DIANE Downs was sentenced to life in prison in 1984 after shooting her three children, killing one.
The "mommy murderess" allegedly planned the attack to "free" herself from the burden of kids so she could be with the man she was infatuated with, who reportedly told her he did not want children.
Who is Diane Downs?
Diane Downs, born in Arizona in 1955 is a convicted murderer currently serving life in prison.
She grew up in Phoenix and claims she was sexually abused by her father.
Downs briefly attended Pacific Coast Baptist Bible College in Orange, California but was forced to leave after just one year for "promiscuous behaviour".
She then ran away from home and married husband, Steven Downs in 1973, with whom she had three children – Christie Ann, Cheryl Lynn and Stephen "Danny" Daniel.
The couple divorced in 1980 over Steven's insistence their son, Danny, was the result of an affair and not his biological child.
By 1983 Downs was having an affair with Robert Knickerbocker, a married man whom she was "obsessively" in love with, according to Murderpedia.
In May of that year, Downs shot her three children in her car at a remote roadside in Springfield, Oregan, before shooting herself in the forearm cops said.
She then drove at a pace of between 5-7 mph to the local hospital, according to witnesses, where she then claimed to hospital staff she had been car-jacked by a stranger who shot herself and her children.
By the time she arrived at the hospital, Cheryl was already dead and the other two children had suffered devastating injuries.
Authorities became suspicous of Downs almost immediately, describing how she was strangely calm when she arrived at the hospital.
Officers launched an investigation into her strange behaviour – which included phoning her lover once she arrived at the hospital, her children citing they were scared of their mother and Christie Ann reacting in a terrified manner when her mother visited her in hospital.
Knickerbocker also told authorities he feared Downs would try and kill his wife and that she had stalked him.
Cops also said they found no gunshot residue that would point to Downs' version of events, as well as blood splatters which were inconsistent with the theory.
She was arrested the following February and sentenced to life in prison plus fifty years.
Psychiatrists also diagnosed her with a raft of mental health issues.
Where is Diane Downs now?
Currently Downs is serving time in the Valley State Prison for Women, as per Murderpedia.
She is eligible to apply for parole this year.
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