Diane Downs
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| Diane Downs | |
|---|---|
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| Born | August 7, 1955 |
| Penalty | Life imprisonment plus 50 years |
| Status | prison |
| Children | Stephen, Cheryl, Christie |
Diane Downs (born Elizabeth Diane Frederickson on August 7, 1955) was convicted[1] June 17, 1984 for the May 19, 1983 shooting of her three children: Stephen Daniel Downs (born December 29, 1979), Cheryl Downs (born January 10, 1976, died May 19, 1983) and Christie Ann Downs (born October 7, 1974).
Downs claimed she was car-jacked on a rural road near Springfield, Oregon by a strange man. The prosecution, however, presented the theory that Downs shot her children to be free of them to continue her affair with a married man ("Lew Lewiston," a pseudonym given by author Ann Rule) who did not want children in his life, strikingly similar to the later case of Susan Smith.
Much of the case against Downs rested on the testimony of surviving daughter Christie Downs (nine years old at the time of the trial), who described how her mother shot all three children while parked at the side of the road, then shot herself in the arm.
Downs was sentenced to the following:
- Murder: Life
- Attempted Murder (two counts): 30 years to life
- Assault in the First Degree: 20 years
Most of the sentence is to be served consecutively. The judge made it clear that he did not wish Downs ever to regain her freedom. (Rule, 446)
Downs escaped from the Oregon Women's Correctional Center on July 11, 1987 and was recaptured in Salem, Oregon on July 21.[1]
The two surviving children, Daniel and Christie, eventually went to live with one of the prosecutors of the case. Both children suffered paralysis as a result of the shooting.
A made for tv movie called Small Sacrifices, starring Farrah Fawcett as Downs, was released in 1989. Author Ann Rule wrote the book Small Sacrifices in 1987 detailing the life of Downs.[2]
Dr. Michael Stone (Abnormalities of Personality Within and Beyond the Realm of Treatment) declared Ms. Downs a "criminal psychopath" in a 2008 episode of the cable television documentary series "Most Evil." A psychopath is a genetically predisposed, narcissistic antisocial who wants what he or she wants, regardless of any cost to others.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Painter, John Jr. The 1980s. The Sunday Oregonian, December 31, 1989.
- ^ Tims, Dana. Murderer’s libel suit dismissed. The Oregonian, January 18, 1988.
- Rule, Ann. Small Sacrifices. New York: Signet, 1987. ISBN-0-451-166660-4
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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2007) |
Stone, Michael: Abnormalities of Personality Within and Beyond the Realm of Treatment, New York: W. W. Norton, 1993.
Millon, Theodore: Personality Guided Therapy, New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1999.
