Diane Downs

 Diane Downs was convicted in 1984 for shooting her three children a year earlier. Daniel, Cheryl, and Christie Downs were all shot by their mother.

Diane claimed that she had been car-jacked in Springfield, Oregon, however prosecution believed that she had shot her children so she could pursue an affair she was having with a married man.

Much to Diane’s dismay, Christie survived the shooting and was able to provide testimony.  Daniel also survived the shooting.

Diane was sentenced to life for murder, 30 years for attempted murder, and 20 years for first degree assault.

Diane escaped from prison in 1987, but was recaptured only 10 days later.

Two children survived the shooting, Daniel and Christie, and were adopted by one of the prosecutors. The children were both paralyzed.

For more information on the story, there is a Lifetime movie called Small Sacrifices.

The Lizzie Borden Murders

 Lizzie Borden is a woman believed to have murdered her father (Andrew Jackson Borden) and stepmother (Abby Borden) in 1892, in the town of Fall River, Massachusetts, even though she was acquitted.

Lizzie Borden claimed to have found the body of her father sometime before 11:30 in the morning.  The body of his wife was found later by a family member.

Both had been killed with a hatchet.  There are many pictures of the crime scene, all you really have to do is do a Google image search for “Lizzie Borden crime scene”, and you’ll see them. I won’t post them here due to the fact that they are graphic.

When authorities examined Lizzie’s testimonies, they found them to be inconsistent, so they tried her. The hatchet that police believed to have been the murder weapon was later found in the basement during an investigation, however there was never any more evidence found on the actual hatchet. Another piece of evidence against Lizzie was that within the few days following the murder, Lizzie was seen burning one of her old dresses. Authorities believed it may have been the dress she was wearing during the murder.

The way that many people saw the trial during this time is much like the way we still see the OJ Simpson trial today. It made her infamous, as it did for him.

The actual house where the murders were committed is still standing. In fact, it’s a bed and breakfast now.

Sources:

Crime Library 

Lizzie Borden B&B Site 

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