Christie Ann, born in 1974, is the eldest of the Downs children, and Stephen Daniel, known as Danny, born in 1979, is the youngest. In 1983, Diane Downs' three children were brought to an Oregon hospital with gunshot wounds. She successfully escaped the Oregon Women's Correctional Center and used clothing to keep herself from getting harmed by the barbed-wire fence, according to ABC News. Downs briefly attended Pacific Coast Baptist Bible College in Orange, California but was forced to leave after just one year for "promiscuous behaviour". But Downs would ultimately be expelled after a year for promiscuous behavior. Stephen Downs (known as Danny), 3, Cheryl, 7, and Christie, 8, were shot in the May 19, 1983 attack. She was sentenced to life in prison and an additional 50 years after shooting her three children, killing one. All of the babies were either strangled or suffocated after Huntsman gave birth to them at home, which she admitted to police. But the verdict was overturned, and in 2006, Yates was found not guilty by reason of insanity and has since been committed to mental hospitals. Utah mom Megan Huntsman admitted in 2014 to killing six of her newborn babies soon after giving birth between 1996 and 2006. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). Downs isn't imprisoned in Oregon, the state that sentenced her, because shortly after her sentencing, she escaped from Oregon Women's Correctional Center. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1945. . She's not able to have or understand love. WATCH THE FULL EPISODE OF 20/20: https://bit.ly/2uqkFD4Diane Downs laughs while reenacting shooting of 3 childrenPolice found Downs' behavior suspicious. Babcock told her story to Glamour. Downslaunched a violent attackon three of her children, Danny, Cheryl Lynn, and Christie Anne in 1983. See State v. Downs , 733 P.2d 119 (Or. Ara. Cops found her ten days later living with another inmate's husband. "It just makes my skin crawl, just to hear her voice and see her. Downs, who again comes up for parole next year, was denied parole previously, in 2008 and 2010. He rushed back for the emergency and recalled thinking Christie was dead. As a freshman at Moon Valley High School, Downs dressed like a grown woman of the 1960s and dated older boys. The mother of three who fell in love with a married man did the unthinkable in 1983: she murdered her 7-year . John Shea is also good as the D.A. The postconviction court granted summary judgment on the pro- But he told Oprah Winfrey last year that he forgives his ex-wife for drowning their children. They were in the way.. 45:57. He saved her life and updated Downs to suspicious results. She is in jail in California after being denied parole in 2008 and 2010. A two-hour "20/20" documentary special on ABC explores the shocking case of Diane Downs, who was convicted of shooting her three children, and includes an interview with the daughter with whom . 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. She had been kept in the couple's freezer for several hours after her death. But she was lying: Smith ultimately admitted to letting her car roll into a lake with the boys strapped in their car seats. "I wanted to know how she felt, if she loved me, if she wanted me if she connected with me before she had given me up for adoption," Babcock explained. I slept around with a lot of people. Becky Babcock grew up in a beautiful house in Bend, Ore., only 100 miles -- but a world away -- from the legacy of her birth mother. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. And in 1984, Diane Downs was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. She received a five-year additional sentence for the escape. They had another sibling, born in the middle, in 1976, Cheryl Lynn, but she didn't survive the shooting. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. 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. Before killing herself last June, Carola Arnau, 40, fatally shot her two children daughter 10-year-old Bellailani and son Noah, 4 in their Pennsylvania home. $37.75 8 Used from $37.75. She confessed and was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison. Shortly after her death, Zadie's mother, Stephanie Diane Smith, mourned her daughter's death on Instagram. But I believe that I may possibly be your biological daughter." "Just know that someone very powerful has been watching over you all your life for me," Downs wrote in one letter. Born on Aug. 7, 1955, in Phoenix, Arizona, Elizabeth Diane Downs (ne Frederickson) appeared to have a normal childhood. Farrah Fawcett played the role of Diane Downs for the TV movie "Small Sacrifices," alongside Ryan O'Neal. 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 ). Yates, now 52, was initially convicted of the killings and sentenced to life in prison. But she didn't shoot Jason. For her high school education, she enrolled at Moon Valley High School. Diane Downs is one of the scariest types of killer, because she's smart, attractive and incapable of understanding the feelings of others. ", 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Diane Downs was born August 7, 1955 in Phoenix, Arizona. Live. She decided to put her baby up for adoption. Woman Seeks Clemency After 1985 Conviction for Killing Husband Did Sexism Put Her Behind Bars? ABC's "20/20" has a true crime documentary about Diane Downs, who shot her three young children in 1983, killing one and injuring two. 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. 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. "They were in the way.". There's been ups and downs. Kristi Turnquist | The Oregonian/OregonLive, 20/20 event special - The story of Diane Downs - Friday, March 22nd on ABC. Thirty-five years ago, Diane Downs, now 64, was convicted of shooting her three children- Danny, Cheryl, and Christie- in Springfield, Oregon. The two surviving kids are also stand-outs, especially the small daughter who must choose whether or not to testify against the monstrously narcissistic Downs. 01:20:35. The two other, AKA The Murder Nerd. People judge me for that.". 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. Babcock said the letters "progressively got more and more insane" something she noticed after asking about her biological father. Babcock decided to cut off all contact. "I said, 'I'm sorry. She was sentenced to life plus 50 years for the crimes. Had Downs felt this same emptiness when she gave Becky away? After both her husband, Mark, and son, Shaun, died untimely deaths in 2012, and her then-24-year-old daughter, Sarah, was hospitalized for organ failure, Diane Staudte was charged with murdering Mark and trying to kill Sarah. "I wrote her a letter," Babcock said. In 1981, however, she met Robert Nick Knickerbocker and embarked on an affair that waived her troubles away. Oregon Department of CorrectionsDiane Downs in 2018. The Real Jigsaw Murderer Full Documentary Stephen Marshall. 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. For years, Diane Downs seemed to have a wonderful life. "Her demeanor was flat. After being recaptured, Downs was sent to prison out of Oregon. The film was based on her mother's life. Then, learn about Gypsy Rose Blanchard, the sick child who killed her mother. The 25-year-old divorce tried hard to become a surrogate, but failed her psychiatric tests twice. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. In 1974, despite the problems in their marriage, they had their first child, Christie. But I am going to do great things. She recently recalled the waves of emotion. Smith like Downs, also pursued a man who didn't want to be with her because she had children. 3 hr 20 mins. Pure T Watchlist. The documentary also includes new interviews with Doug Welch, lead investigator on the case; Wayne Seifer, the ex-husband of one of Downs fellow inmates, who housed Downs during her brief 1987 escape in Oregon; Loren Glover, who was a detective with the Oregon State Police when Downs escaped; Anne Jaeger, former anchor at KEZI, who covered the case; former Oregonian reporter Eric Mortenson; Jim Pex, a former criminalist with the Oregon State Police Crime Detection Lab; and ABC News archives footage. For a young woman already struggling with her identity, the discovery was devastating. Not one tear, he said. Becky Babcock's biological mom is Diane Downs Credit: ABC NEws. Downs' claim of a "bushy-haired stranger' ambushing them fell apart quickly. Steve Downs, their father, actually left Diane in 1980 because he thought that Danny was the result of an . Psychiatrist: As a psychiatrist, it is my professional opinion that Diane Downs' personality disorders qualify her as a dangerous offender. Over the years, she has told her story numerous times and has been seen on 20/20,The Oprah Winfrey Show,Kids of Killers, and the Happy Face podcast series. Sometimes lust can become lethal for a woman. One of the most notorious crimes in Oregon history will be revisited this Friday, in a 20/20 two-hour documentary about Diane Downs, the woman convicted of shooting her own three children, and killing one. But when she was still in preschool, the unthinkable happened. She was convicted of murdering them and sentenced to life in prison. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. Shes been called evil and the devil. A mother of three, In love with a married man, who did the unthinkable. Instead, Sheats chased her daughters, Madison, 17, and Taylor, 22 into the street, killing them before authorities arrived and fatally shot her. "She started writing back about people that want to harm me andshe told me that if I loved my little boy I would take him far away from there," Babcock continued. Becky always knew she was adopted, and at an early age, she began to ask about her parentage. Rebecca Babcock always knew she was adopted, but at 16 she was rocked by the discovery that her birth mother, Diane Downs, was a murderer, convicted of shooting her own children. 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.". However, after exchanging words, Babcock said the letters "kept coming and were strange, to say the least.". This documentary relates the tales of four female killers, one you might have heard of. The 3-year-old was found by police dead in her bed and partially frozen. When her son, Christian, was 3 years old, Becky got pregnant again. And that's how I found out.". Incapable of reconciling, the couple divorced in 1980. That's where she is right now, behind bars, but this year, in 2020, there is a possibility of her being released on parole. Authorities called to say Diane Downs had escaped from prison. They also found a diary in which she expressed a desire to be with a married man, and . In August 2020, Smith was sentenced to life in prison. MATHS7156: QUIZ Date: 2021 1) What movie's first sequel featured the subtitle "The Spawning"? 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.". She is 67 years old as of 2022. See production, box office & company info. After shooting herself in the left forearm, Diane Downs drove to the hospital at a snails pace. 1-16 of 539 results for "small sacrifices movie" RESULTS. 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. Mass Market Paperback. Inside The Chilling Crimes Of John Joubert, The Eagle Scout Who Became A Serial Killer, Why The Story Of John And Lorena Bobbitt Is More Complex Than Just Castration, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. denied, 738 P.2d 199 (Or. Jessica Edens went on a killing spree in July 2017 before turning the gun on herself. A must-see for crime buffs. "The precautions that we took were to let people know that were coming in contact with Becky, her daycare person, her babysitter for Becky's own safety.". Diane Downs is shown being led into the Lane County Courthouse on the first day of her trial, after being accused of shooting her three children, one fatally. The two would graduate together but briefly part, as Diane Downs enrolled at Pacific Coast Baptist Bible College in Orange, California, and Steve enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Despite her troubled past and remaining in jail, her daughter Babcock still chose to send her biological mom letters in prison. "Being taken away from [Downs] was the best thing that could have ever happened," she said. She began to think about her birth mother. "I wish you'd taken me with you," she wrote in one post in April 2017. She received a five-year additional sentence for the escape. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Alabama 4-year-old Zadie Wren Cooper died on July 7, 2016. Downs's conviction was affirmed on appeal by the Oregon Court of Appeals without opinion and the Oregon Supreme Court denied review in 1987. . 79, and Diane von . Her fourth baby, Amy Elizabeth, was adopted and given the name BeckyBabcock. 10:48 p.m., May 19, 1983, Springfield, Oregon: a red Nissan sports car pulled into the McKenzie-Willamette Hospital ER. Diane Downs shot her three children, killing her seven-year-old daughter Cheryl and wounding her other two children.An in-depth look at the lives and crimes . And she's not set to meet with the parole board again until 2025. THESE are the five most chilling Diane Downs documentary details from the killer mom's bizarre jail letters to a "scary book.". NR. And she's not set to meet with the parole board again until 2025. When Becky was 17, she got pregnant and became a teenage mother -- as Diane Downs had been. I'm not going to spoil that for you here. However, after exchanging words, Babcock said the letters "kept coming and were strange, to say the least.". Then, she killed herself. "I wish you'd taken me with . She then ran away from home and married husband, Steven Downs, in 1973, with whom she had . "I don't know if you're going to believe me," she wrote. And so begins a wild tale of murder, sexual abuse, and mental health. Downslaunched a violent attackon three of her children, Danny, Cheryl Lynn, and Christie Anne in 1983. "I wish I was born of my real parents," she said. Please stop writing me. Small Sacrifices is a TV movie based on the best-selling true crime book by Ann Rule of the same name. Marybeth Tinning being led to bail hearing. "Disgust, sadness," Babcock said. The Dropout The story of Elizabeth Holmes and the fall of her start-up Theranos is an unbelievable tale of ambition and fame gone terribly wrong. Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. In 1989 SMALL SACRIFICES was made into the popular TV movie of the same name starring Farrah Fawcett, which earned her an Emmy nomination. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. She is eligible again in 2018. The baby girl was whisked away hours after delivery. The two beautiful young Mormon athletes seemed to have a perfect marriage, but Janet's sisters say that changed dramatically when Abaroa revealed he cheated. NR | 03.29.2019. Police also found her diary, which was filled with references to Knickerbocker and his hesitancy about the relationship. 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. Downs was ultimately convicted of one count of murder and two counts each ofattempted murderandcriminal assault in 1984. It aired on ABC on November 12-14, 1989. 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, Viewers of ABC's 20/20's documentary about Diane Downs, pictured, have gotten a deeper look into the killer mom's life, BeckyBabcock's biological mom is Diane Downs, Diane Downs launched a violent attack on three of her children in 1983, Downs is serving a life sentence for horrific crimes she committed against her own kids, Diane Downs documentary 5 chilling revelations about killer mom on ABC 20/20 from bizarre jail letters to scary book, 'Shooter' Jamel Flint arrested after killing high school football star Isiah O. Robinson, 18, & injuring 4 others, Richard Samuel Gray, 32, arrested for 'killing girlfriend' after manhunt and Amber Alert as 'kidnapped' kids found safe, Inside Nashville Waffle House shooter Travis Reinking deadly restaurant rampage that killed 4 after GUILTY verdict. 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