Murder of Cheryl Downs

On May 19, 1983, Elizabeth Diane Downs drove her three children — Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3 — to McKenzie-Willamette Hospital in Springfield, Oregon, with gunshot wounds. Cheryl died from her injuries, Christie suffered a disabling stroke, and Danny was left paralyzed from the waist down. Downs herself had a gunshot wound to her left forearm. She told investigators that a stranger had flagged down her car on Old Mohawk Road, demanded her vehicle, and shot her and the children when she resisted.

Investigators and hospital staff grew suspicious of Downs almost immediately, citing her calm demeanor and inappropriate remarks following the shootings. Her account of the incident changed over time, including contradictory details about whether the children were asleep and how the alleged assailant fired the shots. Forensic examination of her car found no blood spatter or gunpowder residue on the driver's side, undermining her version of events. Witnesses also reported that her car had been driven at only 5–7 mph toward the hospital, contradicting her claim of driving at high speed for help.

During the investigation, police learned that Downs had been having an affair with a former coworker, Robert Knickerbocker, who told investigators Downs had stalked him and seemed willing to harm his wife to have him to herself; he said he was relieved when Downs moved to Oregon. Prosecutors argued Downs shot her children so she could pursue this relationship unencumbered, since Knickerbocker did not want children in his life. Investigators also found that Downs owned a .22 caliber handgun — which she had not disclosed — and located unfired cartridges at her home with extractor markings matching the murder weapon, though the gun itself was never recovered.

Downs was arrested on February 28, 1984, roughly nine months after the shootings, and charged with one count of murder and two counts each of attempted murder and criminal assault. At trial, prosecution testimony included a psychiatric evaluation diagnosing her with narcissistic, histrionic, and antisocial personality disorders and describing her as lacking empathy for her children. Her surviving daughter, Christie, once she regained the ability to speak, testified that her mother had shot all three children and then herself. Downs was convicted on all counts on June 17, 1984, and sentenced to life in prison plus fifty years, with a requirement to serve twenty-five years before parole eligibility.

Downs escaped from the Oregon Women's Correctional Center on July 11, 1987, evading capture for ten days before being recaptured; she received an additional five-year sentence for the escape and was later transferred to a facility outside Oregon. She has been denied parole at hearings in 2008, 2010, 2020, and 2025, and has consistently maintained her innocence, continuing to assert that a male stranger was responsible for the shootings.