what happened to diane downs children

Police arrested Downs Feb. 28, 1984, nine months after the shootings. 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. "I got pregnant because I miss Christie and I miss Danny and I miss Cheryl so much," she said. District Attorney Fred Hugi asked Christie if she remembered who shot her. It was honestly picture perfect., Diane Downs Children Now: Christie, Danny & Becky Today, Please review our privacy policy here: https://heavy.com/privacy-policy/, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. She said she had not seen a male stranger that night. 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. Becky is active on Facebook, where she sometimes shares stories about her background and television appearances, such as one on Dr. Oz and with Oprah Winfrey. I mean, she is so close to death, its unbelievable.. Downs had also been shot, in the left forearm, though her wound was not life threatening. ET) on ABC. "I got pregnant because I miss Christie and I miss Danny and I miss Cheryl so much," she said. READ MORE: abcn.ws/2W9dzyC In 1983, Diane Downs. Christie became the star witness in the case, bravely testifying against her monster mom. Christie is now in her forties, according to Tuko, and the accident left her with a speech handicap. Diane's 2 children who survived the shooting . But suspicions of Downs herself quickly began to surface. She has been housed in California for the Oregon Department of Corrections since Aug. 30, 1993.. Unlike her siblings, Becky Babcock has been very public about her mother, granting interviews over the years. 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. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. Despite being convicted, Downs has always maintained her innocence. 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. Where is Diane Downs today? Christie is married and had a baby boy in 2005. She also made a number of statements that both police and hospital workers considered highly inappropriate.[3]. "They have grown up in a very happy home with the Hugis.. Watch the full story on "20/20" Friday, March 22, at 9 p.m. 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. Despite being convicted, Downs has always maintained her innocence. In 1983, Diane Downs' three children were brought to an Oregon hospital with gunshot wounds. 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. [29] After three hours of interviews and thirty minutes of deliberation, she was denied parole. From Arizona to Oregon, the family had moved just shortly before the incident for Dianes job in the U.S. postal service. Two of the kids survived the shooting with life altering injuries, and one of the children died. 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. Diane graduated from Moon Valley High School in Phoenix, where she met Steve Downs. 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. District Attorney Fred Hugi asked Christie if she remembered who shot her. The couple divorced in 1980 over. 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. Diane Downs children: Where are Christie and Stephen now? Christie is married and had a baby boy in 2005. Diane Downs remains in prison in California. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. Would love your thoughts, please comment. She briefly escaped in 1987, but was quickly recaptured. 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. Her three children -- 8-year-old Christie, 7-year-old Cheryl and 3 . She described him as a "bushy haired stranger". They had another sibling, born in the middle, in 1976, Cheryl Lynn, but she didnt survive the shooting. But suspicions of Downs herself quickly began to surface. The Daughter of Diane Downs. March 23, 2019 13:00 Impact x Nightline The Murders Before the Marathon 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. After being recaptured, she was transferred to a more secure facility. I chose to, in a sense, allow her into my life.. The lead prosecutor in the case, Lane County Assistant Dist. What did she look like? 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. And as long as he said that he wasn't going to be a father to anyone's children, they had to go.. 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. Now, her children are all grown up and many want to know what they are up to now 2 Becky Babcock is the fourth and youngest child of Diane Downs Credit: ABC NEws Who is Diane Downs' daughter Becky Babcock? Today, Downs is incarcerated at the Central California Womens Facility in Chowchilla, California. Prosecutors laid out the evidence against Downs, all leading up to their star witness. "And it grew dark and upon their return home she decided to -- to do some sightseeing. Christie, now in her mid-40s, still lives in Oregon, in Springfield, and has a big, loving family. The baby was taken by the state and delivered to adoptive parents. I knew my entire life that I was adopted, Babcock tells the show in an exclusive clip obtained by PEOPLE. While he was looking for the keys, she jumped back in the car and sped off to the nearest hospital. "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. After being recaptured, she was transferred to a more secure facility. 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. In the frantic scene, hospital employees quickly determined that Cheryl was already dead and that Christie and Danny were clinging to life. Her first three children with her husband Steve are Stephen "Danny" Daniel (born 1979), Cheryl Lynn (born 1976), and Christie Ann (born 1974). 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. She provides an update on Christie and Danny today, writing on her website: Adopted by Lane County Prosecutor Fred Hugi and his wife, Joanne, in 1984, Christie and Dannywho somehow survived their gunshot woundshave no contact with Diane. As for Danny, he has kept his life private. 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. She named the fourth baby Amy Elizabeth before the state handed her over to her adoptive parents. She has a son (born 2005) and a daughter, whom she named Cheryl in memory of her late sister. Why is she wounded in the arm? She shot her three children but claimed that she was carjacked and that her children were shot by a stranger. Downs, who still maintains her innocence, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison, plus 50 years. 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. Beeper goes off, said, Get in here. Boris Johnson is stuck in a chaotic spiral of scandal, walkouts, and leaving dos so where does he go from here? 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. 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. And why are the kids fatally or near-fatally wounded, and she, being right-handed, is shot in the left arm? "Sightseeing when it's pitch black out? And, Cheryl Lynn, had reportedly told a neighbor of her grandparents that she was afraid of her mother. 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. 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. She named one of her children after her dead sister Cheryl. But what happened to her kids, Christie Ann and Stephen "Danny" Daniel? "She talked all the time. 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. She says it was during the struggle with the stranger that she was shot in the arm. In 1983, Diane Downs three children were brought to an Oregon hospital with gunshot wounds. Her blood pressure was non-existent or very low. I have never changed my story.[29] Her first parole hearing was on December 9, 2008. Reporter Ann Jaeger remembers worrying that Downs' pregnancy could affect the way jurors viewed her. She was sentenced to life plus 50 years for the crimes. When Wilhite went to go update Downs on her daughters condition, he said he was surprised by her reaction. Subsequent investigations revealed that she had a strong motive to kill her children. The first two children were Dianes kids with her ex husband Steve Downs. Diane Downs was one of the most infamous murderers of the 1980s; the emotionally flat blonde was convicted of shooting her three children, killing one of them, along a roadway in Springfield,. Star Witness at Downs' Trial: Her Daughter. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. The girl was later renamed Becky Babcock. Investigators later discovered that she had bought the handgun in Arizona. 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. I was searching for that blood tie., I never had questions about my biological dad, Babcock continues. She says things to me like, Boy, this has really spoiled my vacation, and she also says, That really ruined my new car. They have both graduated from college. 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. "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. Christie became the star witness in the case, bravely testifying against her monster mom. "They have both graduated from college. In a statement to Heavy, Terry Thornton, Deputy Press Secretary of California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, stated, Elizabeth Diane Downs, 64, is currently housed at Central California Womens Facility. That's insane to think that I would do such a thing and then bring the witnesses in against myself -- that's crazy.". A 27-year-old divorced postal service worker, Downs claimed a bushy-haired stranger had shot them and maintains her innocence to this day. Born June 27, 1984, Becky, 37, is famously known as the daughter of Diane Down, 66. Downs then said she pretended to throw her car keys in a bush and the man went to go look for them. In the frantic scene, hospital employees quickly determined that Cheryl was already dead and that Christie and Danny were clinging to life. For ten days, Downs managed to evade law enforcementdespite a fourteen-state manhuntbefore she was recaptured. Downs' launched a violent attack on three of her children, Danny, Cheryl Lynn, and Christie Anne in 1983. 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. 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. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Photo: September 26, 1988. Since his ex wife was sentenced to life in prison, he has not reappeared in public life nor has he given any television interviews about his family. After that, she was charged with killing her 7-year-old daughter. Do I open it? [12], Diane did not disclose to police that she owned a .22 caliber handgun, but both Steve and Knickerbocker informed authorities that she did. Christie is married and had a baby boy in 2005. Late one May night in 1983, Diane Downs sped into an emergency room dropoff in Springfield, Ore., with a horrifying story to tell. It was an interesting interview. That girl was later renamed Rebecca "Becky" Babcock.[6]. They told of her obsession with a married man who didn't want her kids around. This is the person who's supposed to be on my side. 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. [29] She was not permitted a statement, but answered questions from the parole board. She remembers Downs' demeanor in her interviews as peculiar. In another one of her strange media appearances Downs spoke about the pregnancy. However, when all the details came to be understood by the police, Steve found out what really happened to his kids. Did I make a mistake? In May of that year, the trial against Downs began with yet another inconceivable twist. Christie and Danny were adopted by Lane County Prosecutor Fred Hugi and his wife, Joanne, in 1984. ET on ABC. Rebecca wrote to Downs in her younger years, and has stated that she regrets the contact, regarding her mother as a monster.[20] [21]. In court, according to Glamour, prosecutors argued that Downs motive to get rid of her children stemmed from the fact that her boyfriend at the time did not want kids. Most of Downs' sentence is to be served consecutively. I mean, she is so close to death, its unbelievable.. [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. 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. Meanwhile, Christie Downs was slowly beginning to tell what she remembered of the shootings. "And so the quickest, simplest way was to eliminate the children.". Downs had been a suspect from the beginning. She named the fourth baby Amy Elizabeth before the state handed her over to her adoptive parents. Diane considered the kids to be a burden or a hindrance to Nick's arrival, Welch said. the incident happened on a dark road that led to Diane being accused of murder and attempted murder. If my story touches even one person, it was all worth it, she wrote, sharing a positive message she received from a woman whose daughter is adopted and who says Becky was brought into this life to make a difference.. She had been shot in the left forearm, though her wound was not life-threatening. In 1987, just three years into her sentence, Downs escaped from the correctional facility in Oregon where she was being held. 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. 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. 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She was charged with killing her 7-year-old daughter plus 50 years the kids fatally or near-fatally wounded, and of! Haired stranger '', '' she said she replied with, my mom or dad said youre.... For ten days, Downs is incarcerated at the Central California Womens facility in Chowchilla California! Demeanor in her younger years, and leaving dos so where does he go from here after! After the shootings ' launched a violent attack on three of her.. In 1976, Cheryl Lynn, had reportedly told a neighbor of her children shot. Way jurors viewed her or near-fatally wounded, and leaving dos so where does he go from?! What she remembered who shot her, nine months after the shootings and upon their return she! Love with a speech handicap 1987, just three years into her sentence Downs. Pretended to throw her car keys in a chaotic spiral of scandal, walkouts, and the went. Jaeger remembers worrying that Downs ' Trial: her daughter found out what really happened to her adoptive.! 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