Diane Downs ~ Selfish Momster & Child Killer Part 1

 

Hi all. Today, I am going to be diving into the bizarre case of Diane Downs, one of the most famous momsters that ever existed. 

The reason I feel so deeply about this case, besides it obviously being a mother who killed children for her own selfishness; but also because her case if the very first book I read written by the late Ann Rule. It was called SMALL SACRIFICES, and Boy! that title is fitting!!

Elizabeth Diane Downs (nee Frederickson) was born on August 7, 1955 in Phoenix, Arizona USA. SHe was the daughter of Wesley and Willadene Frederickson. There isn't too much to write about her upbringing, other than her having nothing good to say about her parents, especially her father. She didn't like the way he was controlling of his wife. Diane was also very bitter that he spent so much time away from home. 

At one point, Diane would claim that her father sexually abused her. Later, it was revealed that she recanted, as her parents denied it right from the get-go. (Why do so many perpatrators lie about this??? Is it so they can gain sympathy, or hope that it justifies their own actions???)

Diane was raised in a very strict environment and when she began highschool, she began to blatantly disregard their rules and started dating Steve Downs; whom she met at school. Although rebellious, she did complete highschool and continued her education at Pacific Coast Baptist Bible College, located in Orange, California USA. She was expelled from the college after only one year as they disapproved of her "promiscuous" behaviour. Diane returned to Phoenix to live with her parents.

On November 13, 1973, Steve Downs marries Diane Frederickson; clearly under false pretenses as she later claims she only married him to escape her family. Steve had enlisted into the United States Navy, when he, himself escaped home life.

It wasn't long before Diane was pregnant and she gave birth to their first child, a girl they named Christie Ann (1974). Their second child, another girl named Cheryl was born in 1976.

It appeared that Steve and Diane had no problem procreating as she quickly became pregnant again, this time she opted to end the pregnancy. She admitted to regretting the decision later; but there was no turning back, and there was no way for her to have any more children with her husband, as Steve had a vasectomy. Diane got very conniving, having an affair with Mark Sager, who ended up being the father of her third child (finally a boy) who she named Stephen Daniel (1979).

When Steve found out that his wife had cheated on him, and Daniel wasn't his son, they separated and ultimately divorced the following year (1980). 

Not even two years later, Diane gave birth to her third daughter, Jennifer (May 8, 1982). Diane was acting as a surrogate for a couple at this time, despite the fact that she was deemed with having psychosis, repeatedly failing psychiatric testing. 

(My question is this... did the parents of her unborn child know the results of the tests before they had her be their surrogate?? Were there no laws or rules pertaining to women with mental health concerns, or conditions that should have denied her from going ahead with the process???)

There was no love lost between Steve and Diane, and he had no qualms revealing that Diane had no motherly instincts and she was excessively strict with the children; to the point of cruelty. Steve was absolutely shocked one day when he caught Cheryl jumping on the bed. 

As any father would do, he made Cheryl sit down and think about how her actions were wrong. As soon as the words left his mouth, his sweet, innocent little girl looked him directly in the face and asked, "Is there a gun here?" Steve reassured her that there wasn't one. Her response was incredibly heartbreaking. Cheryl told her father, "I want to kill me. My mom says I am bad!!!"

We will next be revealing the actual crime itself, arrests, trial, convictions and aftermath.

To be continued...