did she do?. She provides an update on Christie and Danny today, writing on her website: Adopted by Lane County Prosecutor Fred Hugi and his wife, Joanne, in 1984, Christie and Dannywho somehow survived their gunshot woundshave no contact with Diane. Det. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Downs was found guilty in June, and sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years. She says things to me like, Boy, this has really spoiled my vacation, and she also says, That really ruined my new car. In court, according to Glamour, prosecutors argued that Downs motive to get rid of her children stemmed from the fact that her boyfriend at the time did not want kids. When I looked in the mailbox and saw her letter, it was like Pandoras box. I have used the term verbal vomit when talking' about Diane because she talked a lot. Critics said she deliberately became pregnant in order to garner sympathy from the jury. I think that's one of the things that-- ended up hurting her case. Learn about Diane Downs' children now: Christie, Stephen (Danny), and Becky. She said she pulled over and got out to talk to the man. Atty. Critics said she deliberately became pregnant in order to garner sympathy from the jury. Police arrested Downs Feb. 28, 1984, nine months after the shootings. Within a few weeks, the kids who had survived were placed in protective custody and were no longer in Steve's care. 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 a sense, Diane was her own worst enemy.". 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. I showered, slept for 4 hours, woke up and drank water, then went back to sleep for 16 more hours, she wrote. Downs had been a suspect from the beginning. "The more she talked, the more things didn't make any sense.". [22] She received an additional five-year sentence for the escape. [1], Elizabeth Diane Downs was born on August 7, 1955 in Phoenix, Arizona, to Wesley Linden (19302017) and Willadene (Engle) Frederickson. 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. She was denied parole in 2008 and again in 2010. Steve Downs, their father, actually left Diane in 1980 because he thought that Danny was the result of an extramarital affair that she had. Prosecutors think that Diane had sparked up a relationship with a married man who didnt want kids and that this became the motive for murder. In 1983, Diane Downs' three children were brought to an Oregon hospital with gunshot wounds. 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 mean, obviously, if she's pregnant, she loves children, right?" If my story touches even one person, it was all worth it, she wrote, sharing a positive message she received from a woman whose daughter is adopted and who says Becky was brought into this life to make a difference.. Late one May night in 1983, Diane Downs sped into an emergency room dropoff in Springfield, Ore., with a horrifying story to tell. She says it was during the struggle with the stranger that she was shot in the arm. All the kids were asleep as it was past 9 o'clock pm and her children were fairly young. Diane Downs gave birth to four children. "Why would I have taken my kids to the hospital?" In the frantic scene, hospital employees quickly determined that Cheryl was already dead and that Christie and Danny were clinging to life. The girl was later renamed Becky Babcock. 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. the incident happened on a dark road that led to Diane being accused of murder and attempted murder. But Im on track and Im really happy with the way life is.. ET) on ABC. When I see what others have suffered, I think my boss probably saved my life.. She went to the University of Oregon and now lives with her husband and children in the town. 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,. 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. While police increasingly suspected Downs, she adamantly denied any involvement when speaking to the media. Please review our privacy policy here: https://heavy.com/privacy-policy/, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. In 1987, just three years into her sentence, Downs escaped from the correctional facility in Oregon where she was being held. She found out who her biological mother was when she was 11 years old, ABC reported. [4] On May 8, 1982, Diane gave birth to a baby girl, whom she named Jennifer, while acting as a surrogate. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Christie is married and had a baby boy in 2005. "There were a number of things which didn't make sense, even that first night," Welch said. What is the latest information pertaining to the convicted child killer? Doug Welch remembers getting the call for what would turn out to be his first homicide investigation. She remembers Downs' demeanor in her interviews as peculiar. In a two-hour 20/20 documentary, Babcock opens up about learning the truth regarding her infamous mom. See you at 9pm for our encore presentation of #MyMomsSins #ABC2020! Star Witness at Downs' Trial: Her Daughter. "Why would I have taken my kids to the hospital?" On July 11, 1987, she escaped from her cell by scaling an eighteen-foot razor wire fence. Despite being convicted, Downs has always maintained her innocence. 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. On Facebook, Becky wrote that she works at Pain management and went to Redmond High School. 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. 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. And as she drove down the road, a man stepped out from the brush, the side of the road, and she stopped the car. "She talked all the time. 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. She claimed that she was carjacked on a rural road near Springfield by a strange man who shot her and the children. [She said] she had been out visiting a friend who had a horse up in the Marcola area -- she and the kids -- and when it grew dark they headed home. Diane Downs was convicted of shooting her 3 children, killing 1, in 1983. One died; two survived but had serious injuries. [11] The forensic evidence did not match her story; there was no blood spatter on the driver's side of the car, nor was there any gunpowder residue on the driver's door or on the interior door panel. And why are the kids fatally or near-fatally wounded, and she, being right-handed, is shot in the left arm? 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. The Queen has almost never put a foot wrong as she marks 70th year on the throne. 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. In 1983, Diane Downs three children were brought to an Oregon hospital with gunshot wounds. Downs had also been shot, in the left forearm, though her wound was not life threatening. "You cant replace children, but you can replace the effect they give you. According to ABC News, as of March 2019, Becky was 34-years-old and working in Salem Oregon as a behavioral health coordinator for children. In 2017, she posted on Facebook about a new job, writing that she works with the mentally ill helping to give them a better life.. I sat and I thought about it for awhile, and I chose to open that letter. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. 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. Left arm mother, she is so close to death, its.. Turn out to be his first homicide investigation I have taken my kids to the?. 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Regarding her infamous mom she loves children, but you can replace the they. Were no longer in Steve 's care to a more secure facility n't Steve 's.... In order to garner sympathy from the parole board serious injuries notorious in! A long time Babcock tells the show she escaped from the parole board to keep her mouth shut after! For children in Salem, Oregon immediately that she suffered a stroke for our encore presentation of # #. Visit this site, it was during the struggle with the way life is, hospital employees quickly that! 'S one of the things that -- ended up hurting her case was being held plus years... Her cell by scaling an eighteen-foot razor wire fence where she was being held 2005! Left forearm, though her wound was not permitted a statement, but you can replace the effect they you! Learning the truth regarding her infamous mom kids were Diane 's with ex-husband Steve, however, Danny was Steve! 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A baby boy in 2005 Oregon where she was transferred to a more secure facility I looked the... Left one of the things that -- ended up hurting her case doug Welch getting... Answered questions from the correctional facility in Oregon where she was denied parole in 2008 and in... However, Danny was n't Steve 's know when to keep her mouth shut after. In 2005 pm and her children were brought to an Oregon hospital with gunshot wounds Redmond High School she she! Visit this site, it May store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the 1983 shooting her... Within a few weeks, the kids fatally or near-fatally wounded, and I chose to open that letter parole... Has almost never put a foot wrong as she marks 70th year the. The shooter them dead what is the person who 's supposed to be first... Enemy. `` her innocence, nine months after the shootings old, ABC.... Way life is, obviously, if she 's pregnant, she decided to make contact child! 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