Late one May night in 1983, Diane Downs sped into an emergency room dropoff in Springfield, Ore., with a horrifying story to tell. Elizabeth Diane Frederickson Downs (born August 7, 1955) is an American woman who was convicted of the murder of her daughter and the attempted murder of her other two children in May 1983. On the witness stand, the young girl was asked if she remembered who shot her. She was given a life sentence plus 50 years. The original eight-week two-hour programming lineup has … Downs had only been living in Oregon for six weeks when it seems she just snapped. On July 21, she was recaptured less than half a mile away from the prison at a house with a group of men. When questioned by police, Knickerbocker admitted to the affair and said that each time he'd tried to break off his relationship with Downs, she'd become violent. 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The Downs incident occurred on May 19, 1983, when the 27-year-old mother insisted that she and her three children had been shot by a stranger on a deserted road in Springfield, Oregon. Just before 11 P.M., Diane Downs reportedly pulled her blood-soaked car up to the door of McKenzie-Willamette Hospital and screamed, “Somebody just shot my kids!” SPRINGFIELD, OR — Before Charles Stuart in 1989, and before Susan Smith in 1994, Diane Downs made national headlines by claiming that an unknown assailant had violently attacked her and her family, causing outrage and … (16 Oct 2008). View production, box office, & company info. On the night of May 19, 1983, Downs was driving with her three children. Directed by John Mavety. Shatterdaymorn. In her book Heart Full of Lies, Rule took so many liberties with the facts that Liysa Northon sued her. I wrote those words down because they were MIND BOGGLING. Her father, to this day, believes in his daughter's innocence. In a two-hour 20/20 documentary, Babcock opens up … … Downs was denied parole in 2008 and 2010. Emilie Gifford She was convicted in 1984 and sentenced to life in prison plus fifty years. With Jane Edwina Seymour, Janis Amatuzio, John Stark Bellamy II, Michael Bennett. Downs then fell in love with a married coworker named Robert Knickerbocker, who continuously promised Diane he’d be with her and always reneged. Just before 11 P.M., Diane Downs reportedly pulled her blood-soaked car up to the door of McKenzie-Willamette Hospital and screamed, “Somebody just shot my kids!”, Photo by: Diane Downs [Wikimedia Commons]. Deadly Woman looks at cases of women driven by obsessive love including Diane Downs shot her three children to win over a lover who didn't want children, Martha Wise poisoned three and crippled many others with poison, and the lesbian couple Valerie Parashumti and Jessica Stasinowsky drugged and strangled their 16-year-old roommate to death. Diane Downs said something very profound. She was later adopted by another family. The only living witness to the crime was Christie, whose stroke impaired her speech and made her unable to speak to police. On June 20, 2001, mother of five Andrea Yates drowned her children, who ranged in age from six months to seven years, in the bathtub at her home in Houston, Texas. Deadly Woman looks at cases of women driven by obsessive love including Diane Downs shot her three children to win over a lover who didn't want children, Martha Wise poisoned three and crippled many others with poison, and the lesbian couple Valerie Parashumti and Jessica Stasinowsky drugged and strangled their 16-year-old roommate to death. Read more: ABC News, ABC News (2), Salem News, Salem News (2), Oregon Live, The Washington Post, Murderpedia, Find Law. Just before 11 P.M., Downs pulled her blood-soaked car up to the door of McKenzie-Willamette Hospital and screamed, “Somebody just shot my kids!” Cheryl, seven; lay dead in the front seat, and Christie, eight; and Danny, three; were sprawled in the back seat, clinging to life. Deadly Woman looks at cases of women driven by obsessive love including Diane Downs shot her three children to win over a lover who didn't want children, Martha Wise poisoned three and crippled many others with poison, and the lesbian couple Valerie Parashumti and Jessica … When Downs expressed disbelief at the man’s request, she said he started shooting through the window at her three children. The marriage was rocky almost from the start, but she became pregnant quickly and had her first child, Christie, in October 1974. Her second parole hearing was denied in 2010, and hopefully she will die in prison. In December 1979, she gave birth to her son Danny. Christie said that her mother had pulled the car over on the dark, isolated road, retrieved something from the trunk of the car, and started shooting at her and her siblings. Steve knew that Diane had multiple affairs, and that Danny was not his biological son, and he and Diane divorced in 1980. Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Includes an interview with daughter, Becky. Jennifer and Sarah Hart were regarded by all who knew them as caring and devoted parents who had adopted two sets of three Black siblings and dedicated their lives to raising the six children in a socially conscious atmosphere that focused on love and acceptance. © 2020 Discovery or its subsidiaries and affiliates. Diane Downs followed the nurses into the trauma room without tears, but rather a shocked look on her face. For Downs, this was the last straw in a series of culminating disappointments in her life. That's insane to think that I would do such a thing and then bring the witnesses in against myself — that's crazy.". Her next parole hearing will be in 2020. Prosecutors argued that Downs wanted to kill her children so she could be free to continue her affair with Robert Knickerbocker, who had been adamant that he did not want children. It was in Mesa that Diane had an affair with a coworker and became pregnant yet again. Steve also told police that Diane was still obsessed with her ex-lover Robert Knickerbocker, who had eventually put an end to their torrid love affair. Downs herself had been shot in the left forearm. In reality, the whole case turned out to be no small sacrifice for Diane Downs, but it was a huge victory for the State, the media and a very lucrative deal for the Queen of crime fiction herself; Ann Rule. This FAQ is empty. Later that year, Downs was transferred to a maximum-security prison in New Jersey, where authorities believed she would be less likely to escape because she knew no one there and would have no place to run. Deadly Woman looks at cases of women driven by obsessive love including Diane Downs shot her three children to win over a lover who didn't want children, Martha Wise poisoned three and ... 0 of 0 people found this review helpful. This documentary relates the tales of four female killers, one you might have heard of. 2019-06-21T20:50:46-04:00. Evidence continued to pile up against Diane Downs. The documentary on Diane Downs is part of “20/20” two-hour documentary programming featuring brand-new interviews with key players in some of the biggest newsmaker stories in recent American history. Although the .22 used in the shootings was never found, police found unfired bullets in Downs’ home that had the same extractor marks as bullet casings found at the crime scene. Title: Was this review helpful to you? Check out some of the IMDb editors' favorites movies and shows to round out your Watchlist. AJ was reportedly “buried in a shallow grave, wrapped in plastic”; cops say the parents cracked and directed them to the body. Postal Service to be closer to her parents. 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. SPRINGFIELD, OR — Before Charles Stuart in 1989, and before Susan Smith in 1994, Diane Downs made national headlines by claiming that an unknown assailant had violently attacked her and her family, causing outrage and making national headlines. According to Downs, they had visited a friend in the nearby town of Marcola and were driving back to Springfield along a lonely stretch of highway. The Diane Downs Story: 1983 Murder Case Focuses on Mom In 1983, Diane Downs said stranger shot her 3 kids. Heather Langdon’s sister Teresa says she just saw Heather last weekend, and that her sister “seemed normal.”. Fatal Attraction Despite the arrival of two daughters, Diane and Steve’s marriage was unstable, and Diane would often take the kids and leave their home, but would always eventually return home to Steve. Downs said that she then faked throwing her keys out of the car into some bushes, pushed the gunman away, and got back into her car and drove as fast as she could to the hospital with her gravely injured children. For more on this case, watch the "Fatal Attraction" episode of Investigation Discovery's Deadly Women on ID GO now! 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The couple married in November 1973, when Diane was only 18 years old. The horrific crime, which Downs has always denied committing, is the subject of a 20/20 documentary that is airing on June 21, 2019 in an encore presentation. Downs tried to defend herself against the allegations and said, "Why would I have taken my kids to the hospital? Christie’s response: “My mom.”. He operates a webpage on which he is offering $100,000 to On June 17, 1984, a jury found Diane Downs guilty of murder and attempted murder. lesbian lovers Jessica Stasinowsky and Valerie Parashumti, as foreplay, we are told.Because of the historical nature of the Wise case, we see only reconstructions, but real live witnesses for Downs including the aforementioned doctor, a detective, and a forensic pathologist, with the usual mindless mumblings by resident psychobabbler Candice Delong. From "Veronica Mars" to Rebecca take a look back at the career of Armie Hammer on and off the screen. Her eyes fell from one child to the other as she hovered behind the doctors and nurses. Police interviewed Steve Downs about his ex-wife and discovered that she owned a .22 caliber gun like the one used in the shootings.

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