Diane Downs shot her 3 children and killed one, all because the man she was having an affair with a man who didn’t want kids and therefore she saw them as a burden.
Prior to the crimes
Diane grew up in a strict religious household in which she claims that she was molested by her father. These comments were never proven but it would certainly explain her later troubles in relationships with men. She met her highschool sweetheart Stephen Downs however the relationship moved to long distance when Stephen took a job with the navy. Unfortunately Diane was unable to stay loyal and had multiple affairs during this time. She was also kicked out of college for promiscuous behavior. Throughout their relationship and subsequent marriage Diane continued having affairs which led to lots of friction and arguments.
After two children Stephen had a vasectomy however Diane wanted him to have it reversed as she wanted another child. In an interview Diane talks about finding a ‘suitable donor’ at her place of work and then seducing him. She became pregnant after ‘one time’ and talks about how ‘it was very clinical’, the way in which she got pregnant. Of course this led to more arguments with Stephen as he suspected the child was not his due to his recent vasectomy. As stated by Diane, Stephen was angry as he had not had a boy yet and was even more angry when he found out the baby conceived with another man was a boy. Eventually after being unable to move past their differences Diane and Stephen got divorced in 1980, Diane was 25 years old at the time.
Following the divorce Diane entered into an affair with a married man named Robert Knickerbocker. Diane kept begging Robert to leave his wife and wrote letter after letter outlining her feelings towards him. Robert eventually ended the affair due to the fact that she kept asking him to leave his wife. He also stated that he wasn’t looking to become a father and didn’t want to take care of children. She then believed that she was being stopped from being with Robert due to her children, beginning to see them as a burden. Diane sent constant letters to Robert however they were all returned to her without being opened. Eventually Diane had grown fed up with the fact that Robert didnt want to be part of her life and decided the only way she could be with him is if she got rid of the kids.
Diane's Account of Her Relationship With Stephen Down.
In one interview Diane outright states ‘my husband was a bastard’ and that he was ‘mentally abusive’. It seems this only fueled her anger toward men as she also said ‘I hated men with a passion’. Talking more about her marriage she recalls an incident where ‘Steve pointed an empty gun at my head and pulled the trigger to get me to marry him’. She also talks about feeling ‘trapped’ within the marriage. Diane even goes so far as to say she thought about taking her own life during the marriage. All of this evidence provided by Diane seems to suggest that the toxic marriage was the fault of Stephen Downs however we do not know exactly what went on so as much as this could be true it could also be untrue. I think it is important to hear what Diane’s take on the relationship was. Stephen had a different take stating ‘this was a woman that really got around’. He also said ‘she treated them like crap’ when speaking on her treatment of the children.
The Shooting
Diane drove her three children down Old Mohawk Road under the cover of darkness and whilst the children slept. She then pulled over before shooting her 3 children and then shooting herself in the forearm. The reason she shot herself in the forearm was because she had created a story of a carjacking gone wrong. She claimed that a ‘bushy haired man’ had waved down the car before ordering Diane out and shooting her children. It was when she fought back that she got shot and was able to drive away with her children. The police however found no evidence to prove this story. After shooting her children Diane claimed she rushed to hospital, although a few witnesses saw her driving at no more than 5 mph.
Upon arriving at the hospital Cheryl was pronounced dead. Danny and Christie survived their injuries however Danny was left paralyzed from the waist down and Christie suffered a disabling stroke. As Diane had been shot in her forearm the injury was not life threatening. In a later interview she attempts to gain sympathy for her injuries stating she has to live with this scar for the rest of her life, it's hard to see how this was her priority. When speaking with Doctors at the hospital it is claimed she showed no emotion and stated ‘boy this has really spoiled my vacation’. It is difficult to see how a mother who had just lost a child and had two seriously injured children would be able to remain ‘calm’, which was how she was described by one of the doctors.
Police originally believed Diane’s story, however as time went on her story became less and less believable. Firstly police were suspicious of Diane’s calm and relaxed demeanor. An example of this can be seen in a reenactment video done for the police just 4 days after her child's death where she is seen laughing and joking with officers appearing very relaxed. While I am in no position to judge a person's reaction to such a horrifying event it is hard to understand how a mother who cared for her children could be so relaxed. Police also found no forensic evidence to suggest a third party was present and responsible for the murders. The most damning evidence was that of her surviving child Christie who displayed signs of fear whenever her mother entered the room. Eventually Christie had recovered enough to be questioned by police. When asked who shot you Christie clearly stated ‘my mom’. Given the mounting evidence Diane was arrested on the 28th of February 1984, 9 months after the shooting.
Diane's Account
Diane describes the memories as ‘very hard and tearful’. However when she states this there is no emotion on her face and she remains at a level tone. ‘Had to remember as much as I could’, Diane talks about why she remembered so much as she was the only person who could help the police. ‘When this man shot my daughter I snapped back to my childhood’. She states that these shots kicked her into action. ‘This man was bigger than me and stronger than me’, Diane told this story portraying herself as a hero for saving her children. The whole description was rather emotionless. ‘Everyone says I'm lucky but I don't feel lucky because I couldn't tie my shoes for 2 months’ odd she is focusing on this when her children have been shot.
‘I think my kids were lucky’, Diane claims her kids were lucky given she was able to save them. The full interview can be found on youtube and it is about 30 mins long but the whole thing seems rather cold and callous, not how you would expect a mother to be describing such an event.
The Arrest and Trial
Diane’s murder trial was covered widely by the press and Diane seemed to enjoy the limelight smiling and waving at reports. She was also pregnant at this time which made the sight even more shocking. In interviews Diane said being pregnant kept her from being lonely whilst she was in jail. Christie was the prosecution's star witness and when questioned stated again it was her mom which had shot her and her siblings. Diane maintained her innocence and stuck to her story of the bushy haired man. A jury of 9 women and 3 men deliberated for 36 hours before returning its unanimous guilty verdict.
Diane has maintained her innocence to this day and in every interview since has stuck to her story of the ‘bushy haired man’. This wasn't the last we heard of Diane as she completed a daring escape from prison in 1987 by scaling 18-foot barbed wire fences. Although a national alert was placed she was later picked up about half a mile from the prison facility. Diane has since had numerous parole hearings in which she has been denied parole due to the fact she is still perceived as a danger to society.
Her Daughter Becky Badcock
The baby girl who was born shortly after her trial has since spoken to media on her upbringing and how finding out who her biological mother has effected her. Talking about how she felt finding out who her mother was Becky said "It was very scary to have any relation to that woman. ... That's what really scared me. ... To feel any sort of connection to such a monster. ... A part of me was afraid that that's where I came from, does that mean where I'm going?" Becky reached out to Downs when she felt ready and their first exchanges were positive however after a short while things turned sour. The content of the letters grew increasingly strange and Becky said "They progressively got more and more insane -- conspiracy theories, people watching me my whole life -- just really scary things. And that's when I completely regretted messaging. ... She sent, you know, 12 pages of how she's innocent, and, 'This is who really did it,' she thinks,". It is clear from these exchanges that Diane has never let go of the fact she is innocent.
Overall this is a tragic story about the loss of such a young life. It has been proven by the courts that Diane is guilty however the continuing pleas of innocence from Diane are rather interesting and add another dimension to this case. Let us know what you think on our TikTok.
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