what happened to diane downs childrenwhat happened to diane downs children

[5] When Downs went to trial in May 1984, she was again pregnant. "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.". When Wilhite went to go update Downs on her daughters condition, he said he was surprised by her reaction. They have grown up in a very happy home with the Hugis.. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Downs' launched a violent attack on three of her children, Danny, Cheryl Lynn, and Christie Anne in 1983. The circumstances of Becky Babcocks birth were troubled to say the least. As an adult, Rebecca (Becky) appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show[18] and ABC's 20/20,[19] where she discussed how she felt about her biological mother. And Christie knew that.. 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. And why are the kids fatally or near-fatally wounded, and she, being right-handed, is shot in the left arm? While they were unable to find the weapon, they found unfired casings in her home with extractor markings from the murder weapon. 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 that's gone, they took it from me, but children are so easy to conceive.". In 1983, horror stuck in Oregon as a mother took it upon herself to end the life of her own children. We believe the motive for the shooting was to get Nick up here to Oregon to be with her. 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. Now, as Diane Downs comes up for parole next year, her daughter speaks out. DNA Test Kits Are Helping Solve Cold Cases Decades Later, After Nearly a Year, There Could Finally be an Investigation Into the Death of Elijah McClain. 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. 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. [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? And as she drove down the road, a man stepped out from the brush, the side of the road, and she stopped the car. Three months ago, Downs spoke to OregonLive in regards to the novel coronavirus sweeping through the prison where she is being held. In 1983, Diane Downs' three children were brought to an Oregon hospital with gunshot wounds. Her first three children with her husband Steve are Stephen "Danny" Daniel (born 1979), Cheryl Lynn (born 1976), and Christie Ann (born 1974).. Police arrested Downs Feb. 28, 1984, nine months after the shootings. Her blood pressure was non-existent or very low. Despite her difficult start, Becky was adopted and says she had a good childhood. Downs was denied parole in December 2008, December 2010, and in 2020. "They have grown up in a very happy home with the Hugis.. 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. Diane Downs remains in prison in California. The couple divorced in 1980 over Steven's insistence their son, Danny, was the result of an affair and not his biological child. Within two weeks police had tracked her down to the home of another inmate's husband just blocks from the prison. "They have both graduated from college. 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. 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 has been housed in California for the Oregon Department of Corrections since Aug. 30, 1993.. Crime author Ann Rule wrote on her website: "Christie and Danny who somehow survived their gunshot wounds have no contact with Diane. For other inquiries, Contact Us. All Rights Reserved. "Why would I have taken my kids to the hospital?" Danny, a computer whiz, is still partially paralyzed from the bullet in his back, but he is living a happy and normal life. 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. Danny was permanently paralyzed from the waist down as a result of his injuries. Downs had been a suspect from the beginning. 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. She went to the University of Oregon and now lives with her husband and children in the town. Although police had found spent .22 caliber bullet casings at the crime scene, an exhaustive search of the area did not turn up the murder weapon. She described him as a "bushy haired stranger". But suspicions of Downs herself quickly began to surface. 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. Born June 27, 1984, Becky, 37, is famously known as the daughter of Diane Down, 66. Although Downs denied having ever owned a .22 caliber gun, two of her former lovers told police they recalled seeing her with one. 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 remembers Downs' demeanor in her interviews as peculiar. Copyright 2023 Distractify. Diane Downs is an American murder convict who has been serving a life sentence since 1984. [15], Psychiatrists diagnosed her with narcissistic, histrionic, and antisocial personality disorders, labeling her as a deviant sociopath.[16], Downs' two surviving children eventually went to live with the lead prosecutor on the case, Fred Hugi. 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. 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. Wilhite said he also noticed that when Downs went to visit Christie in the recovery room, her stats would spike. 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. "They have grown up in a very happy home with the Hugis.. At one point, she communicated with Downs through letters, but those eventually stopped when Babcock asked Downs to stop contacting her. 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. Dr. Steven Wilhite had just walked into his house after a long day working at a Springfield, Oregon, hospital when his beeper went off. Diane Downs also gave birth to a fourth child with yet another man; she became pregnant with that daughter, now known as Becky Babcock during the investigation. 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. Here's what we know. In 1983, Diane Downs three children were brought to an Oregon hospital with gunshot wounds. 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. He worked quickly and eventually was able to revive Christie. Watch the full story on "20/20" THIS FRIDAY, March 22 at 9 p.m. Is Oregon relatively virus-free, or are my children in greater danger than the red circle size suggests? Her 7-year old daughter Cheryl died but her 3-year old son Danny and her 8-year old daughter Christie survived. Downs, who still maintains her innocence, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison, plus 50 years. By the time Wilhite arrived, Downs had driven her blood-soaked car to the emergency room. An appeal of . The couple divorced in 1980 because Steve thought Stephen Daniel, known as Danny, was the result of an extramarital affair by Diane. They have both graduated from college. "Why would I have taken my kids to the hospital?" 1983: Diane Downs Attempts to Murder Her Three Children. Steve Downs, their father, actually left Diane in 1980 because he thought that Danny was the result of an extramarital affair that she had. Christie is married and had a baby boy in 2005. We've got three children who have been shot, Wilhite told 20/20. And my whole body just tingled. Based on this and additional evidence, Downs was arrested on February 28, 1984, nine months after the shooting, and charged with one count of murder, and two counts each of attempted murder and criminal assault. On May 19, 1983, Elizabeth Diane Downs and her three small children were shot on a country road near Springfield, Oregon. "Sightseeing when it's pitch black out? Downs was found guilty in June 1984, and sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years. I had a great family, a great life. Her blood pressure was non-existent or very low. After that, she was charged with killing her 7-year-old daughter. Hospital employees determined that then-7-year-old Cheryl was already dead and that then-8-year-old Christie and then-3-year-old Danny were clinging to life. Fearing there could be a gun-wielding killer on the loose, police released information to the public to be on the lookout. Then, 10 days after Diane was sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years, she gave birth to a daughter she named Amy Elizabeth. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. I knew my entire life that I was adopted, Babcock tells the show in an exclusive clip obtained by PEOPLE. She said she had not seen a male stranger that night. But what happened to her kids, Christie Ann and Stephen "Danny" Daniel? When she [Downs] showed up, her [Christies] pulse rate went up high and you could see terror on her face, Wilihite said. District Attorney Fred Hugi asked Christie if she remembered who shot her. Video related to diane downs children now: christie, danny & becky today, My Mothers Sins l 20/20 Diane Downs l Part 2, WATCH THE FULL EPISODE OF 20/20: bit.ly/2uqkFD4 Diane Downs laughs while reenacting shooting of 3 children Police found Downs' behavior suspicious. Danny, a computer whiz, is still partially paralyzed from the bullet in his back, but he is living a happy and normal life. Her three children -- 8-year-old Christie, 7-year-old Cheryl and 3 . It was as if she thought that if she kept talking enough, that you would believe her, Jaeger said. Cheryl died; the other two children survived, but they suffered terrible wounds according to Glamour, the bullets paralyzed Danny and gave Christie a stroke. 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