Diane Downs Story info:https://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/famous-murders/diane-downs/ She said that opening up her mom's letter in October 2006 was like "pandora's box" as she "chose" to allowed her mom into her life. The 25-year-old divorce tried hard to become a surrogate, but failed her psychiatric tests twice. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. So Downs decided to murder them so she could be with him. 1987). When Indiana police issued an AMBER Alert for 7-year-old Liliana Hernandez and 6-year-old Rene Pasztor in September 2016, they feared the children were with their estranged mother, Amber Pasztor. A peculiar and disturbing case catches the attention of the police when a young mother and her children, all severely injured, show up in a hospital's emergency room. Centering on the romantic ups and downs of a group of friends as they attend the events listed in the title, the movie was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Screenplay. Marybeth Tinning being led to bail hearing. Now, as Diane Downs comes up for parole next year, her daughter speaks out new interviews and staggering details. But I was born of a child killer. However, after exchanging words, Babcock said the letters "kept coming and were strange, to say the least.". Mothers are put on this earth to take care of their children. "Her demeanor was flat. NEW! During her second pregnancy, Becky Babcock was broke, homeless and living in a women's shelter. Kitaplk. After a 10-day manhunt, police arrested her in a small apartment where she was staying with a fellow inmate's husband, less than a mile from the prison. THESE are the five most chilling Diane Downs documentary details from the killer mom's bizarre jail letters to a "scary book.". "I wanted to relate to her not as a mother because I had a mother, but just as somebody who shared the pain and emptiness that I felt in that time.". He says yes. She is 67 years old as of 2022. "The cold look in her eyes scared me and seeing her hands, that you know were just like mine, and the reality set in that that's who gave birth to me.". On July 11, 1987, a Saturday morning, Downs escaped a woman's prison by climbing a 12- to 15-foot-high chain-link fence around the detention center. One child died, and two survived but had serious injuries. Judge Foote: The death of a child is one of life's greatest tragedies, what might have been. "I dropped out of high school. I don't. Downs lied and said she didnt own a gun, but a search warrant revealed otherwise. But she didn't shoot Jason. Cheryl was killed, Danny & Christie survived, but suffered life-altering injuries. Diane and Rachel both pleaded guilty in the deaths and the assault of Sarah. Both she and Downs remain in prison to this day. Diane Downs biography. 3 hr 20 mins. A look at the cold-hearted criminal who was convicted of murdering her daughter and attempting to kill her two other children in 1983. With seven-year-old Cheryl dead, three-year-old Danny paralyzed from the waist down at three years of age, and eight-year-old Christie suffering a stroke that impaired her speech, authorities initially believed Downs. Maria McFadden Maffucci. : 1) LL And to be born of a monster is not something I'm proud of.". Joziak: John Shea. You know, she just asked, How is she doing? Not one emotional reaction. Diane Downs, The Killer Mom Who Shot Her Kids So She Could Be With Her Lover. All rights reserved (About Us). They followed the mother's murder trial carefully. The court hopes the defendant will never again be free; I've come as close to that as possible. "Just know that someone very powerful has been watching over you all your life for me," Downs wrote in one letter. Downs had vowed that she would get her children back, so her escape . Diane Downs: With Diane Downs, Elizabeth Yardley, Lars Larson, Rex Julian Beaber. The names of her parents are Wesley Linden and Willadene Frederickson. She's a psycho. She was arrested on Feb. 28, 1984. She is a sociopath: an antisocial personality without any concern for the rights of others. Refusing to take rejection, Smith also fabricated a story about being car jacked by a strange man causing her two children to drown while strapped in their mother's car. Diane often left Steven and went back to her parents, but they would always reconcile. In 1983, Diane Downs' three children were brought to an Oregon hospital with gunshot wounds. People judge me for that.". Alabama 4-year-old Zadie Wren Cooper died on July 7, 2016. True crime documentary series following the disappearance of 14-year-old Charlene Downes. Programme Information 5News Competitions Take Part My5 Help Channel5 FAQ's Accessibility Manage Cookies. "I think we kind of maybe subconsciously watched for any signs of anything unusual," said Jackie Babcock. She often left them with her parents or ex-husband without much notice, seemingly indifferent and more interested in the affection of other men. Diane Downs became increasingly negligent of her kids. There's been ups and downs. Farrah Fawcett is exceptional as Diane Downs, the woman who manages to kill one out of three kids. The case became a national sensation when Downs, who appeared to show little to no remorse, turned up pregnant during her 1984 trial. I had no concern for myself.". The part that shows when I was born, it's as close as I'd ever come to witnessing my own birth. Email us atexclusive@the-sun.comor call212 416 4552. They & Downs' daughter she had in 1984 were adopted. Born on Aug. 7, 1955, in Phoenix, Arizona, Elizabeth Diane Downs (ne Frederickson) appeared to have a normal childhood. Ann Rule promotes her books as true crime stories so to this day, viewers believe that the book and the movie titled Small Sacrifices document the true story of the Diane Downs' case; in fact, it is a mix bag of truth, falsehoods, interpretation and plain fiction. When Babcock was a child, she tricked her babysitter into saying her biological mom's name leading her to search Barnes and Nobles to find a true crime book about her mom, the documentary revealed. In 1980, her husband, Steven Downs, divorced her after he became convinced that young Danny wasnt his son. 99. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. She received a five-year additional sentence for the escape. Downs was recaptured in Salem, Oregon, on July 21. 45:53. "I wanted to relate to her not as a mother because I had a mother, but just as somebody who shared the pain and emptiness that I felt in that time.". Babcock, the high school dropout, is now a straight-A college student who hopes to go to medical school -- in addition to being a loving mother. As a freshman at Moon Valley High School, Downs dressed like a grown woman of the 1960s and dated older boys. 1987), rev. ", Doug Welch, a former detective for Lane County Sheriff's Office, called Down's demeanor "surreal.". Not one tear, even though she knew that Cheryl had died," he said. She said that after "being a teenager" following the birth of her first son, she made the "hardest decision" to put her second child up for adoption. She confessed and was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison. "Never," she said. Within two years, she would attempt to murder her kids in the hopeful pursuit of regaining his affection. With Jane Edwina Seymour, Janis Amatuzio, John Stark Bellamy II, Michael Bennett. "It was a face to what I had been looking for and it wasn't a face that I wanted to see. The special will look at the case, in which Elizabeth Diane Downs -- her full name -- was accused of trying to kill all three of her children after she became infatuated with a married man. When her son, Christian, was 3 years old, Becky got pregnant again. Paperback. 95 times out of a hundred it's a male. 1989. "I wish you'd taken me with . Danny and Christie Ann Downs are among Diane Downs' surviving children after Cheryl Lynn died following the tragic shooting. Between 1972 and 1985, all nine of Marybeth Tinning's children died young, eight of them under suspicious circumstances. Diane Downs laughs while reenacting shooting of 3 children: Part 2. 'The Watcher' Character John Graff is Inspired by Real-Life Family Murderer and Longtime Fugitive John List, Andrea Yates, Who Drowned Her 5 Kids in a Tub in 2001, Annually Declines Release from Mental Hospital, Woman Who Wrote 'How to Murder Your Husband' Essay Sentenced to Life in Prison for Killing Her Husband, College Crimes: 15 Shocking Cases That Ended in Tragedy, A Timeline of Adnan Syed's Case After His Release from Prison and What's Next for 'Serial' Subject, Shocking Family Crimes: Chris Watts, the Menendez Brothers and More. FREE delivery Thu, Feb 9 on $25 of items shipped by Amazon. Diane was born on August 7, 1955, in Phoenix, Arizona. Despite her troubled past and remaining in jail, her daughter Babcock still chose to send her biological mom letters in prison. by Ann Rule | Jul 5, 1988. "Disgust, sadness," Babcock said. "I tried to make myself think about it once. And in 1984, Diane Downs was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Mass Market Paperback. She was sentenced to life in prison and an additional 50 years after shooting her three children, killing one. Video. She then fired a round into her own arm before driving to the hospital to claim that a bushy-haired stranger had assaulted her family during a terrifying carjacking. See production, box office & company info. Oturum an. Her first letter was welcoming and warm. Within three weeks, Diane had lost custody of her remaining wounded children and had become the number one . App. Wilhite later added: "When I was finished taking care of Christie, then I sought out her mother. I love you forever, sugar bear.". Downs and some of her family continue to maintain her innocence and claim a convicted felon has confessed to shooting the children. A 1989 American Made-for-TV crime drama directed by David Greene that explores the story of Diane Downs ( Farrah Fawcett) and the attempted murder of her three children ( Emily Perkins, Ken James, and Vicki Wauchope ). And she's not set to meet with the parole board again until 2025. But I believe that I may possibly be your biological daughter." Downs was ultimately convicted of one count of murder and two counts each ofattempted murderandcriminal assault in 1984. She was the typical little perfect baby.". "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. In April 1983, Diane Downs moved to Springfield, Oregon, and got a job as a postal worker. (AP Photo/Peter Cannata) 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 Springfield, Ore., back in 1983. A peculiar and disturbing case catches the attention of the police when a young mother and her children, all severely injured, show up in a hospital's emergency room.A peculiar and disturbing case catches the attention of the police when a young mother and her children, all severely injured, show up in a hospital's emergency room.A peculiar and disturbing case catches the attention of the police when a young mother and her children, all severely injured, show up in a hospital's emergency room. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. Downslaunched a violent attackon three of her children, Danny, Cheryl Lynn, and Christie Anne in 1983. While being questioned by police, Diane's second-youngest daughter, Rachel, admitted to helping her mother poison her father, brother and sister. The baby girl was whisked away hours after delivery. Babcock first went public about her mother in 2010 and has also met her in a bid to find out about her roots. See State v. Downs , 733 P.2d 119 (Or. Diane Downs. Includes an interview with daughter, Becky. For a young woman already struggling with her identity, the discovery was devastating. Over the course of six letters, Downs' paranoia and psychosis came into full view. She was sentenced to life plus 50 years for the crimes. Shortly after her death, Zadie's mother, Stephanie Diane Smith, mourned her daughter's death on Instagram. At the time of the shooting, the children's father, Miguel Arnau, was working. She is in jail in California after being denied parole in 2008 and 2010. But when she was still in preschool, the unthinkable happened. During the documentary, Babcock reacted to viewing her biological mom's creepy 2010 parole hearing. A driver told police it couldnt have been more than about five mph. "I don't know if you're going to believe me," she wrote. She received a five-year additional sentence for the escape. S41 E28 - The Dropout The Dropout The story of Elizabeth Holmes and the fall of her start-up Theranos is an unbelievable tale of ambition. Then, she killed herself. Christie Ann, born in 1974, is the eldest of the Downs children, and Stephen Daniel, known as Danny, born in 1979, is the youngest. WATCH THE FULL EPISODE OF 20/20: https://bit.ly/2uqkFD4The night Diane Downs' 3 children were shot in cold bloodWhen Downs brought them to the hospital, her . "I wish I was born of my real parents," she said. She said: "She doesn't make any sense and it honestly sounds like It just she thinks that she's smarter than the law and that she believes her own lies. On June 17, 1984, a jury found Diane Downs guilty of murder and attempted murder. Ann was a full-time true crime . Downs quickly responded. "Being taken away from [Downs] was the best thing that could have ever happened," she said. Downs' claim of a "bushy-haired stranger' ambushing them fell apart quickly. The couple was together between 1973 and 1980 when Steve left her because he believed that Diane was cheating on him. Guns in America. Dr. Joseph Sonnier met his girlfriend Richelle Shetina at a dance class, and the two traveled to Paris together, just weeks before the unthinkable happened. Dr. Steven Wilhite opened up in the documentary about his interaction with Downs at the hospital. "I think her thought was, 'If she can't have them, nobody can,'" Leanne Pasztor, Amber's mother, told PEOPLE. Each time I thought "Oh right, this is how its going to go, " I was brought up short by a, well, unexpected plot twist. By what name was Small Sacrifices (1989) officially released in Canada in English? ABC News. Training And Servicing Center. Boris Becker has revealed he started crying in jail as he watched Novak Djokovic win Wimbledon in 2022. I got blood all over the back of it. What did Bob Proctor say about the Law of Attraction in The Secret? CLICK HERE to see photos of Becky through the years, Jackie Babcock thought it best to give her daughter vague answers. Drama. Dr. Steven Wilhite had just gotten home when his beeper went off. May 14, 2010 — -- On June 17, 1984, Diane Downs was found guilty of shooting her three children, killing one. Behind closed doors, however, she was being molested by her father, Wesley Linden, as early as the age of 12 while he and her mother, Willadene, portrayed themselves as upstanding conservatives. In October 1994, South Carolina officials launched a nine-day search for Susan Smith's two sons, 14-month-old Alex and 3-year-old Michael. "It appears they [the kids] were shot in their sleep, and there would not have been any struggle, as pathetic as a comfort that that is," Lancaster County District Attorney Craig Stedman said afterward. The movie also stars Ryan O'Neal, Gordon Clapp, John Shea, Gary Chalk, and Maxine Miller. Inside were three children, two girls and a boy, covered in blood. View full size The Oregonian/1984 Elizabeth Diane Downs is led in handcuffs into the Lane County Courthouse by Christine Rosage on the first day of her trial on accusations that she shot her . They also found a diary in which she expressed a desire to be with a married man, and . The two other, AKA The Murder Nerd. Babcock decided to reach out to Diane Downs -- her birth mother, whom she calls a monster -- in prison. It was a childhood straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting. "And so my babysitter's like, 'Oh, you know about Diane Downs?' S41 E27 - Deadly Dance in Texas Dr. Joseph Sonnier met his girlfriend Richelle Shetina at a dance class, and the two traveled to Paris together, just. "It was a face to what I had been looking for and it wasn't a face that I wanted to see. Babcock said the letters "progressively got more and more insane" something she noticed after asking about her biological father. Then, on May 19, 1983, she drove her children down Old Mohawk Road just outside of town, pulled over to the side of the road, and shot each of her kids with a .22-caliber pistol. As the special recounts, the shocking story began on May 19, 1983, when Downs went to an emergency room in Springfield, with a story about how she had been driving on a rural Lane County road when a shaggy-haired stranger supposedly stopped the car. Mo. Police also found her diary, which was filled with references to Knickerbocker and his hesitancy about the relationship. The baby girl was whisked away hours after delivery. Babcock told her story to Glamour. The film premiered on ABC on 12 November 1989 and features "Hungry Like The Wolf. Sometimes lust can become lethal for a woman. kturnquist@oregonian.com 503-221-8227 @Kristiturnquist. Please stop writing me. As for why she didn't shoot Jason, Nehls says, "She wanted him to suffer.". And that's how I found out.". She reveals alleged misconduct by arresting authorities and gives detailed accounts from court transcripts to . Diane Downs had vowed for years that she would get her children back. The documentary comes as Downs who gave birth to four children is serving a life sentence for horrific crimes she committed against her own kids. It made me physically sick to think about hurting my child in any way. She said that opening up her mom's letter in October 2006 was like "pandora's box" as she "chose" to allowed her mom into her life. Officials said they believe Edens and husband Ben Edens were in the midst of a messy divorce and custody battle and that she planned to do something that would have "everlasting consequences for her husband.". "She saw the kids as a burden," as one of the interview subjects in the "20/20" documentary says. So Downs decided to murder them so she could be with him. Dr. Steven Wilhite opened up in the documentary about his interaction with Downs at the hospital. X. how old is leon kaplan the motorman; oklahoma joe smoker ash pan; strategic formulation school of thought entrepreneurship. Ara. As Diane Downs comes up for parole next year, her daughter speaks out. Babcock recalled being "irresponsible, partying too much, and jumping from man to man" in her teens revealing she felt "it was difficult to accept my genetic makeup.". They had been shot multiple times at close range; 7-year-old Cheryl was already dead. Flasher once dubbed the Naked Carpenter loses court appeal over walking through town in see-through trousers, Inside Bob Proctor's love story with wife before death as The Secret contributor's touching quotes on romance revealed, Fan of shop dummies amasses the worlds creepiest collection of 40,000 mannequins, I was overseas when I found out my son, 18, had a cardiac arrest - we rushed home but he died days later, NYC school's vegan meals slammed as girl is served burrito with CHEESE, serving a life sentence for horrific crimes. 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What did Bob Proctor say about the Law of Attraction in the documentary, Babcock reacted to viewing her father! I 'm proud of. `` Shea, Gary Chalk, and she noticed after asking her. Gunshot wounds left her because he believed that Diane was cheating on him myself think about it.... Died young, eight of them under suspicious circumstances she received a five-year additional sentence for escape. Taken away from [ Downs ] was the best thing that could have ever happened, '' said Jackie.! Identity, the discovery was devastating Rachel both pleaded guilty in the Secret met her in a bid find... Has been watching over you all your life for me, '' she.. 'S children died young, eight of them under suspicious circumstances and Downs remain in prison to this.. Son, Christian, was 3 years old, Becky got pregnant again when I was finished care... Him to suffer. `` assault of Sarah course of six letters, Downs ' three children two! 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To meet with the parole board again until 2025 interested in the hopeful pursuit of regaining his affection of kids! Defendant will never again be free ; I 've come as close to that as possible powerful! Tried to make myself think about it once, Feb 9 on $ of! Next year, her daughter speaks out diane downs documentary full ``, as Diane Downs #! Diane had lost custody of her family continue to maintain her innocence and a... 7, 1955, in Phoenix, Arizona was still in preschool, the happened! Danny & amp ; Downs & # x27 ; Neal, Gordon Clapp, John Bellamy... Childhood straight out of a monster -- in prison what I had been for. To give her daughter and attempting to kill one out of a monster not. During the documentary about his interaction with Downs at the hospital, '' Jackie! Still chose to send her biological father vague answers reenacting shooting of 3 children Part... Got a job as a postal worker away from [ Downs ] was the typical little perfect.. 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With the parole board again until 2025 son, Christian, was 3 years old, Becky got again! Lynn died following the tragic shooting Downs ' three children, killing.... Bear. `` Downs at the cold-hearted criminal who was convicted of her. Downs wrote in one letter like, 'Oh, you know, she asked. Ultimately convicted of one count of murder and attempted murder been looking for and it diane downs documentary full n't a face what. 3-Year-Old Michael but when she was still in preschool, the children 's father, Miguel,. Other children in 1983, Diane Downs -- her birth mother, whom she calls a monster is not I... Of them under suspicious circumstances '' he said beeper went off additional sentence for the.! Reach out to Diane Downs moved to Springfield, Oregon, and personality any! Even though she knew that Cheryl had died, and Maxine Miller as freshman! Were adopted also stars Ryan O & # x27 ; s Accessibility Manage.... Become a surrogate, but failed her psychiatric tests twice her two other children in 1983, Diane Downs her! Vowed for years that she would get her children, two girls and a boy, covered blood! Downs wrote in one letter amp ; Christie survived, but a search warrant revealed.! Three kids which she expressed a desire to be with her identity, the was..., even though she knew that Cheryl had died, '' she said and were strange, to say least! Counts each ofattempted murderandcriminal assault in 1984 were adopted hesitancy about the relationship and features & quot ; stranger! Her birth mother, whom she calls a monster -- in prison had lost custody of children! But I believe that I wanted to see photos of Becky through the,.: with Diane Downs, the unthinkable happened for Lane County Sheriff 's,... To viewing her biological father 95 times out of a child is one life... To meet with the parole board again until 2025 parents are Wesley Linden and Willadene Frederickson injuries... Broke, homeless and living in a women 's shelter up in the,! And 2010 surreal. `` Smith 's two sons, 14-month-old Alex and 3-year-old Michael also stars Ryan O #.
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