Infamous Murderers - Diane Downs

ELIZABETH DIANE DOWNS: *UPDATED* NEW INFO, DOCUMENT

LINKS & PHOTO

RECENT PRISON PHOTO

Diane Downs is incarcerated at the Valley State Prison for Women in

Chowchilla, California. She is serving a sentence of life in prison plus

50 years with a 25 year minimum. However, more time was tacked

onto her sentence after her escape from prison in 1987, extending

her sentence to life in prison plus 65 years.

2008 - December 9 - Diane Downs Parole hearing is scheduled to be

heard for a release date in 2009. It's likely she'll appear before the

board via video link from the prison. Even Downs should gain parole,

she will still have a five year sentence for her escape that must be

considered, but that could be written off for good behavior. Downs

however, to this date maintains her innocence.

"Downs' sentence made her eligible for parole consideration after

serving 25 years, and under Oregon law as a dangerous offender, she

will be eligible for a parole consideration hearing every two

years until she is released or dies in prison."

NEW DOCUMENTS:

DIANE DOWNS' APPLICATION FOR PAROLE

DIANE DOWNS' RESPONSE TO PSYCH REPORT

LANE COUNTY PROSECUTOR OPPOSITION TO PAROLE

The Oregon parole board rarely grants such requests.

Downs was was convicted for the 1983 murder of her daughter

Cheryl Lynn Downs, aged 7, and the attempted murders of

Stephen Daniel "Danny" Downs and of Christie Ann Downs, aged

8 who also survived. Contrary to Downs' continued assertions, Dan

remains paralyzed from the chest down, confined to a wheelchair

for the rest of his life. Christie has permanent partial paralysis

on one side of her body."

Downs pulled to the side of the road in May of 1983 and shot into her car,

killing the sleeping Cheryl. Then she turned the gun on her other helpless

children Danny and Christie. She drove slowly to the hospital and then

blamed the killings on a bushy haired stranger.

Diane Downs was diagnosed during the trial as a deviant sociopath.

Downs has been deemed a most litigious convict in the State of Oregon.

1984- June 14 -Diane Downs was convicted of murder, attempted murder

in the first degree, a second account of attempted murder in the first degree,

first-degree assault, and a count of first-degree assault.

1987 - July 11 - DIANE DOWNS' FIRST ESCAPE

Diane Downs was incarcerated at the Women's Correctional

Facility in Salem, Oregon. She dressed herself in multiple layers of clothing,

and climbed over two sets of high security wire topped with barbed wire.

Downs dropped to the ground and hid under a vehicle for a few moments

and then discarding a shredded garment, probably used around her hands,

she then climbed out from under the truck, walked away and hitched a ride

literally across the street. After a eleven day man hunt she was found to be at

a fellow inmates home, with the inmate's husband. She was found less than

a mile from the Oregon Women's Correctional Center.

The prison superintendent at the time stated "She bolted prior to a

planned infusion of extra staffing, designed to provide better

supervision of inmates in the prison recreation yard. She had

it planned. She knew she was going to do it. In fact, she wanted

to do it before we got the yard staffed. She knew it was her best

chance."

A prison hearings officer recommended that Downs spend up to three years

in segregated quarters for escaping.

1987 - November - DIANE DOWNS' MORE ESCAPE ATTEMPTS

Downs was transported to the Edna Mahan, high-maximum Correctional

Institution at Clinton, New Jersey. During her time there Downs made

two escape attempts.

1989 -DIANE DOWNS ESCAPE PLANS

Diane Downs and her "fiance" planned an armed escape. The plan

included smuggling a gun into prison and the taking of one or more

hostages.

1991 - Downs lost her bid for a new trial, claiming ineffective counsel

not only at her trial, but at her appeals. The ruling was that "her

lawyers exercised valid judgments and she failed to prove her claims."

The ruling leaves her with the right to appeal to the Oregon Court of

Appeals. Downs had briefly been returned to Oregon for the hearing.

1991 - August - Downs was transferred from the Oregon Women's

Correctional Center in Salem, Oregon to the prison for women at Purdy,

Pierce County, Washington. Downs was transferred to the prison's

maximum security unit at Gig Harbor by virtue of her prior escape and

escape attempts.

In addition to Downs' escape from the Oregon women's in 1987, she had also

made two escape attempts while incarcerated at a New Jersey prison.
Downs is viewed to be a continuing security threat and was housed in

segregation, spending 23 out of 24 hours in her cell, and when out of her

cell she was restrained." Downs was to remain at Purdy "indefinitely."

1991 - DIANE DOWNS - ANOTHER PLOT TO ESCAPE

A search of Down's cell by Corrections officers turned up a partially sewn

garment that was being modified to resemble the uniforms worn by the

prison guards. Downs denied an escape attempt, stating that the

only time she would attempt to escape would be when her appeals

were exhausted.

1993 - Downs was returned to the state Women's Correctional Center in

Oregon for the duration of a construction project at the Washington state

prison where she had been held since 1991.

1993 - Downs filed a Federal lawsuit against the Oregon State Prison

Officials. because the state refused to allow any visits because the

administrative rules prohibit any contact between an inmate and

her victim. Downs claimed that her daughter Christie had reached the

legal age of being able to act on her own and wanted to visit her.

According to Author Anne Rule "Neither child chose to maintain

communication with Downs, aside from a brief visit shortly after Christie

turned 18."

1994 - June - Downs is transported to Valley State at Chowchilla, California.

DIANE DOWNS - YET ANOTHER ESCAPE ATTEMPT
Downs was the sole occupant of a cell in which the cement supporting the

window frame had been chipped away in an eight inch section in order to

dislodge and separate the window from the building.

1995 - Downs lost a technical appeal. Downs filed an appeal claiming that she

is "illegally" imprisoned and that the order for her to pay restitution was

adopted after she had appealed her convictions. Her argument was that the

sentencing court had lost jurisdiction due to the appeal, so the final judgement

in the case was flawed.

The Oregon Court of Appeals upheld, without comment, the Marion County

Circuit Court's dismissal of Downs' claim.

1996 - Downs filed a 6-inch-thick appeal in Federal court asking to be

released from her life term - plus 50 years.

2000 - Downs filed an appeal claiming her rights were violated because

some investigation notes by a sheriff's deputy that might have produced

evidence favorable to her were not turned over to her defense.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected her claim ruling her

arguments were speculative and that prosecutors don't have to disclose

investigatory material that hasn't led to evidence which could help a

defendant.

2005 - Downs 12th court challenge was thrown out without comment by

the Appeals court. Downs had challenged her sentence stating it did not

comply with a 2004 U.S. Supreme Court ruling dealing with sentencing

guidelines.

http://www.crimerant.com/?p=83&jal_no_js=true&poll_id=82

Even behind bars Diane Downs considers herself a hottie and more

sexually conversant than "normal" women.

Christie Hugi testifed against her mother and as an adult has become

a social worker. Her brother Danny Hugi remains works as a computer

specialist.

Author Anne Rule profiled this case in her book: "Small Sacrifices"

To see more photos and information explore the CMM Forum