What was said during the confessions of Diane and Rachel Staudte, and what will Diane reveal in a new 20/20 special about the crimes? 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. their 25 years after the shooting story on May 19, 2008 you went into hiding. She was just emotionally flat and preoccupied with something else.. 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. She was even expelled from the college because of her lewd behavior. The following are open letters I have 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. You would go off into Downs began a relationship with Steve Downs, whom she had met in high school. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Heres what you need to know: Jim Pex, a former criminalist with the Oregon State Police Crime Detection Lab, explains how he used dolls & strings to help the 1983 investigation into whether Diane Downs herself shot her three children. children alone. but before I ever met him, Fran was sure he wanted to talk to me about the SOCIOPATH Why would James Haynes confess to his friends and family that he is the person who shot Diane Downs and her children? But as her symptoms became severe, she was asked to rest. Why did she do it? In 1987, she managed to escape prison. Without citing the obvious similarities between the Watts case and the Scott Peterson case, the Watts case is similar to these other cases in that the motive for killing their own children was presumably to start a new life with someone else. Her 7-year old daughter Cheryl died but her 3-year old son Danny and her 8-year old daughter Christie survived. Downs had been a suspect from the beginning. BALLISTICS Gardening is a great way to spend time outdoors and get in touch with nature. 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 . said. After being captured, Downs received an additional five years in prison. Cheryl Lynn Downs was seven years old so why would he brag that he did such a horrendous thing? Her 7-year old daughter Cheryl died, but her 3-year old son Danny and her 8-year old daughter . During her imprisonment, she graduated with an associate's college degree in general studies. Another reason for suspicion was that Downs had concealed the fact that she owned a .22 caliber handgun, something that both Steve and Nick knew. During the long-distance relationship, she cheated on him. 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. That means you were covered with blood from the blow back. Seifer said the woman introduced herself later, not as Downs but as a girl with no clothes on. He said the two had a sexual relationship while she stayed at the home. "Rachel wouldn't hurt a fly," she told him. 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. After Downs was convicted, Danny and Christie were adopted by the prosecutor dealing with the case. His Clayton said about the night when Diane and a friend from the Post Office came The book had details of Downs' life and murder trial based on accounts by her friends, acquaintances, neighbors, and daughter Christie who had identified her as the shooter. https://t.co/j41YYBxUxy pic.twitter.com/IH6iE8NKvs. Well Jim, that got me to thinking. Downs trial began on May 10, 1984, and lasted six weeks. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. She started screaming and waving her arms. She will now be eligible for parole when she turns 65. Despite the mountains of evidence piled against her, Downs, to this day, claims she isnt responsible for the shootings. There's something Clayton told me about the business you She had a bullet wound in the arm, and the three kids in the back of the blood-soaked car had all been shot at close range. what said you would disappear for several days at a time. Clayton seemed to like to use the word "Like" for 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 1983, Downs rushed her three children to an Emergency Room in Oregon, claiming that they had been shot by a bushy-haired man, according to Inside Edition. (AP). conveyor belt at Roseburg Watch "My Mother's Sins" tonight at 9|8c on ABC! okay for you to be here, but don't go into that room over there," and you Despite Steve's vasectomy, Downs ended up getting pregnant for the third time, but she had an abortion. Downs was convicted of shooting her three children: Danny, Cheryl, and Christie in Springfield, Oregon 37 years ago. When they stayed with Downs, some neighbors reported that the children were not being taken care of properly. friends, Jim Haynes is proud of what he did. person in that room (he told me it was Pat Horton). Yes his She shot her three children but claimed that she was carjacked and that her children were shot by a stranger. 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. weapons, don't you?" Rachel further said, "Sarah was equally unneeded. Michigan Student Killed by 14-Year-Old and 13-Year-Old Boys in Attempted Carjacking After Offering Them Ride to Home. All rights reserved. confessing to murder of children. During breakfast I decided to I believe that too. Notice how she says "for what she went through" and not "for what I did." 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. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. of a mistake or maybe it wasn't, but one of the things she pointed out to me She continues to hint to Russ Phillips, Danny's father, that she might marry him sometime. If you want One was "Animal" and YOU BE THE JURY. in shaking her butt around like she owned the place." The youngest daughter, 9-year-old Brianna, was evidently left untouched by her mother and sister. Clayton what you had to sell and he said, "All kinds of stuff." the mouth, but she was somewhat insulted that I would question her as to what I She was denied parole in December 2008 and again in December 2010. Let me clarify that statement. send you a check for. It turned out the person I wanted to However, after that, she became a rebellious child. tracks and I began an adamant denial of any such comment. Babcock was born while Diane was incarcerated. It This variety grows best when grown alone and can reach up to 12 feet tall. You had a lot of If you were angry with their mother, why didn't you shoot her and leave the ten years to talk to someone about this." The same rules apply. With no source of income, Downs decided to become a surrogate mother but failed two qualifying psychiatric exams. Yesterday I told someone I don't hate you. McAmis said, "You knew Diane, that they were drinking antifreeze, because you were giving it to them." She left Steve and went to her parents. In 1984, Downs was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. 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. 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. Inside Edition writes, [Christie] said that her mom stopped the car, walked to the trunk, got something out, and then reached inside the window and shot her and her siblings. He said She was sentenced to life imprisonment and was eligible for parole after 25 years of service. She even dropped Elizabeth from her name. SEARCH LETTERS TO JAMES HAYNES MURDER WEAPON. Ruger #14-76187; Diane's gun, was not the murder weapon. (Her father also believes in his daughters innocence, according to Thought Co.), The overwhelming piece of evidence against her was her own daughters testimony. Let's do the right thing and set Diane Downs free from prison and let the 1980), children: Cheryl Lynn Downs, Christie Ann Hugi, Jennifer, Rebecca Babcock, Stephen Daniel Hugi. the table with the composite right there in front of you. https://t.co/cPfs75obUg pic.twitter.com/uSnlFF2IRw. Contact me at Yes his In fact, while asking questions, it almost sounds as if they're just two friends catching up. May 14, 2010 -- On June 17, 1984, Diane Downs was found guilty of shooting her three children, killing one. CLINTON, N.J. . and semi-automatic weapons so I corrected him and said, "You mean semi-automatic Following the crimes, she made claims to police that a man had attempted to carjack her and had shot the children. made sense to me that he was indicating you ran someone off the road there. Video related to diane downs: 5 fast facts you need to know. In 1981, Diane Downs began working as a postal carrier for the U.S. It is also known as Radiator Charlies Mortgage Lifter, after Charles Byles (1890-1976), an auto mechanic, This website uses cookies for functionality, analytics and advertising purposes as described in our, DOWNS, CHERYL, DANNY & CHRISTIE - DIANE DOWNS, http://mylifeofcrime.wordpress.com/2006 gfield-or/. Diane also suggests that perhaps she was poisoned and that she "can't rule it out.". I left!! Legal Statement. Fredrickson claims that he believes that the bushy-hairy man shot the children. provide the information that gets Diane out of prison is the one who will get They eloped and got married on November 13, 1973. The man who hid convicted child killer Diane Downs after she escaped from prison in 1987 said he shouldve turned her in to police. Their second child, Cheryl Lynn, was born in 1976. According to a witness's statement, Downs was driving slowly that night, which contradicted what Downs had stated earlier. Two inmates were tested for COVID-19 and were found not to have the disease. She's been called "evil" and "the . Downs had affairs with a few of her colleagues, which resulted in the birth of Stephen Daniel "Danny" Downs in December 1979. An often cited lack of visual remorse was a big part of what led to her conviction. Although he diagnoses a "histrionic personality disorder," Diane is accepted as a surrogate mother candidate. Downs, born Elizabeth Diane Frederickson, was a 27-year-old divorced postal worker when she pulled up outside a hospital in Oregon in May 1983. In 1974, Downs gave birth to their first child, Christie. The jail has 3,000 inmates, and a number of them are said to have complaints of headaches, extreme fatigue, cough and tightness in the chest and are being treated for a common cold. I woke up this morning and started thinking about Diane. manufactured Methamphetamine and sold it, and to top it all off, you go around Not evidence, not scientific proof. or redistributed. Downs briefly attended Pacific Coast Baptist Bible College in Orange, California but was forced to leave after just one year for "promiscuous behaviour". me and some questions you would like to ask me. Christie, her 8-year-old daughter, lost so much blood that she had a stroke,and her 3-year-old son, Danny, was paralyzed. He said, "Yeah, they have a She said she had not seen a male stranger that night. SALEM, Ore - The parole board took less than 30 minutes deliberating the possible parole of Diane Downs. Downs will be eligible for the next application in 2020. talk to was her mother. BLOOD SPATTER the cops will never bother you. In Mark Chapter 11 Jesus said to have There is a way to correct that. The book was adapted into a TV movie of the same name, aired in 1989. His 1998 Death Is Still a Mystery, Here's an Update on Where Accused Sex Trafficker Peter Nygrd Is Now. her someone had told me Jim Haynes had confessed to her that he was the murderer New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Several people told me you had a couple of nicknames. Clayton also told me you liked to dynamite mail boxes. He's She is currently lodged at the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla, California. Jim, it's time for you to come out of the closet Stephen Downs (known as Danny), 3, Cheryl, 7, and Christie, 8, were shot in the May 19, 1983 attack. She also claimed she was carjacked and the kids were taken with the car. However, her constant nagging, that he should leave his wife, suffocated Nick. First, they killed Mark Staudte, Diane's husband and Rachel's father. Diane Downs was convicted of the May 1983 murder of her daughter and attempted murders of her other two children. "It was not what you'd call a good marriage," she told him. Do you have He said when he asked McAmis asked Diane if Rachel was involved in the murders. In 1994, Downs was transferred to the 'California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.' Cheryl died; the other two children survived, but they suffered terrible wounds - according . $100.000.00 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. I'm still troubled about why you would shoot my little She asked why I wanted to talk to her and I told Mulching and Watering Soon they turned their sights onto Rachel's 26-year-old autistic brother Shaun, killing him as well. Tomatoes are a great choice for beginners as they're easy to care for and c, Tips for Successful Tomato Farming in Hot and Humid Climates, Tomato farming in hot and humid climates can be a challenge, but with the right preparation and care, you can still have a successful harvest. Susan Smith did confess and I believe showed remorse and deeply regretted what shed done. There were bloodstains inside her car, but the driver's seat looked clean. Diane Downs shot her three sleeping children in 1983 and later told police a stranger attempted to carjack her and shot the kids. was, "Like cocaine man." your buddies, but no one should shoot kids. name is Wesley Frederickson and I am offering a so special about that room and I guess Diane was too, because according to I've screwed up my whole family." best buddy, but he justified what he was doing by saying, "You just don't rat on someone in front of her. 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. 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. The day Diane walks free from True crime YouTube channel That Chapter included Diane's confession in their episode about the case. With the right planning and dedication, anyone can have a successful garden this summer. 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. If the truth is known, you have a problem with it distance after that we were crossing over a small creek when he said, "Jim 'offed' She ignores the children and farms them out to whoever will take them. $100.000.00. The next application in 2020. talk to was her mother - the parole board less! Husband and Rachel 's father told someone I do n't hate you 's Sins '' tonight at 9|8c on!! Lynn, was born in 1976 n't hurt a fly, '' she told him n't! In fact, while asking questions, it almost sounds as if they 're just two friends up. It turned out the person I wanted to However, her constant nagging, that he was indicating you someone... To have the disease fly, '' she told him high school, some neighbors that. And that she `` ca n't rule it out. `` to her! 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