#Gertrude Baniszewski

[morbidology]

16-year-old Sylvia Likens was the daughter of two carnival workers, but when her parents' separated and her mother was jailed for shoplifting, somebody needed to care for her. Ultimately, Sylvia and her sister, Jenny, were sent to live with Gertrude Baniszwewski and her family, paying them $20 to take care of the two girls.

When the payments were late, Baniszwewski would turn on the girls, particularly Sylvia. She would hit the girls with paddles, and whip them. Being fragile and asthmatic herself, Baniszwewski recruited her children and neighbourhood children to subject Sylvia to horrendous abuse over the period of three months.

This abuse included putting cigarettes out on her skin, burning her with scalding water, beating her, rubbing salt in her wounds, forcing her to eat things which would cause her to vomit and on at least two occasions, she was sexually assaulted with a Coca-Cola bottle. On another occasion, a neighbourhood boy, Coy Hubbard, used her to practice his judo, which as a result, caused her to become incontinent. Baniszwewski responded to this by forcing her to eat her own faeces as well as her one-year-old sons.

Jenny, Sylvia’s sister attempted to get help and contacted their older sister, Diana, who came to the house yet did nothing to help. Shortly before her death, Baniszewski took a hot needle and carved “I’m a prostitute and proud of it!” on Sylvia’s stomach. A neighbourhood boy, Richard Hobbs, helped. He also helped 10-year-old Shirley Baniszewski burn the number “3” into her chest with an iron poker. The night before Sylvia died, she attempted to escape the house of horrors. She was caught by Baniszewski who threw her down the stairs into the cellar which had become her home.

The next day, on October 26, 1965, Sylvia’s body gave up after the countless beatings, burnings, sexual assaults, and lack of food and water. She died of a brain haemorrhage, shock, and malnutrition. She had suffered unimaginable torment. Her body was covered in wounds, bruises, and burns. In her final moments, she had almost completely severed her lips with her teeth from the beatings.

Gertrude received a life sentence while the younger assailants received petty sentences and were all released and went on to lead normal lives, something Sylvia could never do. Disgustingly enough, Gertrude was released for good behaviour after just a measly fourteen years in prison.

[am3ricanh0rrorwh0re]

i just watched An American Crime a few days ago, only because i saw evan peters was in it. and LORD was he cute. but i’ve read SO much into Sylvia’s case, and i just wanna give her a hug. she didn’t deserve all she went through whatsoever, and she was so young too. so to gertrude baniszewski and everyone else who abused her till she died, i hope you’re rotting in hell, you pieces of shit 🖕🖕

[illnessfaker]

( tw: child torture )

Shortly after this incident, the father of a neighborhood boy named Michael John Monroe phoned Arsenal Technical High School to anonymously report that a girl with open sores across her entire body was living at the Baniszewski household. As Likens had not attended school for several days, a school nurse visited East New York Street to investigate these claims. Gertrude claimed to the nurse that Likens had run away from her home the previous week and that she was unaware of her actual whereabouts, adding that Likens was "out of control" and that her open sores were a result of Likens's refusal to maintain decent personal hygiene. Gertrude further claimed that Likens was a bad influence on both her own children and her sister. The school made no further investigations concerning Likens's welfare.

The immediate neighbors of the Baniszewski family were a middle-aged couple named Raymond and Phyllis Vermillion. Both initially viewed Gertrude as an ideal caregiver for the Likens sisters and both had visited the Baniszewski residence on two occasions while the girls had been under Gertrude's care. On both occasions, however, the Vermillions witnessed Paula physically abusing Likens—who on both occasions had a black eye—and openly boasting about her mistreatment of the child to them. Upon their second visit to the Baniszewski household, both observed Likens to appear extremely meek and somewhat "zombified" in nature. Nevertheless, the Vermillions never reported Likens's evident mistreatment to the authorities.

like, our society is a massive joke when it comes to handling abuse in general. people have been socialized into turning a blind eye to atrocities whether they're happening across the world or right in front of them, on top of the ways abusers manipulate the failures/weaknesses of the system to their advantage (e.g. parent/caregiver testimony being believed over that of their underage victims, abusive men being believed over their wives and girlfriends, etc.)

my phone won't let me copy-paste this but this topic is reminding me of the beginning of trauma and recovery by judith l. herman:

[imeverywoman420]

The most evil women u have ever met like karla homolka casey anthony diane downs gertrude baniszewski energy are always convinced they have the best vibes and theyre a saint and theyre empaths and HEALERS!!! Like. Okay jolly jane.

[bulldyke-rider]

That critique just reminded me of this super unhinged radblr take I saw a while ago, where someone said Gertrude Baniszewski wasn't actually an abusive monster, but was really just sad and depressed because the men in her life sucked.

I read the first chapter, and honestly, it seems like it's setting up that she's gone back and forth on how she sees her mom over and over.

And the way I see it is that if she thought about it for like 30 years and came to the "childish" conclusion, maybe the child's way of seeing it is correct. And maybe everything in between is rationalization.

[sarasultimatewatchlist]

An American Crime (2007)

Gertrude Baniszewski, a divorced mother of several children, agrees to take care of two girls, Sylvia and Jennie, while their parents travel with a carnival. Though her eldest daughter is the real troublemaker, Gertrude vents all her bitterness and frustration on innocent Sylvia. Gertrude imprisons the girl in the basement and tortures her, eventually encouraging her children to follow suit.

Based on the true story of the torture and murder of Sylvia Likens.

[like45]

Horror movies based on true events VS horror movies based on true stories.

When it comes to horror movies based on true events versus horror movies based on true events, there's a subtle difference between the two movies based on true events often take inspiration from real-life incidents, but they tend to exaggerate and fictionalize the events for dramatic effect. On the other hand, movies based on true stories strive to stay more faithful to the actual events and may even incorporate real testimonies or documented evidence. Both type of movies can be equally terrifying, but it's interesting to see how filmmakers approach the balance between reality and fiction in each genre.

MOVIES BASED ON TRUE EVENTS

Silence of the lambs are inspired by the serial killer Ed Gein and others.

Texas chainsaw massacre is also loosely based on Ed Gein and his gruesome crimes.

Psycho is influenced by Ed Gein and his relationship with his mother.

the lighthouse is based on the mysterious deaths of two lighthouse keepers in 1801.

Scream is inspired by the Gainsville ripper, who murdered five students in 1990.

MOVIES BASED ON TRUE STORIES

The conjuring is based on a true story of the Perron family, who lived in a haunted house.

The Hils have yes is based on a cannibalistic Scottish family led by Sawney Bean in centuries past.

The girl next door is based on the case of Sylvia Likens, a teenage girl who was tortured and killed by Gertrude Baniszewski.

A nightmare on elm street, is based on a phenomenon of people dying in their sleep.

[filmes-online-facil]

Assistir Filme Um Crime Americano Online fácil

Assistir Filme Um Crime Americano Online Fácil é só aqui: https://filmesonlinefacil.com/filme/um-crime-americano/

Um Crime Americano - Filmes Online Fácil

Baseado na história real que chocou a nação em 1965, o filme reconstrói um dos crimes mais chocantes já cometidos a uma só vítima. Sylvia (Ellen Page) e Jennie Fae Likens (Hayley McFarland), as duas filhas de um casal que trabalha com um circo são deixadas para uma estadia demorada em Indianápolis, na casa Gertrude Baniszewski, uma mãe solteira com sete crianças. Tempos difíceis, e as necessidades financeiras de Gerturdes (Catherine Keener), obrigam-na a fazer este arranjo antes de perceber como esta obrigação levará sua natureza instável a um ponto de ruptura.

[intothedarkplace]

The Murder of Sylvia Likens: Pt. 2: The Trial

TW: Talk of severe child abuse and torture

One of the first witnesses was called on April 29th, a man by the name of Charles Ellis. Ellis was the Deputy Coroner that conducted her autopsy. He testified to the pain she must have been in days before her death. He testified that her nails were broken backward, there were multiple deep cuts and slashes on her body, and her lips were bloody and torn from incessant biting and chewing. He also testified that Sylvia was in a state of shock for the last three days of her life, which would have rendered her unable to give up much of a fight as she was beaten however, he did emphasize that apart from some swelling in her genital area, there was no sign of sexual abuse.

Jenny Likens's testimony took two days, on May 2nd and 3rd. She testified against all five defendants, telling the jury that all five had physically and mentally abused her sister. She said that Sylvia never did anything to provoke the beatings, and the rumors and slurs she'd been called, never had any truth to them. She stated that the abuse her sister received started roughly 2 weeks into their stay in the Baniszewski household. She recalled how at some point, Sylvia became unable to produce tears due to her severe dehydration. Jenny broke down on the stand, sobbing, telling the jury that just days before her death, Sylvia said, "Jenny, I know you don't want me to die, but I'm going to. I know it."

Several key points of her testimony were corroborated by other witnesses.

For example, Randy Lepper testified that he had once seen Sylvia crying but never saw any tears. He also testified to seeing Stephanie hit Sylvia "real hard" after she refused to take her clothes off in front of him. Afterward, he confessed to having hit her as well.

On May 10th, a Baptist minister by the name of Roy Julian testified to having known about Sylvia's abuse. He claimed that he hadn't reported any of it as he had been told by Baniszewski that it was punishment for solicitation.

On the same day, Judy Duke, a 13-year-old girl, was put on the stand. She testified to seeing Sylvia have salt being rubbed into open wounds on her legs until she screamed. She also said she saw Stephanie Baniszewski, Gertrude's 10-year-old daughter, rip open her shirt. This was followed by a remark by the remark "Everyone's having fun with Sylvia," said by Hobbs.

The following day, on May 11th, Gertrude Baniszewski took to stand herself in her own defense. She claimed that she did not have anything to do with her abuse, torture, or resulting death. She alleged that anything inside her home happened without her knowledge. That both her children and the neighborhood children took advantage of her "madhouse" and did it themselves.

When asked if she had ever abused the Likens sisters, she said that while she had spanked the girls on one or two occasions, she hadn't been able to "finish the job" and never hit them again. She also said that she was unaware of any branding, burnings, or beatings inflicted on Sylvia while in her home.

A couple days later, Richard Hobbs took the stand. He described an incident that happened on October 23rd, in which Gertrude called Sylvia to the kitchen. She said, "You have branded my children, so now I am going to brand you." He claimed that she started to etch the insults on her body before asking him to finish it. He said that even though the branding that he finished bought blood to the surface and Sylvia was begging him to stop, the area of flesh he'd branded had been light. He also claimed that he didn't believe that Sylvia would still be in the house on October 26th, as Gertrude had been talking about "getting rid of her" the day prior. He also said after her death, he simply went home to watch the end of "the Loyd Thaxton Show"

When Marie finally took the stand and broke down. She claimed that she had been the one who heated the needles used to brand Sylvia. She also noted her mother's apparent indifference to the suffering and pain being inflicted on Sylvia. She said her mother had full knowledge of what was happening, alleging that she'd seen her mother sit on a kitchen chair and watch as a young neighborhood girl beat on Sylvia. She also said that while she had seen all five of the defendants repeatedly beat and torture Sylvia, most of the violence bestowed on Sylvia had been inflicted by both her mother and older sister.

Another witness stated that, while sitting near Paula on a church bus, she overheard her bragging about breaking her wrist after hitting Sylvia too hard. Following that, she said, "I tried to kill her."

Finally, on May 16th, a doctor by the name of Dwight Shuester took the stand and was questioned by Leroy New. When questioned, Dr. Shuester said that she had been evasive and uncooperative throughout his interviews with Gertrude Baniszewski. He added that he believed Gertrude was entirely sane and had never been otherwise insane. Even after an excruciatingly long two-hour cross-examination by Gertrude's lawyer, William Erlbacher, he stayed steadfast in his assessment of Gertrude's sanity throughout October 1965.

It took 17 days for the entire trial to finish, and the jury retired for deliberations. The panel of eight men and four women took 8 hours to come back with a verdict. Gertrude was found guilty of 1st-degree murder, Paula was found guilty of second-degree murder, and Hos and John Jr. were found guilty of manslaughter.

On May 25th Gertrude and Paula were sentenced to life imprisonment, and Hobbs and John Jr. were sentenced to 2-21 years.

It didn't end there, however, as in September 1970, it was discovered that Judge Saul Isacc Rabb had denied repeatedly submitted motions by the defense for both a venue change and separate trials. It also stated that due to the immense amount of social media coverage of the crime and trial, there was no way for the women to have a fair trial.

Because of this, the women were retried in September 1971. This time around, Paula pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter. Her mother, once again, pleaded not guilty. Paula was sentenced to serve 2-21 years for her part in the crime, and Gertrude was sentenced to life imprisonment for a second time.

Over a course of 14 years, Gertrude established the title of a model inmate in the Indiana Womens Prison. She acted somewhat as a den mother and became the "mother hen" to many new inmates. She eventually earned herself the nickname "mom" among the population.

Her parole hearing came up in 1985, and Gertrude described herself as a devout Christian and had changed her name to Nadine Van Fossen. During the parole hearing, Gertrude said she wished Sylvia's death could "be undone," While she showed remorse for said death, she greatly minimized her role in it, saying, "I'm not sure what role had in her death because I was on drugs. I never really knew her... I take full responsibility for whatever happened to Sylvia."

With her behavior and remorse in the hearing and her model behavior in prison, Gertrude was granted parole and released from prison on December 4th, 1985.

After her release, Gertrude relocated to Laurel, Iowa. There she lived a relatively obscure life before dying of lung cancer in 1990 at the age of 61. She never fully took responsibility for what happened to Sylvia.

After Paula's parole hearing, she worked as a counselor's aide in an elementary school for 14 years using the name Paula Pace, which helped conceal her true crime history from the school. She was fired when the school found out who she really was. She later married and had two children. The child she had while awaiting trial the first time around had been adopted.

Stephanie Baniszewski's own charges had been dropped when she agreed to turn against the other defendants as a witness for the prosecution.

During a media interview, Stephanie stated she was just there to "Help anyone she can," to which Gertrude's lawyer replied, "Even yourself?" She went on to get married and have several children.

The youngest children were sent to foster families after the arrests were made.

Richard Hobbs, Coy Hubbard, and John Jr. each served less than 2 years.

Hobbs died of lung cancer after only 4 years of being released at the get of 21.

Hubbard stayed in Indiana, racking up quite the rap sheet, and on one occasion, was put on trial for the murder of two young men. He was acquitted on the grounds that the main witness was a charged and incarcerated career criminal who frequently worked with Hubbard in committing crimes. He died of a heart attack in Shelbyville, Indiana, at the age of 56.

John Baniszewski Jr lived a relatively obscure life under the name of John Blake. He became a Lay Minister, frequently hosting counseling sessions for children of divorce. Decades after his release, he released a public statement stating he knew that he and his co-defendants should have been sentenced to more time, but that young criminals are not beyond rehabilitation. He died in 2005 due to complications with diabetes.

Jenny Likens married, and she and her husband had two children together. 14 years before her death, she saw Gertrude's obituary in the paper and sent a clipping of t to her mother with a note alongside reading, "Good News finally, Good old Gertrude finally died. Ha Ha Ha, happy about that." She was also adamant that no blame should be placed on her parents, as it was not their fault they were placed in Gertrude's home. They simply trusted someone they thought they known well, who had promised to look after them while they were gone.

She died in Beechgrove, Indiana, at the age of 54.

Though the house where Sylvia died is now a women's shelter, there is a 6 ft granite memorial for Sylvia Likens in Willard Park, Washington Street, Indianapolis, Indiana. The dedication was attended by upwards of 700 people. It is inscribed with the words, "This memorial is in memory of a young child who died a tragic death. As a result, laws changed, and awareness increased. This is a commitment to our children that the Indianapolis Police Department is working to make this a safe city for our children."

Her death is credited with the adoption of Indiana's mandated reporter law. This law states that any citizen who suspects child abuse is responsible for reporting that suspected abuse to the proper authorities.

[gadgetsforusesblog]

Bathed in boiling water by calling her a prostitute, put a glass bottle in her private part... would not have heard such a story of torture - Sylvia Likens case america 16 years old girl died due to torture by caregiver and her children story explained lclt

On October 26, 1965, police in Indiana, USA, received information that the body of a 16-year-old girl, Sylvia Marie Likens, was lying in the house of a woman named Gertrude Baniszewski. Gertrude told the police that some miscreants attacked Sylvia and gang-raped her. Then gave him several tortures, due to which he died. Along with this, Gertrude also gave a letter written by Sylvia to the police.…

[tripasyletras]

Jack Ketchum, apodado por el propio King como “El tipo más aterrador de Estados Unidos”, nació en noviembre de 1946 y la palmó en enero del 2018. Fue actor, profesor de literatura, agente literario y escritor. Su trabajo solía considerarse por los críticos como “pornografía violenta”, etiqueta con la que él no estaba de acuerdo, pero, bueno, le gustaba dejar que sus lectores se formaran su propia opinión. Ganó cuatro premios Bram Stoker y escribió más de veinte novelas y nouvelles. Cinco de sus libros fueron llevados al cine. El más conocido, quizás, fue “La chica de al lado”, basado en hechos reales: la tortura y el asesinato de Sylvia Likens por Gertrude Baniszewski durante el verano de 1995, en Indianápolis. Ah, y su mentor literario fue Robert Bloch, el autor de “Psicosis”. Amo las descripciones de este tipo. En especial las de su novela “Al acecho”, donde una familia de caníbales rurales devora gente como si fueran ositos de goma. ¿Has leído al difunto y tierno Ketchum?

[missrose1989]

{📚Buchvorstellung | Currend Read📚} Mein erstes Buch in 2023 setzt meine Reihe aus 2022, ich bleibe beim Autor Ryan Green und lese als nächstes: Folter-Mom: Eine Erschütternde Wahre Geschichte Von Gefangenschaft, Verstümmelung Und Mord. Buchbeschreibung: Im Juli 1965 wurden die Teenager Sylvia und Jenny Likens vorübergehend in die Obhut von Gertrude Baniszewski, einer alleinerziehenden Mutter mittleren Alters, und ihrer sieben Kinder gegeben. Der Baniszewski-Haushalt quoll regelrecht über vor Kindern und es gab nur wenige Regeln und sehr viel Freiheit. Leider schuf dieses Umfeld eine gefährliche Hierarchie des Sozialdarwinismus, in der die Starken die Schwachen ausbeuteten. Was sich in den folgenden drei Monaten ereignete, war gleichzeitig fesselnd als auch abschreckend. Im Oktober 1965 wurde Sylvia Likens‘ Leiche im Keller des Baniszewski-Hauses gefunden, in dem man das Mädchen gefangen gehalten hatte. Man hatte es hungern lassen, geschlagen, verbrannt und ihm die Worte „Ich bin eine Prostituierte und stolz darauf“ in den Bauch geritzt. Gertrude Baniszewski hatte die Folterung und schließlich die Ermordung von Sylvia Likens beaufsichtigt und unterstützt. Obwohl sie eine aktive Rolle bei Sylvias Tod spielte, waren ihre Kinder und andere Jugendliche aus der Nachbarschaft für den Großteil der Misshandlungen verantwortlich. Der Fall schockierte die ganze Nation und wurde später als „das schlimmste Verbrechen gegen eine Einzelperson in der Geschichte Indianas“ bezeichnet. Ich glaube, der Fall rund um Gertrude Baniszewski ist recht bekannt, ich habe auch schon einige Dokumentationen über den Fall gesehen, auch schon eine Einschätzung von der tollen Lydia Benecke dazu gehört. Das ist jetzt das 3. Buch von Ryan Green und ich mag seinen schnörkellosen und recht schonungslosen Schreibstil. Ich bin sehr gespannt, wie er den Fall umsetzt. #buchvorstellung #ryangreen #truecrime #wahrekriminalfälle #Gertrudebaniszewski #usa #Buch #book #Bookstagram #bookstagramgermany #germanbookstagram #bookstagrammer #bloggerlife #Blogger #bloggen #Buchblog #Buchbloggerin #missroseliest #missrosesbuecherwelt https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm9laFXLWf5/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[inmycity]

MURDERED: Sylvia Likens

Sylvia was a happy, beautiful 16-year-old when her parents left her and her sister in the care of Gertrude Baniszewski while they went on the road for work. But, within a few short months, Sylvia was beaten, humiliated, and ultimately left to die from neglect and severe abuse, inflicted by not only Gertrude, but the Baniszewski children, and neighborhood kids as well.   For current Fan Club…

[imeverywoman420]

i can never get over that quote. Abt how there is no female mozart bc there is no female jack the ripper. Like yes there is!

I mean technically there is no “female jack the ripper” ie murdering male prostitutes but like. There are SO. MANY. Evil women in history. Paglia was like in her 20s when Gertrude baniszewski tortured sylvia likens for months/years until she died i know she saw that in the news. Rosemary west? Karla homolka? The bitch of buchenwald? Susan smith? Diane downs?

I truly think paglia is an excellent example of right wing women as a whole- women that are not very intelligent that project their own lack of intellect and depth onto other women.

[dailyunsolvedmysteries]

The "branding" Gertrude Baniszewski carved onto Sylvia Likens' abdomen with a heated needle