by Angie Pollock

Created on: June 09, 2010   Last Updated: July 05, 2011

In 1989, Farrah Fawcett gave an unforgettable performance in “Small Sacrifices”, the true story of Elizabeth Diane Downs. The movie was nominated for many awards including 2 Golden Globes. Diane Downs was convicted of shooting 3 of her children – killing one of them.

During the investigation of the shootings, Downs became pregnant again. What the story doesn’t tell is what happened to Downs’ surviving children. More than 25 years later after Downs shot her children, Rebecca Babcock released her story at how she found out that her mother was none other than Diane Downs.

On a spring night in 1983, Diane Downs claimed that a man with shaggy hair had shot her three children while trying to steal her car. Downs also suffered a non-life threatening gunshot wound to the arm. Her children – Danny age 3, Cheryl age 7, and Christie age 8 – were all shot while sitting in the small car. Danny was paralyzed from his wounds and Christie suffered a stroke. Seven-year old Cheryl died. What could provoke a woman to kill her own children besides being insane?

Investigators believed that Diane Downs shot her own children because a man she was seeing at the time did not want children. Diane Downs could be dubbed the original Susan Smith. Smith had strapped her two young children in her car and sent it off into the water, drowning both of her boys - all because the man she wanted didn't want kids.

The investigation into the Downs' shooting took over 6 months and during this time, Diane Downs became pregnant again. During her trial, Downs was obviously pregnant which brought even more media attention to the trial.

Although it is difficult to believe that a mother could do this to the very souls she should protect, the jury found Downs guilty. The nail in the coffin may have been Downs’ very own daughter Christie who told the jury that it was her mother who shot her. Downs was sentenced to life plus 50 years in prison.

Less than two weeks after the trial, Diane Downs gave birth to a baby girl. The infant was named Amy Elizabeth by Downs but was changed to Rebecca after her adoption. Rebecca Babcock’s adoptive parents worked to keep the identity of Rebecca’s birth mother a secret from everyone. Chris and Jackie Babcock adopted their daughter knowing the circumstances of her birth and were thrilled that their other adoptive daughter, Jennie, would have a sister.

Approximately three years into her sentence, Diane Downs escaped

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