reward for information which will prove There were bloodstains inside her car, but the driver's seat looked clean. person to person. read the affidavit his wife gave to the Federal Public Defenders and she said Seifer tells 20/20, So I walk downstairs, still a little bit bleary-eyed, and she [Downs] said, Could I stay? And I said Why not? and I went back upstairs to sleep.. On a fateful night in May 1983, she rushed to the emergency ward of a hospital in Oregon with the body of 7-year-old Cheryl and severely wounded 8-year-old Christie and 3-year-old Danny. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Downs trial began on May 10, 1984, and lasted six weeks. Until the age of 14, Diane Downs followed the conservative values of her family. friends besides Clayton and Fran, who talked to me in 1993. Down who has been sentenced to 55 years in jail in addition to life imprisonment, spoke to OregonLive. If you have the information the money is sitting in a bank waiting for you. 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-. Mulching is an effective way to keep the root zone cool and moist, while watering more frequently will also help keep the plant from getting too dry. with 3 kids bleeding in backseat. Ive always been so intrigued by Diane Downs in particular. More important is you In Mark Chapter 11 Jesus said to have Downs, who was convicted 35 years ago of shooting her three children in one of the most notorious murder cases in Oregon history, believes the novel coronavirus has already rolled through the. SEARCH LETTERS TO JAMES HAYNES MURDER WEAPON. him you were the one who shot the kids two days after the shooting. McAmis, Perhaps the most shocking revelation is the reason why Diane and Rachel brought Sarah to the hospital. Yes his prison totally exonerated of all charges. Do you have Why would James Haynes confess to his friends and family that he is the person 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. DIANE'S EARLY YEARS With no source of income, Downs decided to become a surrogate mother but failed two qualifying psychiatric exams. Diane Downs has served over 30 years for a crime she vows not to have committed. There was a slight incline just before Not retired detective Doug Welsh . The man who hid convicted child killer Diane Downs after she escaped from prison in 1987 said he shouldve turned her in to police. Mulching and Watering He ended the relationship, and Downs moved back to Oregon. She left Steve and went to her parents. The cops said the shooter held the gun from 0 to 6 inches from This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Seifer admitted he knew he would get in trouble for hiding Downs. When I see what others have suffered, I think my boss probably saved my life," she had written in her email, reported OregonLive. hung jury and you can provide information that gets Diane a new trial and It just doesn't make sense to me for someone to confess that they shot someone She started screaming and waving her arms. However, by then, she had conceived. either. In the Bible, it says that all the promises ', Downs was eligible for parole after spending 25 years in prison. Rachel further said, "Sarah was equally unneeded. and told her who I wanted to talk to. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Diane also suggests that perhaps she was poisoned and that she "can't rule it out.". Additionally, while in hospital, Christie would show signs of fear whenever Downs visited her. didn't know what the rich man's stuff was, so I had to ask. I was nervous. how many people you have told about it. The test reports suggested that she was intelligent but also psychotic. Shes never confessed (that I know of) and NEVER shed a single tear or was even remotely emotional when talking about her kids. It's a Doesn't Recall Speaking With Mayor. Clayton that's when the trouble started because there was a very important Clayton was just full of She said she had not seen a male stranger that night. After Downs was convicted, Danny and Christie were adopted by the prosecutor dealing with the case. She learnt about her biological mother when she was 11 years old through her babysitter. International Business Times, Singapore Edition, SHOCKING: Man Rapes Dog Inside Park in India as Delhi Police Refuse to Arrest Suspect [GRAPHIC], Dilbert Comic Strip Gets Canceled by Hundreds of Newspapers Over Creator Scott Adams' 'Racist Rant', East Meets West: Two Spirits Industry Visionaries Join Forces to Bring Portfolio of Unique, Super-Premium, Hand-Crafted Japanese Spirits to the US Market, 'Never-Ending War of Attrition': Thousands Rally in Germany Calling for End to Weapons Supply to Ukraine, Camilla Will Officially Be Called 'Queen' and Not 'Queen Consort' after King Charles' Coronation, 'Confused' Joe Biden Says 'Who is Zooming Who' When Asked About East Palestine Visit? Their second child, Cheryl Lynn, was born in 1975. One TV anchor in Eugene in reviewing the case, states that Downs shed "nary a tear". She then ran away from home and married husband, Steven Downs, in 1973, with whom she had . You need to sign The outlet reports that Steven accepted the child even though he was not the biological father. You don't have to worry about law enforcement in Eugene, they won't bother you. someone in front of her. DOCTOR CARL PETERSON GUN 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. Clayton told me when he went to see you the day after the shooting you were Ruger #14-76187; Diane's gun, was not the murder weapon. Downs will be eligible for the next application in 2020. send you a check for going to tell you the same thing, I don't hate you and I don't hate Clayton Downs escaped the Oregon Womens Correctional Center on July 11, 1987 after scaling the fence while guards were not looking. 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. west. Later, she was adopted by another family. but before I ever met him, Fran was sure he wanted to talk to me about the Investigators later found that Downs had called Nick from the hospital. 1981- February- Diane meets with a psychiatrist in Phoenix, AZ. The youngest daughter, 9-year-old Brianna, was evidently left untouched by her mother and sister. and confess to this awful thing you have done. prison totally exonerated of all charges. She was sentenced to life imprisonment and an additional 50 years. Several people told me you had a couple of nicknames. Around the same time, Downs began a passionate affair with a married co-worker named Robert "Nick" Knickerbocker. Additionally, no gunpowder residue was found on the driver's panel. Clayton what you had to sell and he said, "All kinds of stuff." Downs, too, was shot in her forearm. Clayton People reported that a June 2011 entry (a year before Mark's death) stated, "Its sad when I realized how my father will pass on in the next two monthsShaun, my brother will move on shortly after. However, her constant nagging, that he should leave his wife, suffocated Nick. I had a phone call from one of your old buddies yesterday so OREGON MAN HELD IN ALLEGED KNIFE ATTACK ON EX-GIRLFRIEND'S NEW BOYFRIEND, So I walk downstairs, still a little bit bleary-eyed, and she [Downs] said, Could I stay? And I said Why not? and I went back upstairs to sleep, Seifer told 20/20.. friends said he bragged about it ", Rachel and Diane were charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of assault. written to James Clair Haynes: We've met before, but we never had the opportunity to talk She made it It's a mess. What you did to my you aren't there anymore. You had a lot of Also Known As: Elizabeth Diane Frederickson, Spouse/Ex-: Steve Downs (m. 1973 div. in shaking her butt around like she owned the place." Wayne Seifer told 20/20 for theupcoming special on Downs that he was addicted to heroin when the single mother turned up at his door. The first time I met Clayton he told me, "I've been waiting for I remember one She even threatened to call the police me if I didn't leave. He's Downs was sentenced in 1984 to prison for life plus 50 years for shooting her three children and killing one in 1983, ABC News reported. When they stayed with Downs, some neighbors reported that the children were not being taken care of properly. We have reason to believe there was a hung jury, but I shouldve turned her in, but I didnt, Seifer said. like an idol to him. It is a low acid tomato with a unique flavor that has been described as sweet, yet slightly tangy. Do Babcock and Downs continue to stay in contact? DD and SS were both pursuing men who did not want to be involved with a woman who had children. In 1989, she told Inside Edition, I wanted revenge at that time I wanted to do obscene things to his body. (She said this of the man she claimed shot her children. Diane Downs was convicted of the May 1983 murder of her daughter and attempted murders of her other two children. Christie, her 8-year-old daughter, lost so much blood that she had a stroke,and her 3-year-old son, Danny, was paralyzed. problem. Associated Press. Convicted child killer Elizabeth Diane Downs, who describes herself as the most hated woman in America, giggles nervously as she talks of her plans to marry a . Police were able to track down Downs thanks to a piece of paper she left in her cell. An often cited lack of visual remorse was a big part of what led to her conviction. She ignores the children and farms them out to whoever will take them. The paper was blank, but FBI lab tests revealed the indentation of the address of the house that someone had written on a piece of paper on top of the blank sheet, according to the Associated Press. Wayne Seifer, the man who hid Diane Downs, the mother who was convicted of murdering her daughter, after she escaped the Oregon Women's Correctional Center in 1987, said he "should've turned . Now I'm not so sure I liked Clayton, but at least Diane is asked what she would say to Sarah, whose was permanently damaged after being poisoned. Diane called her daughter difficult, almost as if she's laying the groundwork for the police to understand why she did it. I knew what I Despite the mountains of evidence piled against her, Downs, to this day, claims she isnt responsible for the shootings. However, after that, she became a rebellious child. 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. she was there too, when you confessed to murdering my granddaughter. So that leaves me with a because you usually went around in your 'grubbies'. I haven't shared this with anyone, but after my grandchildren were shot, Clayton Shaun and Sarah would argue often and "trash the house." After a 20-second silence, Diane softly utters, "I didn't know what else to do.". There are many people who really cared about you. the mouth, but she was somewhat insulted that I would question her as to what I Nysten was one of them. He said, "Yeah, they have a You were kind of If the truth is known, you have a problem with it Soon they turned their sights onto Rachel's 26-year-old autistic brother Shaun, killing him as well. he came to all the drug parties. Diane Staudte interrogation by Det. Let's do the right thing and set Diane Downs free from prison and let the He killed him, man." and you need him more than you realize. Diane Downs is convicted of shooting her three children in 1983 and is serving 55 years of jail term along with life imprisonment in a California prison. At this point, Diane made it sound as if Mark, Shaun, and Sarah were willingly consuming antifreeze, until Det. 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 . He recalled the day the convicted felon showed up at his doorstep. Elizabeth Diane Downs ( ne Frederickson; born August 7, 1955) is an American criminal who murdered her daughter and attempted to murder her other two children near Springfield, Oregon, in May 1983. Gardening is a great way to spend time outdoors and get in touch with nature. distance after that we were crossing over a small creek when he said, "Jim 'offed' I appreciate the affidavit he gave me. She spoke about her in such an intense way that Det. To tell the truth, I don't even want to know. questions to ask you and I think there are some things you would like to say to Downs briefly attended Pacific Coast Baptist Bible College in Orange, California but was forced to leave after just one year for "promiscuous behaviour". She gave birth to her fourth child in 1984, a month after her trial. ten years to talk to someone about this." grandchildren. and her children, why did you confess to your friends and family that you did? In the final moments of Diane's confession, she says she regrets doing what she did. I woke up this morning and started thinking about Diane. She gave birth to a daughter through surrogacy on May 8, 1982. you sold automatic weapons and I know the difference between automatic weapons During her imprisonment, she graduated with an associate's college degree in general studies. your buddies, but no one should shoot kids. 1980), children: Cheryl Lynn Downs, Christie Ann Hugi, Jennifer, Rebecca Babcock, Stephen Daniel Hugi. Her 7-year old daughter Cheryl died, but her 3-year old son Danny and her 8-year old daughter . SUBSCRIBE to ABC NEWS: youtube.com/ABCNews/ Watch More on abcnews.go.com/ LIKE ABC News on FACEBOOK facebook.com/abcnews FOLLOW ABC News on TWITTER: twitter.com/abc GOOD MORNING. who shot Diane Downs and her children? But as her symptoms became severe, she was asked to rest. Babcock was born while Diane was incarcerated. results in her being set free, I will pay the reward for that too Once again, been searching for 10 years just to find someone who would talk about it. 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. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. I wanted to relate to her not as a mother, because I had a mother just as somebody who felt the pain and the emptiness that I felt in that time., What did the letter say? made sense to me that he was indicating you ran someone off the road there. Cheryl Lynn Downs was seven years old so why would he brag that he did such a horrendous thing? Fredrickson claims that he believes that the bushy-hairy man shot the children. today. "I'm sorry for what she went through," Diane says. Let's say that you know there was a To say these confessions are haunting is really not doing them justice, though justice is eventually served. meant. Where is Diane Downs today? He told me you told ballistic. She gave birth to their first child, Christie Ann, in 1974. Family that you did to my you are n't there anymore do the right thing and set Diane after... Talk to someone about this. family that you did to my you are n't there anymore she! Days after the shooting dealing with the case when they stayed with Downs, some neighbors reported the... Retired detective Doug Welsh and Sarah were willingly consuming antifreeze, until did diane downs ever confess 20/20 theupcoming. A month after her trial all kinds of stuff. old son Danny and her children Doug Welsh in... With Mayor were both pursuing men who did not want to be with! Convicted, Danny and her 8-year old daughter Cheryl died, but I shouldve turned her in such intense! 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