On the night of May 19, 1983, Diane Downs and her three children, Christie, 8, Cheryl, 7, and Danny, 3, were shot on a rural road outside of Springfield, Oregon. Cheryl died from her injuries. Christie and Danny were gravely injured. Diane suffered non-life threatening wounds to her left arm. She claimed a bushy-haired stranger had shot them. A man-hunt came up empty for the shooter. Suspicion quickly landed on Diane partly because of her lack of emotion.  She had a history of messy affairs and entanglements -- most recently with a married man named Knick Knickerbocker. Diane and Knick met at the post office where they both worked. Knick had been in love with Diane but was adamant that he had no interest in being a father. 

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Sources:

• https://www.youtube.com/@DDTV1983/videos 
• Small Sacrifices 1989 LMN Movie  
• http://www.dianedowns.com/Gun%20Search.htm
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsMXTsU4eqE 
• https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1984/06/12/the-mother-38/13b24fdf-7294-4623-ad2d-0665435ceed4/
• https://www.amazon.com/Small-Sacrifices-Story-Passion-Murder/dp/0451166604
• https://abc.com/shows/2020/episode-guide/2019-03/22-my-mothers-sins
• https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/daughter-downs-carried-during-trial-goes-public/ 
• https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/obituary-pierce-brooks-3011469.php 
• https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2010/05/new_twist_revealed_in_diane_do.html 
• https://medium.com/@alexishammondwrites/i-read-best-kept-secrets-by-child-killer-diane-downs-so-you-dont-have-to-9aca09a8d059
• https://abc.com/shows/2020/episode-guide/2019-03/22-my-mothers-sins 
• https://www.glamour.com/story/i-found-out-my-mother-was-a-killer-the-rebecca-babcock-story  
• https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ann-rule-sons-theft_n_7111854 
• https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Ann-Rule/1692136
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/444587870/?match=1&terms=ann%20rule%20