what happened to diane downs children

And got out and ask what he wanted. Prior to being sentenced, Downs gave birth to a girl she named Amy Elizabeth. Email us atexclusive@the-sun.comor call212 416 4552. 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Where are Diane Downs' children now? [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. 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. Despite being convicted, Downs has always maintained her innocence. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Downs told investigators that she and her. 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. Twitter [12], Diane did not disclose to police that she owned a .22 caliber handgun, but both Steve and Knickerbocker informed authorities that she did. A judge had already placed Downs' two surviving children in protective custody. The child was later renamed Rebecca Babcock by her adoptive parents. In 1987, just three years into her sentence, Downs escaped from the correctional facility in Oregon where she was being held. She wed Steve Downs in 1973 when she was just 17 and the couple had two children together . Fearing there could be a gun-wielding killer on the loose, police released information to the public to be on the lookout. My childhood was of dreams and we had every opportunity that we wanted. 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. 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 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. Diane Downs is an American murder convict who has been serving a life sentence since 1984. Doug Welch remembers getting the call for what would turn out to be his first homicide investigation. She was convicted in 1984 and sentenced to life in prison plus fifty years. Downs insisted that, Over the years, I have told you and the rest of the world that a man shot me and my children. 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 suspicions of Downs herself quickly began to surface. And as long as he said that he wasn't going to be a father to anyone's children, they had to go.. She said she pulled over and got out to talk to the man. Diane considered the kids to be a burden or a hindrance to Nick's arrival, Welch said. Thirty-five years ago, Diane Downs, now 64, was convicted of shooting her three children Danny, Cheryl, and Christie in Springfield, Oregon. He and his wife, Joanne, legally adopted the children in 1986. Her pupils were dilated. DIANE Downs is serving a life sentence for horrific crimes she committed against her own children. She also made a number of statements that both police and hospital workers considered highly inappropriate.[3]. That girl was later renamed Rebecca "Becky" Babcock.[6]. This is the person who's supposed to be on my side. Becky Babcock is speaking out about her infamous mother, Diane Downs, who was convicted of killing her own 7-year-old child and attempting to murder her other two children, ages 8 and 3, in . Distractify is a registered trademark. Here's what we know. Did I make a mistake? She was white She was not breathing. [7], On May 19, 1983, Downs shot her three children, and drove them in a blood-spattered car to McKenzie-Willamette Hospital in Springfield, Oregon. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3, were inside her blood-soaked car, shot at close range. "Danny, a computer whiz, is still partially paralyzed from the bullet in his back, but he is living a happy and normal life. I was searching for that blood tie., I never had questions about my biological dad, Babcock continues. she said in an interview. 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. But Im on track and Im really happy with the way life is.. the incident happened on a dark road that led to Diane being accused of murder and attempted murder. The surgeon who helped to save Christie's life told ABC News: When I looked at Christie I thought she was dead. By the time Wilhite arrived, Downs had driven her blood-soaked car to the emergency room. 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 . She described him as a "bushy haired stranger". Downs said: "I got pregnant because I miss Christie and I miss Danny and I miss Cheryl so much. I knew my entire life that I was adopted, Babcock tells the show in an exclusive clip obtained by PEOPLE. 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. In the frantic scene, hospital employees quickly determined that Cheryl was already dead and that Christie and Danny were clinging to life. 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. After being recaptured, she was transferred to a more secure facility. Downs had also been shot, in the left forearm, though her wound was not life threatening. Is Oregon relatively virus-free, or are my children in greater danger than the red circle size suggests? He then opened the driver's side door and shot all 3 of her children. That's insane to think that I would do such a thing and then bring the witnesses in against myself -- that's crazy.". The girl was later renamed Becky Babcock. She named the fourth baby Amy Elizabeth before the state handed her over to her adoptive parents. And why are the kids fatally or near-fatally wounded, and she, being right-handed, is shot in the left arm? Growing up, Diane followed those values, however, after the age of 14, she became more rebellious and eventually dropped "Elizabeth" from her name and went by Diane. She remembers Downs' demeanor in her interviews as peculiar. "They have both graduated from college. From their wounds, Christie suffered a stroke that left with a speech impairment, and Danny got paralyzed from the waist down. Diane Downs Today: Where Is the Convicted Child Killer Now? Offers may be subject to change without notice. Downs' launched a violent attack on three of her children, Danny, Cheryl Lynn, and Christie Anne in 1983. The two older kids were Diane's with ex-husband Steve, however, Danny wasn't Steve's. 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. Anne Bradley Jaeger was a local reporter for ABC affiliate KEZI in Eugene, Ore., at the time. There are some stories that stick with you for a long time. Two of the kids survived the shooting with life altering injuries, and one of the children died. 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. A surgeon told ABC News of treating Christie: When I looked at Christie I thought she was dead, he said. [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. Between the verdict and sentencing, the court recessed so that Downs could give birth to a girl she named Amy Elizabeth. Diane Downs gave birth to four children. [29] She was not permitted a statement, but answered questions from the parole board. Dr. Steven Wilhite had just walked into his house after a long day working at a Springfield, Oregon, hospital when his beeper went off. A jury subsequently convicted Downs on all counts, and she was sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years, according to Glamour. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. It was scary. When Wilhite went to go update Downs on her daughters condition, he said he was surprised by her reaction. We believe the motive for the shooting was to get Nick up here to Oregon to be with her. Photo: September 26, 1988. In 1984, Diane Downs was convicted of shooting her three children, 3-year-old Danny, 7-year-old Cheryl, and 8-year-old Christie. 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. Cops decided she was lying. she said in an interview. Danielle Peterson/Statesman Journal via AP, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. [15] Christie Downs, Diane Downs' first child who testified at her trial, suffers from a speech disability. [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. Christie is married and had a baby boy in 2005. The outlet reported that the prison houses 3,000 inmates and, as of April, was being locked down to protect against the spread of the virus. However, when all the details came to be understood by the police, Steve found out what really happened to his kids. Christie is married and had a baby boy in 2005. 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. Wilhite said he was immediately directed to start working to save Christie while another surgeon took Danny. Downs, who still maintains her innocence, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison, plus 50 years. [1], Elizabeth Diane Downs was born on August 7, 1955 in Phoenix, Arizona, to Wesley Linden (19302017) and Willadene (Engle) Frederickson. The stroke Christie Downs suffered impaired her speech and initially prevented her from telling police what she had seen. And I thought to myself, What am I going to do with three shot children?. For other inquiries, Contact Us. 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. He responded to McKenzie-Willamette Hospital and immediately interviewed Downs, a postal worker. American murder convict who has been serving a life sentence for horrific crimes she committed against own. Christie and Danny were clinging to life in prison plus fifty years from the waist down had! Began to surface, I never had questions about my biological dad, Babcock tells show! 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