"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. 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. Beeper goes off, said, Get in here. The two kids who had survived the attack were placed for adoption and Steve was no able to care for them. . While they were unable to find the weapon, they found unfired casings in her home with extractor markings from the murder weapon. The woman who was on trial for shooting her own children was pregnant again -- and it was no accident. Stephen danny downs was the son of Diane Downs is a murderer who was convicted in the United States and is currently serving a life term for the crime she committed in 1984. Two of the kids survived the shooting with life altering injuries, and one of the children died. She went to the University of Oregon and now lives with her husband and children in the town. But what happened to her kids, Christie Ann and Stephen "Danny" Daniel? And why are the kids fatally or near-fatally wounded, and she, being right-handed, is shot in the left arm? Powered by. Meanwhile, Christie Downs was slowly beginning to tell what she remembered of the shootings. After Babcock found out about her notorious mother, she decided to make contact. From Arizona to Oregon, the family had moved just shortly before the incident for Dianes job in the U.S. postal service. Prior to her sentencing, Downs gave birth to a baby girl whom she named Amy Elizabeth. 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? 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. They have grown up in a very happy home with the Hugis.. [3] Diane came from a family with strict conservative values. California Department of Corrections May 13, 2010, 7:54 AM. "Her initial statement was that she had taken the kids out to a friend's house," said Welch. That girl was later renamed Rebecca "Becky" Babcock.[6]. READ NEXT: COVID-19 Stimulus Check: Did the HEROES Act Pass? "And along this road, off to the side, out stepped a man who flagged her down. At least, that's the story Diane Downs told police. "There were a number of things which didn't make sense, even that first night," Welch said. While he was looking for the keys, she jumped back in the car and sped off to the nearest hospital. Anne Bradley Jaeger was a local reporter for ABC affiliate KEZI in Eugene, Ore., at the time. After leaving the public eye in 2010, she spoke to ABC News' "20/20" to share her life now. Danny was permanently paralyzed from the waist down as a result of his injuries. Within a few weeks, the kids who had survived were placed in protective custody and were no longer in Steve's care. 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. She knew that, if she got pregnant, that people would look at her and say, How could a woman who loves children this much and got pregnant have killed her children? What did she do?. And she took a deserted country road with three sleeping kids in her car. Crime author Ann Rule wrote on her website: "Christie and Danny who somehow survived their gunshot wounds have no contact with Diane. The lead prosecutor in the case, Lane County Assistant Dist. A 27-year-old divorced postal service worker, Downs claimed a bushy-haired stranger had shot them and maintains her innocence to this day. I have never changed my story.[29] Her first parole hearing was on December 9, 2008. This is the person who's supposed to be on my side. 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. The girl was later renamed Becky Babcock. 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.. [29] After three hours of interviews and thirty minutes of deliberation, she was denied parole. When I see what others have suffered, I think my boss probably saved my life.. He was instead a result of an affair Diane had with a married man. I showered, slept for 4 hours, woke up and drank water, then went back to sleep for 16 more hours, she wrote. She, too, is now a mother. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? 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.. I've never been so hyped in my life.. Do I throw it away? Her pupils were dilated. Christie is married and had a baby boy in 2005. [22] She received an additional five-year sentence for the escape. Though she shot all three children, only Cheryl died Christie and Danny survived . The circumstances of Becky Babcocks birth were troubled to say the least. DIANE Downs is serving a life sentence for horrific crimes she committed against her own children. Becky Babcock was born while Diane was incarcerated. She was required to serve twenty-five years before being considered for parole. She's doing well. Within two weeks police had tracked her down to the home of another inmate's husband just blocks from the prison. The tragedy that hit the Downs' kids changed their whole life. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Diane Downs gave birth to four children. She'd been shot in the left forearm, said Welch. Today, Downs is incarcerated at the Central California Womens Facility in Chowchilla, California. 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. 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. One died; two survived but had serious injuries. [10] Downs herself had been shot in the left forearm. She replied, 'You've got to be kidding,' at which time he pushed her aside and reached in and shot the sleeping kids.". The judge made it clear that he did not intend for Downs to ever be free again. A break in the case finally came when investigators discovered Downs' secret diaries. And she's not. "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. 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. Watch the full story on "20/20" Friday, March 22, at 9 p.m. By the time Wilhite arrived, Downs had driven her blood-soaked car to the emergency room. 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. If youre here because youre curious to know where the surviving children are now, youve come to the right place. She was denied parole in 2008 and again in 2010. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3, were inside her blood-soaked car, shot at close range. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3 . The stroke Christie Downs suffered impaired her speech and initially prevented her from telling police what she had seen. 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. Learn about Diane Downs' children now: Christie, Stephen (Danny), and Becky. "Wouldn't I have made sure they were dead and then cried crocodile tears? [27] A made-for-TV movie, also titled Small Sacrifices, starred Farrah Fawcett as Downs, and was aired on ABC in 1989. And as she drove down the road, a man stepped out from the brush, the side of the road, and she stopped the car. Wilhite said he also noticed that when Downs went to visit Christie in the recovery room, her stats would spike. In 1987, just three years into her sentence, Downs escaped from the correctional facility in Oregon where she was being held. Her blood pressure was non-existent or very low. Christie Downs, now 44, and her brother, 39, were adopted by the prosecutor in the case. [24] In 2010, she was relocated to the Valley State Prison for Women in Chowchilla, California,[23] but was transferred out when the facility was converted to an all-male institution in 2013.[25]. It was an interesting interview. We've got three children who have been shot, Wilhite told 20/20. And my whole body just tingled. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. Downs' launched a violent attack on three of her children, Danny, Cheryl Lynn, and Christie Anne in 1983. In 1994, after serving ten years, Downs was transferred to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. 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. She has been housed in California for the Oregon Department of Corrections since Aug. 30, 1993.. Jaeger remembers worrying that Downs' pregnancy could affect the way jurors viewed her. And Christie knew that.. Downs was found guilty in June, and sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years. [4] On May 8, 1982, Diane gave birth to a baby girl, whom she named Jennifer, while acting as a surrogate. The surgeon who helped to save Christie's life told ABC News: When I looked at Christie I thought she was dead. It was May 19, 1983, a warm spring night. On July 11, 1987, she escaped from her cell by scaling an eighteen-foot razor wire fence. COVID-19 Stimulus Check: Did the HEROES Act Pass. 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 wanted to relate to her not as a mother, because I had a mother just as somebody who felt the pain and the emptiness that I felt in that time., She wrote back super quickly, Babcock says. She said she had not seen a male stranger that night. Diane Downs remains in prison in California. Why is she wounded in the arm? It was exciting. After months of physical and mental therapy, Christie Downs was able to take the stand and tell what happened to her that horrible 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. When then-prosecutor Fred Hugi asked Christie if she remembered who shot her, Christie Downs replied, "My mom.". Twitter Downs was found guilty in June 1984, and sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years. Her 7-year old daughter Cheryl died but her 3-year old son Danny and her 8-year old daughter Christie survived. Fred Hugi, adopted the children., Famed true-crime author Ann Rule wrote about the case. The woman who was on trial for shooting her own children was pregnant again -- and it was no accident. I had a great family, a great life. As an adult, Rebecca (Becky) appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show[18] and ABC's 20/20,[19] where she discussed how she felt about her biological mother. [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. She told ABC, The impact of Diane Downs being my mom has altered the course of my life so many times. But surgeon Steve Wilhite managed to revive Christie after her blood pressure dipped dangerously low and she suffered a stroke. Fearing there could be a gun-wielding killer on the loose, police released information to the public to be on the lookout. 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. In 1983, horror stuck in Oregon as a mother took it upon herself to end the life of her own children. [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. 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. 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. Critics said she deliberately became pregnant in order to garner sympathy from the jury. On May 19, 1983, Diane Downs and her three children were shot on a rural road in Oregon. 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 will be eligible for parole in 2020 and continues to proclaim her innocence. Downs then said she pretended to throw her car keys in a bush and the man went to go look for them. She found out who her biological mother was when she was 11 years old, ABC reported. 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. Danny, a computer whiz, is still partially paralyzed from the bullet in his back, but he is living a happy and normal life. When I hear about three children being shot, I thought, How am I going take care of three people? Because I wasn't afraid of what I needed to do. Downs was denied parole in December 2008, December 2010, and in 2020. Christie, now in her mid-40s, still lives in Oregon, in Springfield, and has a big, loving family. In May of that year, the trial against Downs began with yet another inconceivable twist. Christies Facebook page shows she has children, has a different married last name, and is living in Oregon. While Danny and Christie survived, Cheryl, the. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. Dr. Steven Wilhite had just walked into his house after a long day working at a Springfield, Oregon, hospital when his beeper went off. Her pupils were dilated. Born June 27, 1984, Becky, 37, is famously known as the daughter of Diane Down, 66. [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. https://t.co/cPfs75obUg pic.twitter.com/uSnlFF2IRw. The baby was taken by the state and delivered to adoptive parents. When I looked in the mailbox and saw her letter, it was like Pandoras box. In 1983, Diane Downs said stranger shot her 3 kids. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3, were inside her blood-soaked car, shot at close range. 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. Suspicions heightened when Downs, upon arrival at the hospital to visit her children, phoned Robert Knickerbocker, a married man and former coworker in Arizona with whom she had been having an affair. I sat and I thought about it for awhile, and I chose to open that letter. Diane didn't show much grievance for her murdered daughter and her two children that were in critical conditions. I knew my entire life that I was adopted, Babcock tells the show in an exclusive clip obtained by PEOPLE. She briefly escaped in 1987, but was quickly recaptured. However, investigators and hospital workers became suspicious, because they decided that Downs' manner was too calm for a person who had just experienced such a traumatic event. Danny is said to be going about his daily routine, but specifics regarding his personal life, such as his spouse and children, have remained a mystery, according to Tuko. Christie and Danny were adopted by Lane County Prosecutor Fred Hugi and his wife, Joanne, in 1984. They have both graduated from college. The couple divorced in 1980 over. Watch the full story on "20/20" THIS FRIDAY, March 22 at 9 p.m. It was scary. 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. The girl was later renamed Rebecca Babcock. 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. By the time she arrived at the hospital, Cheryl, seven, was already dead and the other two children had suffered devastating injuries. And I thought to myself, What am I going to do with three shot children?. In a two-hour 20/20 documentary, Babcock opens up about learning the truth regarding her infamous mom. 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 lives and is from Bend, Oregon, and is single. In 1983, Diane Downs' three children were brought to an Oregon hospital with gunshot wounds. District Attorney Fred Hugi asked Christie if she remembered who shot her. He responded to McKenzie-Willamette Hospital and immediately interviewed Downs, a postal worker. At around 10 p.m. that May night, police said Diane Downs pulled over to the side of a country road near Springfield and shot her three small children multiple times at close range. 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 . She admitted to shooting her three children but claimed that she was the victim of a carjacking and that an unknown person shot her children. The first two children were Dianes kids with her ex husband Steve Downs. 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. 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. We just ignored it, Wilhite said. . [ 6 ] born June 27, 1984, and she took a deserted country road three! Fred Hugi and his wife, Joanne, in 1984 in 2008 again! 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