I knew my entire life that I was adopted, Babcock tells the show in an exclusive clip obtained by PEOPLE. DIANE Downs made international headlines for callously shooting three of her children - her fourth wasn't yet born. When she was asked who shot them, she replied with, my mom. After everything was said and done, and Diane was convicted, both Christie and Danny went to live with Fred Hugi, the lead prosecutor in the case. Full names: Elizabeth Diane Downs Birth name: Elizabeth Diane Frederickson Date of birth: August 7, 1955 Age: 67 years old as of 2022 Place of birth: Phoenix, Arizona Gender: Female Nationality: American Ethnicity: White Zodiac sign: Leo Children: Christie Ann, Cheryl Lynn, Stephen Daniel, and Becky Babcock Who is Becky Babcock and where is she now? 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. And-- so with that, then we were free to treat her as need be. Within two weeks police had tracked her down to the home of another inmate's husband just blocks from the prison. Meanwhile, Christie Downs was slowly beginning to tell what she remembered of the shootings. Christie, now in her mid-40s, still lives in Oregon, in Springfield, and has a big, loving family. And the kids-- one is fatally shot and the other two are seriously injured., Welch said there were a lot of problems with her story and by the end of the interview, we knew that she had been lying'.. Her brother Danny was permanently paralyzed from the waist down but both survived. The tragedy that hit the Downs' kids changed their whole life. I mean, she is so close to death, it's unbelievable.. Most damaging, witnesses saw her car being driven very slowly toward the hospital, at an estimated speed of 57mph (811km/h)contradicting her claim that she drove to the hospital at a high speed after the shooting. Look at her," Jaeger said. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. "The more she talked, the more things didn't make any sense.". But surgeon Steve Wilhite managed to revive Christie after her blood pressure dipped dangerously low and she suffered a stroke. Prior to her sentencing, Downs gave birth to a baby girl whom she named Amy Elizabeth. Christie is married and had a baby boy in 2005. He then opened the driver's side door and shot all 3 of her children. She described him as a "bushy haired stranger". she said in an interview. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3, were inside her blood-soaked car, shot at close range. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. She named the fourth baby Amy Elizabeth before the state handed her over to her adoptive parents. Downs insisted that, Over the years, I have told you and the rest of the world that a man shot me and my children. Her first three children with her husband Steve are Stephen "Danny" Daniel (born 1979), Cheryl Lynn (born 1976), and Christie Ann (born 1974).. "She saw the kids as a burden, they were in the way and he wasn't going to join her as long as she had the kids," Welch said. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. She graduated from the University of Oregon. All Rights Reserved. Her older two children have remained out of the public eye. Her blood pressure was non-existent or very low. 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. Diane Downs was convicted of shooting her 3 children, killing 1, in 1983. Prior to being sentenced, Downs gave birth to a girl she named Amy Elizabeth. 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 will be eligible for parole in 2020 and continues to proclaim her innocence. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. In 1987, just three years into her sentence, Downs escaped from the correctional facility in Oregon where she was 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. On July 11, 1987, she escaped from her cell by scaling an eighteen-foot razor wire fence. When I looked in the mailbox and saw her letter, it was like Pandoras box. Critics said she deliberately became pregnant in order to garner sympathy from the jury. Christie is married and had a baby boy in 2005. "They have grown up in a very happy home with the Hugis.. Copyright 2023 Distractify. At one point, she communicated with Downs through letters, but those eventually stopped when Babcock asked Downs to stop contacting her. And I said to her, We don't know that. She wed Steve Downs in 1973 when she was just 17 and the couple had two children together . We believe the motive for the shooting was to get Nick up here to Oregon to be with her. Wilhite said Christie's blood pressure had been so low that she suffered a stroke. He and his wife, Joanne, legally adopted the children in 1986. "I'm never going to see Cheryl on Earth again and I just, you can't replace children, but you can replace the effect they give you. Wilhite said he and the hospital staff who worked on the Downs kids on that horrific May night were not surprised by the outcome of the case. In 1983, Diane Downs said stranger shot her 3 kids. On Facebook, Becky wrote that she works at Pain management and went to Redmond High School. On May 19, 1983, Diane shot the children Cheryl, 7, Christie, 8, and Danny, 3 multiple times at a close range. After months of physical and mental therapy, Christie Downs was able to take the stand and tell what happened to her that horrible night. 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. But suspicions of Downs herself quickly began to surface. Of course, being married, she has also changed her last name. By the time she arrived at the hospital, Cheryl, seven, was already dead and the other two children had suffered devastating injuries. [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. Conflicting reports say Downs also acted as a surrogate during her fourth pregnancy, giving birth to a daughter after her trial in 1984. She has a son (born 2005) and a daughter, whom she named Cheryl in memory of her late sister. She tells ABC, The impact of Diane Downs being my mom has altered the course of my life so many times. The first two children were Dianes kids with her ex husband Steve Downs. Atty. "You cant replace children, but you can replace the effect they give you. This is why I chose to tell my story. Downs was employed by the United States Postal Service, assigned to the mail routes in the city of Cottage Grove, Oregon. Danny and Christie survived the attack while middle child, Cheryl, died from her injuries at the time. Unlike her siblings, Becky Babcock has been very public about her mother, granting interviews over the years. It was May 19, 1983, a warm spring night. Conflicting reports say Downs also acted as a surrogate during her fourth pregnancy, giving birth to a daughter after her trial in 1984. Diane Downs' ex husband, Steve Downs, lost a lot in May 1983 when his ex wife shot their three children, following their divorce in 1980. 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. Today, Downs is incarcerated at the Central California Womens Facility in Chowchilla, California. She was afraid of her mother. Between the verdict and sentencing, the court recessed so that Downs could give birth to a girl she named Amy Elizabeth. What happened to Diane Downs' children? 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. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3, were inside her blood-soaked car, shot at close range. She went to the University of Oregon and now lives with her husband and children in the town. Diane Downs is an American murder convict who has been serving a life sentence since 1984. She didn't know when to keep her mouth shut.. She was the star witness in her mom's prosecution and her testimony helped convict her. She was convicted in 1984 and sentenced to life in prison plus fifty years. And Christie's mother, Diane, could-- say whatever she wanted. ", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diane_Downs&oldid=1139832541, Incarcerated; earliest possible release 2025, This page was last edited on 17 February 2023, at 03:51. The surgeon who helped to save Christie's life told ABC News: When I looked at Christie I thought she was dead. I sat and I thought about it for awhile, and I chose to open that letter. Her 7-year old daughter Cheryl died but her 3-year old son Danny and her 8-year old daughter Christie survived. Her Facebook photos showcase a loving family living a normal life. "You cant replace children, but you can replace the effect they give you. Meanwhile, Christie Downs was slowly beginning to tell what she remembered of the shootings. On May 19, 1983, Diane Downs drove herself and her three children to an emergency room in Springfield, Oregon, saying she had been shot by a "bushy-haired ma. Christie and Danny were adopted by Lane County Prosecutor Fred Hugi and his wife, Joanne, in 1984. I showered, slept for 4 hours, woke up and drank water, then went back to sleep for 16 more hours, she wrote. 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. Christie is now in her forties, according to Tuko, and the accident left her with a speech handicap. And I thought to myself, What am I going to do with three shot children?. 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. 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. By the time she arrived at the hospital, Cheryl, seven, was already dead and the other two children had suffered devastating injuries. DIANE Downs is serving a life sentence for horrific crimes she committed against her own children. While Danny and Christie survived, Cheryl, the middle child, was killed in the attack. Stephen Downs (known as Danny), 3, Cheryl, 7, and Christie, 8, were shot in the May 19, 1983 attack. Steve Downs, their father, actually left Diane in 1980 because he thought that Danny was the result of an extramarital affair that she had. 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