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? It was an unthinkable, brutal killing in 1983 that terrified parents around the country. At one point, she communicated with Downs through letters, but those eventually stopped when Babcock asked Downs to stop contacting her. Christie and Danny were adopted by Lane County Prosecutor Fred Hugi and his wife, Joanne, in 1984. "They have both graduated from college. The first letter I wrote Diane, I must have written 100 times, she says. Do I throw it away? Photo: September 26, 1988. I was afraid of how am I going to handle all this? he added. Sample Page; ; Critics said she deliberately became pregnant in order to garner sympathy from the jury. I mean, she is so close to death, its unbelievable.. she said in an interview. Now, as Diane Downs comes up for parole next year, her daughter speaks out. "And it grew dark and upon their return home she decided to -- to do some sightseeing. 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. Prior to being sentenced, Downs gave birth to a girl she named Amy Elizabeth. "You cant replace children, but you can replace the effect they give you. But Im on track and Im really happy with the way life is.. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 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. "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. What is the latest information pertaining to the convicted child killer? 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. A few years later, Babcock watched a miniseries based on her mother, and it broke her heard and her life went on a downward spiral, ABC reported. Doug Welch, then a detective with the Lane County Sheriff's Office, remembers getting the call for what would turn out to be his first homicide investigation. Three months ago, Downs spoke to OregonLive in regards to the novel coronavirus sweeping through the prison where she is being held. 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. The Queen has almost never put a foot wrong as she marks 70th year on the throne. The girl was later renamed Becky Babcock. They told of her obsession with a married man who didn't want her kids around. In 1983, horror stuck in Oregon as a mother took it upon herself to end the life of her own children. She had been shot in the left forearm, though her wound was not life-threatening. 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 was required to serve twenty-five years before being considered for parole. 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. A judge had already placed Downs' two surviving children in protective custody. Following the crimes, she made claims to police that a man had attempted to carjack her and had shot the children. 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. "Wouldn't I have made sure they were dead and then cried crocodile tears? She was sentenced to life plus 50 years for the crimes. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3, were inside her blood-soaked car, shot at close range. She lives and is from Bend, Oregon, and is single. He and his wife, Joanne, legally adopted the children in 1986. Her blood pressure was non-existent or very low. March 23, 2019 13:00 Impact x Nightline The Murders Before the Marathon [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. But Im on track and Im really happy with the way life is.. Diane Downs was convicted of shooting her 3 children, killing 1, in 1983. It was suspected I hit over 100 miles an hour coming down the freeway, he said. On May 19, 1983, Elizabeth Diane Downs and her three small children were shot on a country road near Springfield, Oregon. She will be eligible for parole in 2020 and continues to proclaim her innocence. COVID-19 Stimulus Check: Did the HEROES Act Pass. Wilhite said he also noticed that when Downs went to visit Christie in the recovery room, her stats would spike. [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. It's very seldom that does my body tingle like that, he added. What did she look like? 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. There's very few cases quite like this one, he said. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. Copyright 2023 Distractify. "She was white, she was not breathing. In 1983, horror stuck in Oregon as a mother took it upon herself to end the life of her own children. 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. 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In 1984, Diane Downs was convicted of shooting her three children, 3-year-old Danny, 7-year-old Cheryl, and 8-year-old Christie. It was as if she thought that if she kept talking enough, that you would believe her, Jaeger said. 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. A surgeon told ABC News of treating Christie: When I looked at Christie I thought she was dead, he said. 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. Babcocks exclusive interview airs on 20/20 on Friday, March 22 (9:00 11:00 p.m. In 1983, Diane Downs' three children were brought to an Oregon hospital with gunshot wounds. After her recapture, Downs was transferred to the New Jersey Department of Corrections Clinton Correctional Facility for Women after heavy lobbying from Hugi. She named the fourth baby Amy Elizabeth before the state handed her over to her adoptive parents. [29] Lane County District Attorney Douglas Harcleroad wrote to the parole board: Downs continues to fail to demonstrate any honest insight into her criminal behavior even after her convictions, she continues to fabricate new versions of events under which the crimes occurred.[29] He also wrote that she alternately refers to her assailants as a bushy-haired stranger, two men wearing ski masks, or drug dealers and corrupt law enforcement officials.[29] Downs participated in the hearing from the Valley State Prison for Women. Danny was the product of an affair. She remembers Downs' demeanor in her interviews as peculiar. 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? Of course, being married, she has also changed her last name. The . Her pupils were dilated. Twitter 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. District Attorney Fred Hugi asked Christie if she remembered who shot her. The girl was later renamed Rebecca Babcock. Like us on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/TheSunUSand follow us from our main Twitter account at@TheSunUS, News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. 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,. [2][3] Their first child, Christie Ann, was born in 1974. All Rights Reserved. Prosecutors laid out the evidence against Downs, all leading up to their star witness. Anne Bradley Jaeger was a local reporter for ABC affiliate KEZI in Eugene, Ore., at the time. "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. For other inquiries, Contact Us. Would love your thoughts, please comment. While Danny and Christie survived, Cheryl, the middle child, was killed in the attack. Within two weeks police had tracked her down to the home of another inmate's husband just blocks from the prison. Two of the kids survived the shooting with life altering injuries, and one of the children died. 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. Star witness how am I going to handle all this police that a man attempted! You can replace the effect they give you the life of her obsession with a married,. 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