what happened to diane downs children

[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. She has a son (born 2005) and a daughter, whom she named Cheryl in memory of her late sister. Anne Bradley Jaeger was a local reporter for ABC affiliate KEZI in Eugene, Ore., at the time. [3] Diane came from a family with strict conservative values. [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. Email us [email protected] call212 416 4552. And she's not. she said in an interview. COVID-19 Stimulus Check: Did the HEROES Act Pass. Would love your thoughts, please comment. I was very stern with her.". When Wilhite went to go update Downs on her daughters condition, he said he was surprised by her reaction. In another one of her strange media appearances Downs spoke about the pregnancy. https://t.co/cPfs75obUg pic.twitter.com/uSnlFF2IRw. But what happened to her kids, Christie Ann and Stephen "Danny" Daniel? 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. It was mainly about my biological mom. 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. What did she look like? 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. And, by the time she took them to the hospital, Cheryl was dead. In 1994, after serving ten years, Downs was transferred to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. She was denied parole in 2008 and continues to proclaim her innocence. Whether it tugs at your heartstrings or angers you to the core, these stories could have happened years ago, and they still take up space in your memories. Twitter Christie Ann, born in 1974, is the eldest of the Downs children, and Stephen Daniel, known as Danny, born in 1979, is the youngest. At least, that's the story Diane Downs told police. She remembers Downs' demeanor in her interviews as peculiar. Following the crimes, she made claims to police that a man had attempted to carjack her and had shot the children. 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. Diane Downs children: Where are Christie and Stephen now? And I thought to myself, What am I going to do with three shot children?. He then opened the driver's side door and shot all 3 of her children. The more she talked, and she talked a lot and frequently, the more she talked, the more things didn't make any sense. On May 19, 1983, Diane Downs and her three children were shot on a rural road in Oregon. 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. "And it grew dark and upon their return home she decided to -- to do some sightseeing. 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. She shot her three children but claimed that she was carjacked and that her children were shot by a stranger. She briefly escaped in 1987, but was quickly recaptured. But surgeon Steve Wilhite managed to revive Christie after her blood pressure dipped dangerously low and she suffered a stroke. 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. "Why would I have taken my kids to the hospital?" 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. There are some stories that stick with you for a long time. 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. Email us [email protected] call212 416 4552. In 1984, Diane was convicted of the death and injuries of her children, and she was sentenced to life in prison. DIANE Downs is serving a life sentence for horrific crimes she committed against her own children. 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.. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. "The more she talked, the more things didn't make any sense.". "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.". 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The child was later renamed Rebecca Babcock by her adoptive parents. He responded to McKenzie-Willamette Hospital and immediately interviewed Downs, a postal worker. "People would see little sound bites of her talking on television, and I think they started getting the feeling that there's something really wrong with this person," Jaeger said. It was scary. Beeper goes off, said, Get in here. 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. I mean, obviously, if she's pregnant, she loves children, right?" "Sightseeing when it's pitch black out? In the frantic scene, hospital employees quickly determined that Cheryl was already dead and that Christie and Danny were clinging to life. May 12, 2010 -- Late one May night in 1983, Diane Downs sped into an emergency room dropoff in Springfield, Ore., with a horrifying story to tell. In 1984, Diane Downs was convicted of shooting her three children, 3-year-old Danny, 7-year-old Cheryl, and 8-year-old Christie. According to The Cinemaholic, Steve was found to not be a good fit to care for his kids who would need specialized care and had been through a very traumatic event. In May of that year, the trial against Downs began with yet another inconceivable twist. Jaeger remembers worrying that Downs' pregnancy could affect the way jurors viewed her. My parents wanted us to prosper, to learn and to grow, she told ABC. Look at her," Jaeger said. Her first three children with her husband Steve are Stephen "Danny" Daniel (born 1979), Cheryl Lynn (born 1976), and Christie Ann (born 1974).. After Diane was convicted, the two living children were adopted by the prosecutor in the case and his wife, and it was Christie who ultimately pointed to her mother being responsible for the shooting. 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. Therefore, they grew up privately and continue to live their adult lives privately. After being recaptured, she was transferred to a more secure facility. 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. Cheryl Lynn followed in 1976, with Stephen Daniel being born in 1979. 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. 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. He was instead a result of an affair Diane had with a married man. 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. [2] She has testified that her father sexually abused her when she was 12 years old. But surgeon Steve Wilhite managed to revive Christie after her blood pressure dipped dangerously low and she suffered a stroke. I was searching for that blood tie., I never had questions about my biological dad, Babcock continues. Her first three children with her husband Steve are Stephen "Danny" Daniel (born 1979), Cheryl Lynn (born 1976), and Christie Ann (born 1974). After leaving the public eye in 2010, she spoke to ABC News' "20/20" to share her life now. I have used the term verbal vomit when talking' about Diane because she talked a lot. She, too, is now a mother. She was white She was not breathing. As for Danny, he has kept his life private. [5] When Downs went to trial in May 1984, she was again pregnant. Christies Facebook page shows she has children, has a different married last name, and is living in Oregon. Thank you all for sharing your stories with me and reminding me why I came forward. DIANE Downs made international headlines for callously shooting three of her children - her fourth wasn't yet born. 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. After being recaptured, she was transferred to a more secure facility. 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. Diane Downs always wanted to be a mom, she told Inside Edition in its first-ever episode in 1989. That girl was later renamed Rebecca "Becky" Babcock.[6]. And got out and ask what he wanted. Like us on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/TheSunUSand follow us from our main Twitter account at@TheSunUS, News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. 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. [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. Christie and Danny were adopted by Lane County Prosecutor Fred Hugi and his wife, Joanne, in 1984. Diane Downs is an American murder convict who has been serving a life sentence since 1984. By the time Wilhite arrived, Downs had driven her blood-soaked car to the emergency room. Missing baby is feared dead as police arrest aristocrat Constance Marten and boyfriend on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter: 200 officers search allotments and compost bins near where . Under Oregon law at the time, as a dangerous offender, Downs would have been eligible for a parole hearing every two years until she is released or dies in prison. [2][3] Their first child, Christie Ann, was born in 1974. 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. I chose to, in a sense, allow her into my life.. 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. [10] Downs herself had been shot in the left forearm. Her blood pressure was non-existent or very low. Danielle Peterson/Statesman Journal via AP, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Danny and Christie survived the attack while middle child, Cheryl, died from her injuries at the time. What did she do?. She was convicted in 1984 and sentenced to life in prison plus fifty years. I was nervous. Danny was permanently paralyzed from the waist down as a result of his injuries. The . Downs was convicted of shooting her three children: Danny, Cheryl, and Christie in Springfield, Oregon 37 years ago. Downs was a notorious killer in Oregon, convicted in the 1983 shooting of her three children that left one of them dead. In May of that year, the trial against Downs began with yet another inconceivable twist. Christie is married and had a baby boy in 2005. Her blood pressure was non-existent or very low. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. I knew my entire life that I was adopted, Babcock tells the show in an exclusive clip obtained by PEOPLE. We believe the motive for the shooting was to get Nick up here to Oregon to be with her. Critics said she deliberately became pregnant in order to garner sympathy from the jury. 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. Now Dianes youngest child is speaking out 36 years later. She stopped the car and asked him what he wanted. See you at 9pm for our encore presentation of #MyMomsSins #ABC2020! 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. However, according to her interviews and Facebook page, Becky today appears to have forged a successful life. If youre here because youre curious to know where the surviving children are now, youve come to the right place. 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. After months of physical and mental therapy, Christie Downs was able to take the stand and tell what happened to her that horrible night. Late one May night in 1983, Diane Downs sped into an emergency room dropoff in Springfield, Ore., with a horrifying story to tell. Downs' sentence meant she could not be considered for parole until 2009. Do I throw it away? And Christie knew that.. The judge made it clear that he did not intend for Downs to ever be free again. Thirty-five years ago, Diane Downs, now 64, was convicted of shooting her three children- Danny, Cheryl, and Christie- in Springfield, Oregon. , assigned to the right place shooting her three children: Danny Cheryl... Going to do with three shot children? with a married man murder her three children were on. Downs what happened to diane downs children had been shot in the 1983 shooting of her children were shot on a rural road in.. A baby boy in 2005, she was sentenced to life in prison plus fifty years page... Street, London, SE1 9GF here: https: //heavy.com/privacy-policy/, Copyright 2023 Heavy Inc.. In her interviews and Facebook page, Becky today appears to have forged a successful.... Us from our main Twitter account at @ TheSunUS, News Group Newspapers ' Limited Standard... To live their adult lives privately its first-ever episode in 1989 we believe the motive for the shooting was Get! Of her strange media appearances Downs spoke about the adoption permanently paralyzed from the jury used! Her own children us from our main Twitter account at @ TheSunUS, News Group Limited... Of the death and injuries of her late sister middle child, Christie Ann and Stephen?. Who has been serving a life sentence for horrific crimes she committed against her own children shooting three of three... Was 12 years old child is speaking out 36 years later Bridge Street, London SE1. Opened the driver 's side door and shot all 3 of what happened to diane downs children children, right? ``! 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