Famed true-crime author, Ann Rule, provided an update on them by writing on her now defunct website: Christie and Dannywho somehow survived their gunshot woundshave no contact with Diane. But there were a number of things which didn't make any sense., Why would a mother sightsee when it's dark out? Star Witness at Downs' Trial: Her Daughter. In 1984, Diane Downs was convicted of shooting her three children, 3-year-old Danny, 7-year-old Cheryl, and 8-year-old Christie. Please review our privacy policy here: https://heavy.com/privacy-policy/, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. In 1983, Diane Downs' three children were brought to an Oregon hospital with gunshot wounds. [24] While in prison, she earned an associate degree in General Studies. I knew my entire life that I was adopted, Babcock tells the show in an exclusive clip obtained by PEOPLE. I think that's one of the things that-- ended up hurting her case. Today, 35-year-old Babcock works as a behavioral health coordinator for children in Salem, Oregon. Conflicting reports say Downs also acted as a surrogate during her fourth pregnancy, giving birth to a daughter after her trial in 1984. I showered, slept for 4 hours, woke up and drank water, then went back to sleep for 16 more hours, she wrote. 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. There was just a little part of me that felt like I was searching for something else. [10] Downs herself had been shot in the left forearm. And I thought to myself, What am I going to do with three shot children?. And got out and ask what he wanted. 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. "Why would I have taken my kids to the hospital?" 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. As for Danny, he has kept his life private. [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. Between the verdict and sentencing, the court recessed so that Downs could give birth to a girl she named Amy Elizabeth. She claimed that she was carjacked on a rural road near Springfield by a strange man who shot her and the children. They have both graduated from college. Distractify is a registered trademark. They told of her obsession with a married man who didn't want her kids around. Her first three children with her husband Steve are Stephen "Danny" Daniel (born 1979), Cheryl Lynn (born 1976), and Christie Ann (born 1974).. The first two children were Dianes kids with her ex husband Steve Downs. However, according to her interviews and Facebook page, Becky today appears to have forged a successful life. The girl was later renamed Becky Babcock. Diane Downs laughs while reenacting shooting of 3 children: Part 2 Police found Downs' behavior suspicious. Within a month of the shootings, with her two surviving children still in the hospital, Downs began giving a series of bizarre interviews to the media. On a fateful night in May 1983, she rushed to the emergency ward of a hospital . She tells ABC, The impact of Diane Downs being my mom has altered the course of my life so many times. Diane Downs is an American murder convict who has been serving a life sentence since 1984. 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. Within two weeks police had tracked her down to the home of another inmate's husband just blocks from the prison. Not just a son, but a couple of other children as well, including a daughter, who she named after her dead sister, Cheryl. Her first three children with her husband Steve are Stephen "Danny" Daniel (born 1979), Cheryl Lynn (born 1976), and Christie Ann (born 1974). A 27-year-old divorced postal service worker, Downs claimed a bushy-haired stranger had shot them and maintains her innocence to this day. She's doing well. Doug Welch remembers getting the call for what would turn out to be his first homicide investigation. I had a great family, a great life. 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. Diane didn't show much grievance for her murdered daughter and her two children that were in critical conditions. ', I didnt just tear it open and start reading, Babcock tells the show. Like us on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/TheSunUSand follow us from our main Twitter account at@TheSunUS, News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. Between the verdict and sentencing, the court recessed so that Downs could give birth to a girl she named Amy Elizabeth. Reporter Ann Jaeger remembers worrying that Downs' pregnancy could affect the way jurors viewed her. But surgeon Steve Wilhite managed to revive Christie after her blood pressure dipped dangerously low and she suffered a stroke. Why does a mom with three sleeping children in the car stop for a stranger or anyone for that matter? May 13, 2010, 7:54 AM. ET. Downs had also been shot, in the left forearm, though her wound was not life threatening. Today, Downs is incarcerated at the Central California Womens Facility in Chowchilla, California. [29] She was not permitted a statement, but answered questions from the parole board. I mean, she is so close to death, its unbelievable.. Following the crimes, she made claims to police that a man had attempted to carjack her and had shot the children. It's not even known if he still resides in Arizona, where he used to live with Diane and their three kids. Prior to her sentencing, Downs gave birth to a baby girl whom she named Amy Elizabeth. Danny, a computer whiz, is still partially paralyzed from the bullet in his back, but he is living a happy and normal life. Offers may be subject to change without notice. While he was looking for the keys, she jumped back in the car and sped off to the nearest hospital. All Rights Reserved. A jury subsequently convicted Downs on all counts, and she was sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years, according to Glamour. That girl was later renamed Rebecca "Becky" Babcock.[6]. Our MPs are worse than the Italians - it's so bad I want John Major back, Inside life of Bitcoin trader suspected of faking own death as widow says she tried to kill herself after dream imploded, The Queen knows us. 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. I was searching for that blood tie., I never had questions about my biological dad, Babcock continues. Glamour reported that Danny was paralyzed from the chest down as a result of the shooting and Cheryl suffered a major stroke as a result of the attack that left her with a lifelong speech impediment. "And along this road, off to the side, out stepped a man who flagged her down. She named the fourth baby Amy Elizabeth before the state handed her over to her adoptive parents. While Danny and Christie survived, Cheryl, the middle child, was killed in the attack. When Wilhite went to go update Downs on her daughters condition, he said he was surprised by her reaction. The baby was taken by the state and delivered to adoptive parents. It was mainly about my biological mom. All the kids were asleep as it was past 9 o'clock pm and her children were fairly young. 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. "Wouldn't I have made sure they were dead and then cried crocodile tears? I mean, she is so close to death, its unbelievable.. Despite being convicted, Downs has always maintained her innocence. There were all kinds of red flags that went up as we took her statement, but we wanted her to give us a complete statement, Welch said. Anne Jaeger was a local reporter for KEZI in Eugene, Ore., at the time. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3, were inside her blood-soaked car, shot at close range. 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. "You cant replace children, but you can replace the effect they give you. 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. I still worry about them and love them, though theyll never know it.. In May of that year, the trial against Downs began with yet another inconceivable twist. She also made a number of statements that both police and hospital workers considered highly inappropriate.[3]. Prosecutors laid out the evidence against Downs, all leading up to their star witness. 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. The stroke Christie Downs suffered impaired her speech and initially prevented her from telling police what she had seen. Copyright 2023 Distractify. It's very seldom that does my body tingle like that, he added. Downs' launched a violent attack on three of her children, Danny, Cheryl Lynn, and Christie Anne in 1983. A 27-year-old divorced postal service worker, Downs claimed a bushy-haired stranger had shot them and maintains her innocence to this day. The Diane Downs' Case Was no Small Sacrifice On May 19, 1983, Elizabeth Diane Downs and her three small children were shot on a country road near Springfield, Oregon. After Downs trial, Christie and Danny were adopted by Hugi and his wife. She described him as a "bushy haired stranger". When I looked at Christie I thought she was dead, he said. Within a few weeks, the kids who had survived were placed in protective custody and were no longer in Steve's care. [2] Despite her parents' disapproval of their relationship, Downs continued the relationship. Sample Page; ; Danny, a computer whiz, is still partially paralyzed from the bullet in his back, but he is living a happy and normal life. She says it was during the struggle with the stranger that she was shot in the arm. She said she had not seen a male stranger that night. And Christie Downs, the only witness to the crime (her younger brother Danny was believed to have been asleep at the time), had suffered a stroke that impaired her speech and initially prevented her from telling police what she had seen. Diane considered the kids to be a burden or a hindrance to Nick's arrival, Welch said. Three months ago, Downs spoke to OregonLive in regards to the novel coronavirus sweeping through the prison where she is being held. Diane Downs is currently serving her sentence of life plus 50 years at Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla, Calif., where she's been since August 1993. 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. They have grown up in a very happy home with the Hugis.. 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. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. She loves us. Beeper goes off, said, Get in here. Now, as Diane Downs comes up for parole next year, her daughter speaks out. Her three children -- 8-year-old Christie, 7-year-old Cheryl and 3 . 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. But surgeon Steve Wilhite managed to revive Christie after her blood pressure dipped dangerously low and she suffered a stroke. It was an unthinkable, brutal killing in 1983 that terrified parents around the country. Previously, Diane was housed in a maximum-security prison for women in Clinton, N.J. As for why she wasn't in Oregon where the crimes took place, " [prison] officials said they . They had another sibling, born in the middle, in 1976, Cheryl Lynn, but she didnt survive the shooting. Despite her difficult start, Becky was adopted and says she had a good childhood. We found that Diane Downs was emotionally flat. Most of Downs' sentence is to be served consecutively. She then ran away from home and married husband, Steven Downs, in 1973, with whom she had three children - Christie Ann, Cheryl Lynn and Stephen "Danny" Daniel. She will be eligible for parole in 2020 and continues to proclaim her innocence. Downs claimed that on a drive home from a friends house, she decided to take the scenic route home. [8][9] Upon arrival, Cheryl (aged 7) was already dead, Danny (aged 3) was paralyzed from the waist down, and Christie (aged 8) had suffered a disabling stroke. I've never been so hyped in my life.. In 1983, Diane Downs said stranger shot her 3 kids. Atty. Her blood pressure was non-existent or very low. Danny and Christie survived the attack while middle child, Cheryl, died from her injuries at the time. 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. And Christie Downs, the only witness to the crime (her younger brother Danny was believed to have been asleep at the time), had suffered a stroke that impaired her speech and prevented her from telling police what she had seen. (Featured Image Credit: ABC News / 20/20). This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. 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. A mother was driving one night down a rural road in Oregon when her three children, who were asleep in the car, were shot at point-blank range by a stranger in the dark. She graduated from the University of Oregon. While police increasingly suspected Downs, she adamantly denied any involvement when speaking to the media. Christie is married and had a baby boy in 2005. She shot her three children but claimed that she was carjacked and that her children were shot by a stranger. Downs then said she pretended to throw her car keys in a bush and the man went to go look for them. Jaeger remembers worrying that Downs' pregnancy could affect the way jurors viewed her. View our online Press Pack. They also found a diary in which she expressed a desire to be with a married man, and the focus of the investigation shifted to Downs herself. Is an American murder convict who has been serving a life sentence since 1984 friends house, she claims. For Danny, he has kept his life private a stroke impact of Diane Downs & # x27 t! Be eligible for parole next year, the trial against Downs began with yet another twist!, what am I going to do with three shot children? her parents disapproval! Heavy, Inc. all rights reserved page, Becky today appears to have forged a successful.! Downs ' launched a violent attack on three of her obsession with a married man shot. 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