1983 turned out to be a very cruel year for the Downs family as Diane Downs shocked the world by brutally shooting her own blood. The murder case not only received widespread coverage but also earned her the name, “The Mommy Murderess”. 

“The Mommy Murderess” Diane Downs

Diane Downs was happily married to Steve Downs. Their marriage story consisted of a typical love story: the duo loved each other the despised the woman’s household. Her lover was Steve Downs, and they would soon run away to get married.

The marriage occurred on 13th November 1973. Their marriage would continue for years and would spawn three children: Christie Downs, Cheryl and Stephen. 

The marriage started brewing trouble when Steve Downs turned out to be a player and had financial problems. The mother, Diane Downs also used to disappear for hours at a time with her children, much to the dismay of her husband. 

These troubles would eventually lead them parting ways and would end up on the fateful night of the murders. 

Diane Downs shocked the world by shooting her three children in the back of her car.

Who is Diane Downs?

Full name Elizabeth Diane Frederickson Downs, she is a convicted murderer of American descent. She was charged and then later convicted of shooting her three children. Even though she intended to kill all three, one child died as a result. 

She would tell the police that she was the victim of a carjack. In order to prove her claim, she would also shoot herself to convince the authorities. 

Her conviction was carried out in 1984, and she would then be sentenced to prison for life. 

In 1987, she would briefly escape her capture but would then be recaptured by the authorities. She has been denied parole three times: one in December of 2008, December of 2010 and then in 2021.

Her story has been adopted in a book by Ann Rule. She has also been a topic of a movie called Small Sacrifices. 

Diane Down’s Early Life

Known as Elizabeth Diane at the time, she lived in Phoenix, Arizona and went to school over there at Moon Valley High School. She would complete her school education and then would move on to Pacific Coast Baptist Bible College. 

When she was in Moon Valley High School, she would meet plenty of boys out of which Steve Downs would be of considered lucky. He would find Elizabeth Diane a beauty and they both would soon start a relationship that would last until they finish school.

This blossoming of a relationship would end here as they both would part ways and move on to other endeavors in life. As was common in the 70’s, their relationship was considered a high-school fling. 

Personal Life

She was born to Wes and Willadene Frederickson on 7th August, 1955. It is also to note that she has confessed to molestation from her father when she was just a child. 

Diane Downs was also employed by the United States Postal Service. She would be assigned routes for mail-in in Cottage Grove, Oregon. Her job would be eliminated in 1983 when she would be arrested and put to trial. 

How Was She As a Parent?

Later by the accounts of close acquaintances, friends, neighbors and others in close proximity of the Downs along with her surviving daughter Christie’s testimony, Diane Downs was an unfit parent by every account. 

She would put everything before her children, quite contrary to the definition of a mother. She was also cruel to her daughter, Cheryl. This was known later when Cheryl told a neighbor of her grandparents that she was afraid of her mother. This happened shortly before her death. 

Parting of Ways with Steve Downs

Steve Downs would go on to join the navy at the time whereas Elizabeth would go on to join the Baptist school. 

Elizabeth Diane would turn out to be a misfit for the institute soon enough, and she would find discrepancies adhering to the strict rules, regulations and religious values required by the Baptist Bible College. 

Due to her falling short of the pre-requirements, the school would dismiss her and she would then return to her parent’s household in Phoenix, Arizona. 

Steve Downs in the meantime would go to the navy. He would also return to Phoenix, Arizona and it would be then he would meet again Elizabeth Diane. This would reignite their relationship and the couple would soon find they were meant for each other. 

They would proceed to move things to the next phase.

The Marriage That Wasn’t Meant To Be

The marriage would be held on 13th November 1973.

Elizabeth’s parents disapproved of Steve Downs, citing concerns regarding the person himself along with his financial conditions. Elizabeth would disagree and this would lead her to run away in order to marry the guy of her dreams. 

As if their different pathways only blew more air into the fire, they would find themselves eagerly in love. Perhaps their age was to blame, as Elizabeth Diane, now turned Diane Downs was only 18 at the time.

The marriage would result in 3 children. Although they started to have problems, they still moved ahead, like every other normal married couple. 

Until the normal turned abnormal. 

Marriage problems

The marriage was fated to end. 

Confirming Diane’s parents’ objections, Steve Downs turned out to be a player and also had financial problems. Perhaps he wasn’t close to his children, as well.

By the time of the third child’s birth, he would also start to blame his wife for illegitimacy. He would strongly suspect the third child wasn’t his. 

Also, Diane Downs would disappear for a prolonged period of time with her three children. It would later be found out that she dropped the children at her parents’ and would go on to look for other men. 

As the couple started having irreconcilable differences, they would start considering divorce. They would then divorce in 1980, a year after their alleged son, Stephen “Danny” Downs was born. 

The Fateful Murder That Would Shock The World

The fateful day was 19th March 1983.

Diane Downs shot her three children in her car. Her firstborn daughter, Christie Ann was born in 1974, her second-born daughter, Cheryl Lynn was born in 1976, and her third son, Stephen Daniel was born in 1979.

Diane Downs drove her car, which was blood-spattered, to Mckenzie-Willamette Hospital. 

Upon arrival, Cheryl was already dead but strangely, Diane herself was blood-free apart from being shot in the forearm. Her car was also blood-spattered. Diane claimed she was the victim of a carjack by a stranger. 

This stranger approached her on a road near Springfield, Oregon and shot her children and her. This claim created suspicion as investigators were alarmed by Diane’s demeanor after witnessing such a horrific event. 

Suspicions Kept on Rising

Investigators were alarmed again when Diane Downs went to meet her second daughter, Christie. Christie suffered a stroke and was paralyzed half-down, but as soon as she laid eyes on the mother, her heart rate jumped dramatically with visible fear over her eyes. 

Investigators also discovered later that Diane Downs called Robert Knickerbocker after arriving at the hospital. Robert himself was a married man and former colleague in Arizona. It was discovered both were having an affair. 

Irregularities in Evidence vs Diane Downs’ Story

With increasing time, evidence also left Diane Downs’ side. There were many discrepancies in Diane’s story and the found evidence. For example, there was no blood evidence found on the driver’s side, which was occupied by Diane and nor was there any gunpowder residue. 

Diane Downs also owned a .22 caliber handgun. Both her husband Steve Downs and Knickerbocker, her lover, confessed that she had one. 

Also, her lover expressed relief and suspicions that Diane Down used to stalk him and would have also killed his wife. He was relieved that she was out of town as he had the opportunity to reconcile with his wife. 

The handgun was never found, but it was found out later on that the gun itself was bought in Arizona. They linked the gun ownership to unfired casings in her home with markings from the same gun. 

Diane Downs also claimed that she drove to the hospital at a very high speed after the shooting. But witnesses saw the car being driven at an estimated speed of five to seven mph, pretty slow. 

The Arrest of Diane Downs

Based on all of the discrepancies in the said story by Diane Downs and the reporting findings by the investigation team, they found a story that was quite opposite to that of the defendant. 

The trial resulted in Diane Downs’ arrest just nine months after the event. The arrest is dated 28th February 1984. 

Diane Downs was charged with murder, two counts of attempted murder and criminal assault. She is in jail to date and has been denied parole, thrice. 

The Divorce and Parting of Ways

The marriage had its difficulties as Steve did indeed turn out to be a player. He also turned out to be careless and irresponsible and the couple often had disagreements when it came to their financial side of things. 

Also, a rising point in their conflict would be infidelity. 

Their marriage lasted for seven years and it is said their third child was accused to be from someone other than the father. Steve Downs believed the child named Stephen was from an extramarital affair with another colleague. 

There were also other reasons such as Elizabeth getting pregnant without Steve’s consent of Steve, the unusual behavior of the wife such as disappearance for longer periods of time also added fuel to the fire. 

Steve found out for sure that the child wasn’t his, which made him leave the marriage.

The Aftermath of the Incident

After the horrific ordeal, Steve Down’s surviving blood had undergone an experience no children should go under. The lead prosecutor of the case, Fred Hugi and his wife adopted Christie and Danny. 

The incident and the trial brought forth the fact that Steve Downs was not a great fit as a father for the children. As Christie was also the prime witness in the case, the authorities also believed after the ordeal the father was unfit for the task.

The Role of the Downs Family After

The role of the ex-husband Steve Downs, even when he was married was negligible. 

Neither did he appear on TV for any comment, nor did he make any later on in the trial or after. He has kept himself far away from Diane Downs in prison and after marriage. 

Even after the fatal accident, he didn’t meet with his family. He has kept his personal information private, and the media doesn’t know

It is still not public where Steve currently resides or where his relationship lies. 

Steve Downs has hardly been a part of his family’s life after the fatal incident. Even after 1983, he didn’t do anything of importance that would place him in the media. Although the information is limited, after discovering Danny wasn’t his biological child, he parted ways with his wife. 

As a result, he isn’t in contact with any of his children. Whether as a part of his past trauma or escaping responsibilities, it is unknown.