According to witnesses, she then drove at a pace of between 5-7 mph to the local hospital, where she then claimed to hospital staff she had been car-jacked by a stranger who shot herself and her children. The baby was taken by the state and delivered to adoptive parents. After Babcock found out about her notorious mother, she decided to make contact. After leaving the public eye in 2010, she spoke to ABC News' "20/20" to share her life now. She claimed that she was carjacked on a rural road near Springfield by a strange man who shot her and the children. she said in an interview. 1983: Diane Downs Attempts to Murder Her Three Children. According to Glamour, the motive given for why Diane shot her kids was thought to be because the married man she was seeing at the time did not want any children. "And so the quickest, simplest way was to eliminate the children.". District Attorney Fred Hugi asked Christie if she remembered who shot her. 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. Christie, now in her mid-40s, still lives in Oregon, in Springfield, and has a big, loving family. Thank you all for sharing your stories with me and reminding me why I came forward. I knew my entire life that I was adopted, Babcock tells the show in an exclusive clip obtained by PEOPLE. Her mother was on trial for shooting her siblings, and some believed that Diane Downs got pregnant to gain sympathy. She was sentenced to life plus 50 years for the crimes. 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. Her pupils were dilated. Not one tear. 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. And they give me love, they give me satisfaction, they give me stability, they give me a reason to live and a reason to be happy, and that's gone, they took it from me, but children are so easy to conceive.". Her blood pressure was non-existent or very low. While he was looking for the keys, she jumped back in the car and sped off to the nearest hospital. Her pupils were dilated. Email us atexclusive@the-sun.comor call212 416 4552. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. 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. Diane Downs gave birth to four children. For ten days, Downs managed to evade law enforcementdespite a fourteen-state manhuntbefore she was recaptured. See you at 9pm for our encore presentation of #MyMomsSins #ABC2020! pic.twitter.com/HWkkwT86pF. On May 19, 1983, Diane shot the children Cheryl, 7, Christie, 8, and Danny, 3 multiple times at a close range. She replied, 'You've got to be kidding,' at which time he pushed her aside and reached in and shot the sleeping kids.". 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.. In 1987, just three years into her sentence, Downs escaped from the correctional facility in Oregon where she was being held. For other inquiries, Contact Us. Late one May night in 1983, Diane Downs sped into an emergency room dropoff in Springfield, Ore., with a horrifying story to tell. You know, she just asked, How is she doing? Not one emotional reaction, he said. Danny and Christie survived the attack while middle child, Cheryl, died from her injuries at the time. And I thought to myself, What am I going to do with three shot children?. "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. Following the crimes, she made claims to police that a man had attempted to carjack her and had shot the children. She tried to cut her wrists when she was 13 years old. Her adoptive parents called her Rebecca Becky Babcock. Downs' launched a violent attack on three of her children, Danny, Cheryl Lynn, and Christie Anne in 1983. Is Oregon relatively virus-free, or are my children in greater danger than the red circle size suggests? 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. Downs was found guilty in June, and sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years. "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. Email us atexclusive@the-sun.comor call212 416 4552. Downs is serving a life sentence for shooting her children, killing one They married in 1973, before divorcing in 1980. "Wouldn't I have made sure they were dead and then cried crocodile tears? She loves us. Meanwhile, Christie Downs was slowly beginning to tell what she remembered of the shootings. Steve Downs, their father, actually left Diane in 1980 because he thought that Danny was the result of an extramarital affair that she had. But there were a number of things which didn't make any sense., Why would a mother sightsee when it's dark out? And Christie's mother, Diane, could-- say whatever she wanted. While they were unable to find the weapon, they found unfired casings in her home with extractor markings from the murder weapon. "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. Today, 35-year-old Babcock works as a behavioral health coordinator for children in Salem, Oregon. Stephen Downs (known as Danny), 3, Cheryl, 7, and Christie, 8, were shot in the May 19, 1983 attack. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3, were inside her blood-soaked car, shot at close range. 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. When then-prosecutor Fred Hugi asked Christie if she remembered who shot her, Christie Downs replied, "My mom.". 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. 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.. Photo: September 26, 1988. Christie is married and had a baby boy in 2005. Born June 27, 1984, Becky, 37, is famously known as the daughter of Diane Down, 66. [22] She received an additional five-year sentence for the escape. Ukrainian heroes will pummel Putin's thugs with their own tanks after capturing hundreds of Russia's war machines, Missing aristocrat Constance Marten & lover Mark Gordon arrested but baby STILL missing & may have been left out in open, Matt Hancock 'rejected Chris Whittys advice on care home testing' as Covid ravaged Britain, Tearful Constance Marten yelled at police to get off lover as he was restrained by cops who are still hunting for baby, Constance Marten's lover seen with big stick as pair caught on CCTV arguing WITHOUT baby just before double arrest, Greece train crash: At least 38 dead and dozens hurt after two-train smash sparks fireball as horror pics show carnage, Rishi Sunak urges Tory MPs to get behind his deal and not let fox Keir Starmer into the Brexit henhouse, Rishi Sunak's Brexit deal won't revive Tory fortunes on its own - he must tackle migrant crisis & NHS, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). 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 7-year old daughter Cheryl died, but her 3-year old son Danny and her 8-year old daughter Christie survived. Atty. After that, she was charged with killing her 7-year-old daughter. 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. I was searching for that blood tie., I never had questions about my biological dad, Babcock continues. "There were a number of things which didn't make sense, even that first night," Welch said. She was convicted in 1984 and sentenced to life in prison plus fifty years. Diane Downs was convicted of shooting her 3 children, killing 1, in 1983. [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. Jaeger said. She's been called "evil" and "the . 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. I chose to, in a sense, allow her into my life.. [30][31][1] Downs maintained her innocence in all parole hearings. Who is Becky Babcock and where is she now? Watch the full story on "20/20" Friday, March 22, at 9 p.m. Her three children -- 8-year-old Christie, 7-year-old Cheryl and 3 . Investigators later discovered that she had bought the handgun in Arizona. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3, were inside her blood-soaked car, shot at close range. Although police had found spent .22 caliber bullet casings at the crime scene, an exhaustive search of the area did not turn up the murder weapon. ', I didnt just tear it open and start reading, Babcock tells the show. In May of that year, the trial against Downs began with yet another inconceivable twist. 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. [26] The book documented accounts by friends, acquaintances, neighbors, and her surviving daughter, Christie, who questioned the quality of her parenting. READ NEXT: COVID-19 Stimulus Check: Did the HEROES Act Pass? Jaeger remembers worrying that Downs' pregnancy could affect the way jurors viewed her. [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 mainly about my biological mom. [2] She has testified that her father sexually abused her when she was 12 years old. 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 shot her three children but claimed that she was carjacked and that her children were shot by a stranger. They also found a diary in which she expressed a desire to be with a married man, and the focus of the investigation shifted to Downs herself. The . "They have grown up in a very happy home with the Hugis.. "Her initial statement was that she had taken the kids out to a friend's house," said Welch. The two older kids were Diane's with ex-husband Steve, however, Danny wasn't Steve's. Knickerbocker also reported to police that Downs had stalked him, and seemed willing to kill his wife if it meant that she could have him to herself; he stated that he was relieved that she had left for Oregon, and that he was able to reconcile with his wife. Wilhite immediately jumped back into his car and raced to McKenzie-Williamette Medical Center as fast as he could. Prosecutors laid out the evidence against Downs, all leading up to their star witness. Twitter She was white She was not breathing. Her 7-year old daughter Cheryl died but her 3-year old son Danny and her 8-year old daughter Christie survived. 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? Our MPs are worse than the Italians - it's so bad I want John Major back, Inside life of Bitcoin trader suspected of faking own death as widow says she tried to kill herself after dream imploded, The Queen knows us. Cops decided she was lying. Conflicting reports say Downs also acted as a surrogate during her fourth pregnancy, giving birth to a daughter after her trial in 1984. After months of physical and mental therapy, Christie Downs was able to take the stand and tell what happened to her that horrible night. Her pupils were dilated. Police arrested Downs Feb. 28, 1984, nine months after the shootings. "I got pregnant because I miss Christie and I miss Danny and I miss Cheryl so much," she said. 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. Within two weeks police had tracked her down to the home of another inmate's husband just blocks from the prison. It was May 19, 1983, a warm spring night. There were all kinds of red flags that went up as we took her statement, but we wanted her to give us a complete statement, Welch said. And Christie knew that.. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. [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. I showered, slept for 4 hours, woke up and drank water, then went back to sleep for 16 more hours, she wrote. [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. Downs was denied parole in December 2008, December 2010, and in 2020. "Wouldn't I have made sure they were dead and then cried crocodile tears? "Why would I have taken my kids to the hospital?" She was denied parole in 2008 and again in 2010. Whether it tugs at your heartstrings or angers you to the core, these stories could have happened years ago, and they still take up space in your memories. 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. 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. According to Oprah.com, Christie and Dannyhave chosen to live private lives. In 1989, the Associated Press reported that then 14-year-old Christie Ann was left with speech impairment, and 9-year-old Danny is paralyzed from the waist down. Late one May night in 1983, Diane Downs sped into an emergency room dropoff in Springfield, Ore., with a horrifying story to tell. Like us on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/TheSunUSand follow us from our main Twitter account at@TheSunUS, 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, 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. It hasnt been easy, but it has been worth it. At birth, Downs named the child Amy Elizabeth. Look at her," Jaeger said. 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. From Arizona to Oregon, the family had moved just shortly before the incident for Dianes job in the U.S. postal service. Christie was the star witness in her mothers prosecution; she testified that her mother was the shooter. A judge had already placed Downs' two surviving children in protective custody. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? "And along this road, off to the side, out stepped a man who flagged her down. [24] While in prison, she earned an associate degree in General Studies. She was later adopted by another family. After Downs trial, Christie and Danny were adopted by Hugi and his wife. I've never been so hyped in my life.. https://t.co/cPfs75obUg pic.twitter.com/uSnlFF2IRw. She told ABC, The impact of Diane Downs being my mom has altered the course of my life so many times. 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. The child was adopted and was later named Rebecca. As for Danny, he has kept his life private. Her blood pressure was non-existent or very low. Now Dianes youngest child is speaking out 36 years later. It was an interesting interview. A surgeon told ABC News of treating Christie: When I looked at Christie I thought she was dead, he said. Downs claimed that during this drive home, around 10 pm she saw a strange man standing in the road flagging her down. They also found a diary in which she expressed a desire to be with a married man, and the focus of the investigation shifted to Downs herself. But suspicions of Downs herself quickly began to surface. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Glamour reported that Danny was paralyzed from the chest down as a result of the shooting and Cheryl suffered a major stroke as a result of the attack that left her with a lifelong speech impediment. [10] Downs herself had been shot in the left forearm.

Oregon Idaho Border Towns, Ramin Karimloo And Sierra Boggess Engaged, Lisa Fischer And Mick Jagger Relationship, Articles W