How Old Is Diane Downs? Diane Downs Birthday
Diane Downs was born on August 7, 1955 and is 68 years old now.
Birthday: August 7, 1955
How Old - Age: 68
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Diane is alive and kicking and is currently 68 years old.
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Diane Downs - Biography
Elizabeth Diane Frederickson Downs (born August 7, 1955) is an American woman convicted of the May 1983 murder of her daughter and the attempted murder of her other two children. She is convicted of shooting her three children, killing one and seriously wounding two. Following the shooting, Downs told police a stranger had attempted to carjack her and had shot the children. She was convicted in 1984 and sentenced to life in prison.
Downs briefly escaped in 1987 and was recaptured. She is the subject of a book by Ann Rule and a made-for-TV movie based upon it, both called Small Sacrifices. She was denied parole in December 2008 and again in December 2010.
Downs was incarcerated at the Oregon Women's Correctional Center in Salem. She escaped on July 11, 1987, and was recaptured just a few blocks from the prison on July 21. She received an additional five-year sentence for the escape. After her recapture, Downs was transferred to the New Jersey Department of Corrections Clinton Correctional Facility for Women at Hugi's request. The Salem prison was located 66 miles from Hugi's home in Springfield; during Downs' ten days of freedom, Hugi feared that she would attempt to travel there. Despite significant security upgrades at the women's facility after the escape, state officials accepted Hugi's argument that the risk of harm to Christie and Danny in the event of another escape remained too great for Downs to remain incarcerated in Oregon.
In 1994, after serving ten years, Downs was transferred to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. While in prison, she has earned an Associate Degree in General Studies. In 2010, she was located in the Valley State Prison for Women in Chowchilla, California, but transferred out when the facility was converted to an all-male institution in 2013.
