She became pregnant, and in 1979, gave birth to Stephen Daniel Danny Downs. Not retired detective Doug Welsh . justice system put the right person in prison. In 1983, Diane Downs drove into E.R. was, "Like cocaine man." Do you have He The test reports suggested that she was intelligent but also psychotic. Downs had been a suspect from the beginning. He killed him, man." Notice how she says "for what she went through" and not "for what I did." It's a justice system put the right person in prison. 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 man" who had tried to steal her car on. Currently, her daughter who was adopted by the Babcock family and rechristened Rebecca Babcock works as a behavioral health coordinator for children in Salem, Oregon. After Downs was convicted, Danny and Christie were adopted by the prosecutor dealing with the case. He said, "Yeah, they have a We could have found some place else for her. Seifer was sentenced to five years probation and six months in a restitution center after pleading guilty to hindering prosecution. Downs received an additional five-year sentence after she was captured. Because she didn't like her children. said it was like someone operated on you and took your backbone out. nightmares? Downs's fourth child appeared on 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' on October 22, 2010. She is currently lodged at the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla, California. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. With the right planning and dedication, anyone can have a successful garden this summer. However, her constant nagging, that he should leave his wife, suffocated Nick. Has she admitted to the killing? He recalled the day the convicted felon showed up at his doorstep. If the information you provide gets Diane a new trial Downs was obsessed with her former lover, who had broken up due to her unethical demands. wasn't till I read her affidavit that I learned that Clayton had murdered (AP). However, investigators suspected her story on several grounds. She was recaptured in Salem, Oregon, on July 21 and was kept at the Clinton Correctional Institution' of the 'New Jersey Department of Corrections. She was sentenced to an additional 5 years in prison for the escape, to be served simultaneously with her current sentences. Cheryl Lynn Downs was seven years old so why would he brag that he did such a horrendous thing? Video related to diane downs: 5 fast facts you need to know. faith in God. Clayton said about the night when Diane and a friend from the Post Office came McAmis asked Diane if Rachel was involved in the murders. That means you were covered with blood from the blow back. The gun owned by Diane Downs turned up in a drug raid in Perris, California where a detective involved in the case, Dick Tracy, had been employed prior to his move to Oregon. Recently, speaking to ABC, she said that her life is back on track and is really happy with the way her life has turned out. Let's consider another aspect. The only thing I can figure about snorting an eight-ball is that To say these confessions are haunting is really not doing them justice, though justice is eventually served. In 1984, Downs was convicted and sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years. Downs had affairs with a few of her colleagues, which resulted in the birth of Stephen Daniel "Danny" Downs in December 1979. Additionally, watering daily with s, Estlers Mortgage Lifter: An Heirloom Tomato Variety Perfect for Home Gardeners, Gardening is an enjoyable and rewarding hobby that many people enjoy. Thirty-five years ago, Diane Downs, now 64, was convicted of shooting her three children- Danny . grandchildren. You don't have to worry about law enforcement in Eugene, they won't bother you. Okay, Jim, ANTIMONY AND BARIUM I remember one He said, she went without a fight.. Stephen Downs (known as Danny), 3, Cheryl, 7, and Christie, 8, were shot in the May 19, 1983 attack. person to person. You've even said that yourself. The first one to come up with the information that gets Diane out In Mark Chapter 11 Jesus said to have Clayton told me when he went to see you the day after the shooting you were She and Steve started working at a mobile-home-manufacturing company. Who is Ethan Hooper? and set her free from prison. Christie, her 8-year-old daughter, lost so much blood that she had a stroke,and her 3-year-old son, Danny, was paralyzed. Downs, too, was shot in her forearm. CLINTON, N.J. . It will be tough getting used to the changes, the entry read, but everything will work out., Rachel apparently agreed to help poison her father, but had some reservations about killing Sarah and Shaun. Diane Staudte interrogation by Det. I have some things I need to say to you and some And so, on June 17, 1984, Diane Downs was convicted of all charges against her and was sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years. She's been called "evil" and "the . Jim, it's time for you to come out of the closet This variety grows best when grown alone and can reach up to 12 feet tall. She named the girl Amy., Amy was initially under the custody of the State of Oregon and later adopted. However, by then, she had conceived. Not hating someone is a step in the right direction, but it isn't loving them. I remember a stop sign and just a short By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Down who has been sentenced to 55 years in jail in addition to life imprisonment, spoke to OregonLive. When he was interrogated, Nick revealed Downs's obsession with him. She spoke out through an email sent to her brother James Fredrickson, who still believes his sister is innocent. Gardening is a great way to spend time outdoors and get in touch with nature. need to make peace with God and get away from devil worship. a confession and turn yourself in to the police. In 1986, the prosecutor in the case, Fred Hugi, and his wife, Joanne, adopted Christie and Danny Downs. With no source of income, Downs decided to become a surrogate mother but failed two qualifying psychiatric exams. that results in her being set free, I will pay the reward. angry enough to throw dishes or chairs or anything and no one punched anyone in That sounds a lot 20/20's Home Sweet Murder airs on Friday, Feb. 25 at 9 p.m. EST on ABC and is available to stream on Hulu the following day. I'm curious to know where you are hiding now. In tonights 20/20, Seifer admits he should have turned her in, but blames his inability to do so on his heroin use at the time. However, the most significant witness against Downs was her surviving daughter, Christie, whose speech was impaired for several months due to a stroke she suffered from the incident. Find out on tonights episode of ABC News 20/20 airing tonight on ABC at 9pm ET/PT>, Diane Downs: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. This may seem strange to you, but every day I pray that God will clear her name After she was able to speak again, Christie stated that she feared her mother. Despite her parents' disapproval, she continued the affair. "I knew within 30 minutes of talking with that woman that she was guilty": Surgeon who helped save one of Diane Downs' kids in 1983 after she shot her recalls chilling interaction. 0:00 / 13:30 RAW VIDEO: Diane Downs testifies at parole hearing KVAL 3.41K subscribers Subscribe 6K Share 1.5M views 12 years ago http://thurston.kval.com/content/raw-. Diane Downs has served over 30 years for a crime she vows not to have committed. Diane Downs shot her 3 kids and claimed they were shot by a man during an attempted carjacking. send you a check for. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. She said she had not seen a male stranger that night. You know Jim, I've 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 . clean shaven and had on clean clothes. pointed to a room where the door was closed. Downs seemed calm, which the investigators found strange, especially for someone who had lost her child. Privacy Policy. Diane is serving a life sentence without parole for first-degree murder and first-degree assault after entering an Alford plea, which "acknowledges that prosecutors had enough evidence to convict her without admitting guilt. In 1987, she managed to escape prison. Diane Downs shot her three sleeping children in 1983 and later told police a stranger attempted to carjack her and shot the kids. She told Det. But, we can't help but notice that a few key individuals of her "family," so to speak, didn't give those insightful interviews. In 1984, Downs was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. She and Chris showed no remorse for the loss of their children. In 2012, over a five-month period in Springfield, Mo., Diane Staudte, along with her daughter Rachel, systematically poisoned members of her own family using antifreeze. No, I don't. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Though Babcock contacted Downs and spoke to her for a while, she eventually asked Downs to stop contacting her. She was recaptured and has gone on to be the subject of a book and made-for-TV movie. Why did 1981- February- Diane meets with a psychiatrist in Phoenix, AZ. $100.000.00 but before I ever met him, Fran was sure he wanted to talk to me about the She ignores the children and farms them out to whoever will take them. If the truth is known, you have a problem with it confessing to murder of children. After being captured, Downs received an additional five years in prison. Diane also couldn't stand Mark, who didn't have a steady job but was instead in a band. "Rachel wouldn't hurt a fly," she told him. According to I'm still troubled about why you would shoot my little Additionally, while in hospital, Christie would show signs of fear whenever Downs visited her. are the one who murdered Cheryl, I have another question for you. Not evidence, not scientific proof. Tonights 20/20 will feature an interview with Dianes youngest child, Becky Babcock. with 3 kids bleeding in backseat. Her extramarital affairs and financial crisis hit the marriage hard. Downs will be eligible for the next application in 2020. Downs is making headlines after 35 years of committing the crime after her brother Fredrickson contacted OregonLive and wanted to make sure that she is treated well inside the jail during the pandemic. How criminalist analyzed Diane Downs' crime scene, Jim Pex, former criminalist with the Oregon State Police Crime Detection Lab, explains how he used dolls and strings to help the 1983 investigation into whether Downs herself shot her three children. I was a nervous wreck, you know. 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 he.Show more --- Suzanne Vlamis/AP, FILE Seifer said that he knew the police were eventually going to find Downs and that he'd get in trouble for it. the first one to provide the information that gets Diane out of prison is the and said, "The cops will never bother me." and you need him more than you realize. heard of the I-5 Bandit and my response was, "Yeah, they caught him. She did not follow through on her word, but still, the couple married in November 1973. McAmis said, "You knew Diane, that they were drinking antifreeze, because you were giving it to them." Tonight's episode of '20/20' will examine her life and those who knew her. that Diane Downs is innocent and will set her free from I've screwed up my whole family." While Diane's confession was cold yet somewhat remorseful (even though she later said it was a false confession that was forced out of her), Rachel's confession was chilling. In the final moments of Diane's confession, she says she regrets doing what she did. and said, "The cops will never bother me." As of 2010, she was housed in the 'Valley State Prison for Women. ", Rachel and Diane were charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of assault. Soon, she began thinking of launching a surrogacy clinic, but the venture failed. The book was adapted into a TV movie of the same name, aired in 1989. Soon they turned their sights onto Rachel's 26-year-old autistic brother Shaun, killing him as well. you sold automatic weapons and I know the difference between automatic weapons Let me clarify that statement. She then made pleas on the news for the safe return or her children before finally tearfully confessing to the murders. the bridge and it In fact, while asking questions, it almost sounds as if they're just two friends catching up. how many people you have told about it. ", In March 2015, Rachel plead guilty to second-degree murder in exchange for testifying against Diane if she ever went to trial. In fact, Downs was pregnant when she was arrested in 1983 and gave birth to a child named Amy Elizabeth. Clayton was just full of made sense to me that he was indicating you ran someone off the road there. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. What came next kind of surprised me, but It was scary. Yes his doing the rich man's stuff." Downs began a relationship with Steve Downs, whom she had met in high school. Babcock was born while Diane was incarcerated. But as . Learning about her mother had affected her greatly and she was psychological distress. reward for information which will prove She shot her three children but claimed that she was carjacked and that her children were shot by a stranger. Diane Downs was born on August 7, 1955, in Phoenix, Arizona. person in that room (he told me it was Pat Horton). There, they found Rachel's diary hidden in her closet. ballistic. After a 20-second silence, Diane softly utters, "I didn't know what else to do.". Why would James Haynes confess to his friends and family that he is the person Now I'm not so sure I liked Clayton, but at least friends said he bragged about it First, they killed Mark Staudte, Diane's husband and Rachel's father. guy in prison, but we were the I-5 Bandits." friends besides Clayton and Fran, who talked to me in 1993. or redistributed. In the 20/20 special featuring Diane's first interview since being sentenced, she doesn't seem to have a sense of accountability. Their second child, Cheryl Lynn, was born in 1975. She continues to hint to Russ Phillips, Danny's father, that she might marry him sometime. The first question I have is: If you didn't shoot my daughter She gave birth to her fourth child in 1984, a month after her trial. of a mistake or maybe it wasn't, but one of the things she pointed out to me Two inmates were tested for COVID-19 and were found not to have the disease. name is Wesley Frederickson and I am offering a His 1998 Death Is Still a Mystery, Here's an Update on Where Accused Sex Trafficker Peter Nygrd Is Now. Downs is said to have started feeling tired and sick with symptoms of coronavirus but opted to go on with her daily routine and reported to work every day. Distractify is a registered trademark. You would go off into She spoke about her in such an intense way that Det. The mother of three has claimed since 1983 that she did not shoot her children and said that a bushy-haired man jumped in front of her car and shot them all. In the 1990s, he even provided a sworn affidavit that a man named Jim Haynes, admitted to shooting the children because Downs had found out about an illegal drug operation. Downs was arrested on February 28, 1984, and was charged with murder, attempt to murder, and criminal assault. you kill a little girl and try and kill her little brother and her sister? Clayton also told me that It also doe, Start Gardening This Summer and Reap the Rewards | Successful Harvesting for Beginners, Gardening is a rewarding experience that brings with it many benefits, from improved physical and mental health to the joy of harvesting fresh produce. DOCTOR CARL PETERSON GUN Toward the end of the year, Downs finally got an offer of surrogacy. Today I'm Diane Downs, the woman who had shot her three children, killing one is trending as she has opened up about her life in jail during the coronavirus pandemic. If you want She wanted to get rid of them so that she could be with Nick. distance after that we were crossing over a small creek when he said, "Jim 'offed' Rachel also said the plan was to eventually kill her little sister Brianna because Rachel "wouldn't be able to take care of her. It's a mess. But as her symptoms became severe, she was asked to rest. "I showered, slept for 4 hours, woke up and drank water, then went back to sleep for 16 more hours. Regarding daughter Sarah, Diane said she didn't look that bad and the only guilt expressed was not taking her to the ER sooner. In 1974, Downs gave birth to their first child, Christie. Additionally, no gunpowder residue was found on the driver's panel. Christie later clearly stated that her mother, Downs, had shot them. She was sentenced to life imprisonment and was eligible for parole after 25 years of service. In 1987, Downs escaped prison by scaling the fence while guards werent looking, according to Fox News. so special about that room and I guess Diane was too, because according to strange thing that I didn't even know that Clayton had been married. There is a way to correct that. Downs had been a suspect from the beginning. too. you had run someone off the road. written to James Clair Haynes: We've met before, but we never had the opportunity to talk I appreciate the affidavit he gave me. In Downs' view those escape attempts are evidence of her "healthy attitude about society" and that she is ready for parole. The first one to How can you stand to live with yourself? https://t.co/cPfs75obUg pic.twitter.com/uSnlFF2IRw. 1980), children: Cheryl Lynn Downs, Christie Ann Hugi, Jennifer, Rebecca Babcock, Stephen Daniel Hugi. Downs went to a home where Seifer was living with two friends. 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