#Paula Baniszewski

[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:

[postmoderntongues]

A rare picture of Paula Baniszewski, one of Sylvia Liken’s killers

[intothedarkplace]

The Murder of Sylvia Likens Pt. One: The Crime

TW: Talk of severe child abuse and torture.

Sylvia Likens was a 16-year-old girl who lived with her four siblings and her parents, Betty and Lester. Lester only made it through 8th grade and worked many jobs to support his family. These jobs included several factories, a laundry route, at one point, a small restaurant (which was unsuccessful), and even traveling in a circus selling food out of a concessions cart.

This job was what Lester and his wife decided to go back to in the summer of 1965. Because of this and the travel schedule, Sylvia's parents had to find someone to take care of their four children. The two boys went to stay with their grandparents, and that left the two girls, Jenny and Sylvia.

Betty and Lester heard about Gertrude Baniszewski through a mutual friend. They contacted her, and she agreed to take the girls for 20 dollars a week. The families agreed, and the girls went to live with Gertrude.

Gertrude Baniszweski was a frail, underweight woman with a laundry list of health issues and asthma. She had seven children of her own at the time. Seventeen-year-old Paula, fifteen-year-old Stephanie, twelve-year-old John, eleven-year-old Marie, ten-year-old Shirley, and 18-month-olds James and Dennis.

The minute Sylvia and Jenny entered the home, Sylvia and Paula were having difficulty getting along, and this is where it's believed the initial problems started, lasting from July to October 1965.

The turning point was when one week, the 20-dollar money order didn't come on the day Gertrude expected it to. Jenny said that Gertrude took her and Sylvia upstairs and slapped Jenny, saying, " I took care of you two bitches for a week and for nothing." This was when the abuse began taking place.

There were two weapons Gertrude used regularly. A fraternity-style, two-inch-thick paddle, and a thick leather belt belonged to her ex-husband. She would hit the girls for anything she deemed punishable. This includes simply exchanging soda bottles for change at the grocery store near the home.

She once burned Sylvia's fingers because she had stolen a gym uniform from the school she went to because Gertrude refused to buy her clothing.

When Gertrude felt too weak to carry out the punishment herself, she would get her children or even other neighborhood children to do it for her.

The girls did not have a perfect life with the Baniszewski's. The girls went to the same high school as the rest of Gertrude's children. At one point, there was a rumor spreading around the school about Stephanie, Gertrude's second-oldest daughter, and someone told her that Sylvia had started it. When Stephanie found out, she asked her if she'd started it, and Sylvia confirmed this. Stephanie punched her in the face and then proceeded to cry with Sylvia.

However, Stephanie's boyfriend Coy Hubbard heard the same thing and brutally attacked her for saying anything about his girlfriend. After this, he would regularly invite his friends to the house, and they would practice Judo on Sylvia, throwing her into walls repeatedly.

Eventually, Sylvia was thrown into the cellar. She was denied access to the bathroom and was only given crackers as food. Sometimes, John would give her a bowl of soup and make her eat it with her hands. When she started to eat, as, by this time, she was extremely malnourished, he would pull the bowl away and laugh at her.

When it became apparent that Sylvia was going to die, Gertrude forced Sylvia to write a note saying she had been beaten by a group of teenage boys. The plan was to blindfold her and dump her in the woods, naked, with the note nearby. She passed away before this could happen, however. Gertrude called the police on October 26th, 1965, and told them she'd been beaten by a group of teenagers.

Jenny Likens told the police that this was not true and pushed for an investigation to be opened, and eventually, the police opened one.

Gertrude, her daughter Paula, her son John, Richard Hobbs, and Coy Hubbard were all arrested and charged. Gertrude with 1st-degree murder, Paula with second-degree murder, and the three boys with manslaughter.

The trial began in April 1966, and the first witness was called.

[amalgamasreal]

Yeah, you show someone who's never been on the receiving end of a sustained bullying campaign one of the many anime's that shows such a thing they'll tell you it's over the top when honestly they're right on the money.

I mean hell, even some of the insane ones seen in manga like Pumpkin Knight (not for the faint of heart) involving serious, life altering, levels of bullying and outright maiming aren't even that far off the mark.

I'm reminded of the case of Sylvia Likens, the United States very own version of Junko Furata (who predated Junko by over 20 years), who over the course of a year was tortured, sexually assaulted, and finally murdered by (in order) the female family friend her parents had left her with, the family friend's children, and basically every child in their entire goddamn neighborhood.

I don't recommend looking up that case unless you want to feel a level of unmitigated rage that I cannot begin to describe at the injustice that poor girl suffered and the miscarriage of justice that was that case.

One of the primary offenders is still alive, Paula Baniszewski, she had changed her name and was employed AS A TEACHER'S AIDE when people found her. Thankfully she was fired after she was outed, but she should be dead for the horrible things she did.

They made a movie about Sylvia called An American Crime and HAD TO TONE DOWN what was done to her because it was so horrific they didn't want to be accused of creating torture porn and because they believed viewers would not believe that something so horrible could happen and that no one would do anything to stop it.

no piece of teen media has ever accurately depicted the quiet psychological warfare of bullying. bullies on TV are always dumb brutes and not the evil geniuses of emotional manipulation that they are in real life. being given a wedgie and having your lunch money stolen is nothing in comparison to a classmate quietly creating a taboo against speaking to you that they intend to enforce against all the other kids. it’s nothing like continuous cutting comments from people you thought were being nice to you. that way that the work of one kid can make you feel like every person on earth silently hates you and that you are dirty, disgusting, worthless, creepy and useless. that you can have friends but many of them will not speak to you at school for fear of the social consequences on their end. how that damage lasts in any social setting for the rest of your life

[postmoderntongues]

I don’t think Gertrude Baniszewski was “evil”.  I think she was very sick, I think she over-used corporal punishment with all her children, and I think she was a woman in poverty abandoned by every man who used her up and left her worse off than the last one.  I don’t believe she orchestrated most of the abuse.  I think she ALLOWED it but I don’t think the kids who carried out the actual acts were blameless or manipulated, they didn’t torture Sylvia because they were forced to, they did it because they had “permission” from a neglectful adult.  Coy, Johnny, and Ricky were the ones responsible for most of the worst physical abuse, including possibly the branding (conflicting reports say Gertrude ordered the branding, other reports say she was upstairs laying down ill when it took place and rarely left her room during the months of torture that went on under her roof.  Because of the sexually degrading nature of the branding Im more inclined to believe it was initiated by one of the boys).  And why do none of the men who abandoned Gertrude (an impoverished mentally ill woman) with seven children take any of the blame for what happened in that house?  The youngest son’s father witnessed Sylvia being abused and said nothing about it.  She showed up battered and bruised to the church picnic while Paula showed off her arm that she broke by beating Sylvia like it was some big joke and no adult stepped in to help.  Gertrude also did not appear to understand the extent of Sylvia’s injuries.  On the last day of her life, when she was unable to eat a piece of toast or drink water, Gertrude was convinced that she was perfectly healthy and faking it.  even after she died, Gertrude didn’t believe she was dead.  I don’t believe she knew the full extent of what was happening in her house or how severe Sylvia’s condition was.  That doesn’t excuse the horrific things she DID take part in, like the coke bottle incident, but this is not a woman who should have been left in charge of 9 children.  The men who abandoned her with those children are no less guilty than she is.  If she’d had proper support, or if ANY adult had taken responsibility for stopping the obvious abuse they were witnessing, Sylvia would still be alive today.  Sylvia didn’t die because the was killed by an “evil” woman, she died because none of the “good” people did anything to save her.

[hyaenagallery]

Sylvia Likens part 4 On May 19, 1966, Gertrude Baniszewski was convicted of first-degree murder, but was spared the death penalty and sentenced to life imprisonment. Paula Baniszewski, who had given birth to a daughter named Gertrude during the trial, was convicted of second-degree murder and given a life term. Richard “Ricky” Hobbs, Coy Hubbard, and John Baniszewski, Jr. were convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 2-to-21-year terms. The boys would spend two years in prison. In 1971, Paula and Gertrude Baniszewski were granted another trial. Paula Baniszewski pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and was released two years later. Gertrude Baniszewski however was again convicted of first-degree murder. She came up for parole in 1985, and despite a public protests and petitions against her release, the parole board took her good behavior in prison into account, and she was released. She died of lung cancer in 1990. Jenny Likens Wade died of a heart attack on June 23, 2004, at age 54. Richard Hobbs died of cancer at age 21, four years after being released from the reformatory. John Baniszewski died following a lengthy illness with diabetes in 2005, at the age of 52. Coy Hubbard, Stephanie Baniszewski’s boyfriend who beat Likens and practiced his judo flips on her, had been in and out of prison since his release and was later charged and acquitted of the murder of two men. He died of a heart attack in 2007, at the age of 56. The case has since been the subject of numerous fictional and non-fictional adaptations. Jack Ketchum’s 1989 novel, The Girl Next Door, is loosely based on the murder. In 2007 a movie with the same title was released. It’s based on Ketchum’s book and Ketchum appears in a cameo as Carnival worker. #destroytheday (Throwback post from Oct. 29th, 2015) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxPo9bNB0Ts/?igshid=1t6yu9freigix

[thestorybehindthetale]

The Story Behind ‘The Girl Next Door’ (WARNING- GRAPHIC)

There are people that seem very trustworthy. You know, the kind of people you would let babysit or keep an eye on your kid while you’re away. But what happens when these people seem like angels only to turn out to hide the devil in them? The plot of  ‘The Girl Next Door’, a movie released in 2007 and directed by Gregory Wilson, seems so twisted and makes you feel so uncomfortable that you just don’t want to believe that it happened in reality. Unfortunately, it did.

Carnival workers Lester Likens and Elizabeth “Betty” Grimes had 5 kids together. Sylvia (16) was the “middle” child, born between 2 sets of twins. She was given the nickname “Cookie”,had a good sense of humor and loved The Beatles.

Between the late 40s and 60s the parents had to travel a lot following the carnival around in order to make a living, which resulted in leaving their kids behind, most of the time under the care of relatives in Indiana. Their marriage was not ideal, with minor and major problems leading to divorce.

After the divorce, Sylvia went with her sister Jenny (polio patient) to live with her mother who was later arrested for shoplifting. The girls had to return to their father who was not able to take care of them at the moment. That is why he decided after talking to Gertrude Baniszewski, a neighbor with 7 kids of her own, to let them under her care while he was away for the price of 20$ per week. Lester did not inspect the house before “surrendering” the girls. 

Gertrude’s house was not an ideal environment for kids. Gertrude’s 7 kids, Paula(17), Stefanie(15), John(13), Marie(11), Shirley(10), James(8)and baby Dennis along with the Likens girls had to get used to the fact that there was no stove but only a hot plate available to make food for everyone. They also had to share 3 spoons since these were the only cutlery available in the house.

The first week at Gertrude’s home went by uneventfully. Then Lester forgot to pay on time and the torture started. The girls were taken down at the basement and were beaten up with a paddle. The 20$ arrived the next day but the damage was already done. Gertrude realized her power and focused her anger onto Sylvia.  She started acting tough towards the poor girl accusing her of being promiscuous and stealing from grocery stores. She would beat her up for no reason and even encouraged her kids, neighborhood youngsters and on occasions even her own sister (Jenny) to mistreat her. 

One time, Gertrude took Sylvia down the basement and using a hot needle that one of her daughters assisted on heating up, carved “I am a prostitute and proud of it” on her stomach. Another of Gertrude’s sick “rituals” against Sylvia included locking her up in the basement for days, starving her, and denying her bathroom access. One of the most disturbing things that happened at that time is when Sylvia was forced to insert a glass bottle of Coke into her vagina for the “entertainment” of the kids. After multiple tortures Sylvia eventually died from internal bleeding, shock and malnutrition. 

Gertrude tried to cover up Sylvia’s murder by showing to the police officers a fake letter from Sylvia stating that she went out and had sex with a bunch of boys who were the ones to blame for all the tortures she suffered. When the police was ready to leave the house, Sylvia’s sister Jenny approached an officer and informed him that there are more things they need to know about the case, starting a massive investigation.

Gertrude pleaded “Not Guilty” by reason of insanity but in the end was convicted of first degree murder and got life imprisonment along with her older daughter who was convicted of second degree murder. John Baniszewski with 2 neighborhood kids that constantly assisted in the beating and torturing of Sylvia were convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 2-21 year terms. The charges towards the younger members of the family were dropped.

Gertrude was released several years later (1985) despite the public’s outcry for justice, and changed her name to Nadine Van Fossan. She died in 1990 from lung cancer. Paula was released in 1971 after she pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter during her second trial. The boys were released two years after their incarceration.

Gertrude never showed any remorse for the murder of Sylvia even after she took full responsibility for whatever happened to Sylvia. She allegedly stated that “Sylvia needed to be taught a lesson”.

The public never really forgot the disturbing incident. Some months after the release of the film ‘The Girl Next Door’, another film based on the same events called ‘An American Crime’ by Tommy O’ Haver hit the big screens around the US.

[calendarofanxiety]

October 26, 1965 LIKENS Sylvia Marie Likens was the third child of carnival workers Lester Likens and his wife Elizabeth. She was born between 2 sets of fraternal twins: Diana and Danny (2 years older) and Jenny and Benny (1 year younger). Likens' parents' marriage was unstable. The family moved frequently and the parents had financial difficulties. Likens and her sister Jenny were often boarded out or forced to live with relatives such as their grandmother so that their schoolwork would not suffer while their parents were on the road. Also - to earn money -  Likens babysat and ironed. In July 1965 Sylvia and Jenny Likens were living with their mother in Indianapolis, Indiana. During that time Elizabeth was arrested and jailed for shoplifting. Lester Likens who had recently separated from his wife arranged for his daughters to board with Gertrude Baniszewski - the mother of the girls' new friend Paula Baniszewski (17) and Paula's six siblings Stephanie (15), John (12), Marie (11), Shirley (10), James (8) and few-months-old Dennis. Although the Baniszewskis were poor Lester "didn't pry" into the condition of the house (as he reported at the trial) and he encouraged Baniszewski to "straighten his daughters out". He agreed to pay Baniszewski $20 a week in exchange for her care of the Likens girls. Baniszewski described by The Indianapolis Star as a "haggard, underweight asthmatic" was suffering from depression and the stress of several failed marriages. When payment arrived late Baniszewski beat the Likens girls on their bare buttocks with paddles. Baniszewski soon focused her abuse exclusively on Sylvia. She accused her of stealing candy that she had bought and humiliated her when she admitted that she once had a boyfriend. Baniszewski's daughter Paula who was pregnant at the time kicked Likens in the genitals and accused her of being pregnant (later medical examination proved that Likens wasn't pregnant). Baniszewski began allowing her older children to beat Likens and repeatedly push her down stairs for entertainment. Baniszewski force-fed Likens a hot dog overloaded with condiments. Likens vomited afterwards which she was later forced to consume. Baniszewski also accused Likens of prostitution and delivered sermons about the filthiness of prostitutes and women in general. Likens was later accused of spreading rumors within Arsenal Technical High School that Paula and Stephanie Baniszewski were prostitutes. This supposedly provoked Stephanie's boyfriend Coy Hubbard to physically attack Likens. Afterwards Hubbard and several other classmates and local boys visited the Baniszewski residence to assist Gertrude in abusing Likens. Baniszewski encouraged Hubbard, her children and neighborhood children to torment Likens including extinguishing lit cigarettes upon her skin (reportedly over 100 times), beating her, tying her up, using her as "judo practice" where she was violently thrown against walls, burning all of her fingers with matches, lacerating her and forcing her to strip naked. Paula Baniszewski once beat Likens in the face with such force that she broke her own wrist. She later had to wear a cast which she used to further beat Likens. Meanwhile Raymond and Phyllis Vermillion (a middle-aged couple who moved next door) saw Gertrude to be an ideal caretaker for their 2 children. They visited the Baniszewski household on 2 occasions where they witnessed Paula with Gertrude's approval abusing Sylvia but they refused to report the abuse to the authorities out of fear. When Likens became incontinent Baniszewski locked her in the basement and began a bathing regime to "cleanse" Likens involving dousing her entire body with scalding water and rubbing salt onto her burns. She was often kept naked and rarely fed. At times Baniszewski and her son John would make Likens eat her own feces as well as urine and feces from the diaper of Gertrude Baniszewski's 1-year-old son. She would also charge the neighborhood children 5 cents to see the "display" of Likens' naked body and physically abuse her. Likens attempted to alert the neighbors for help by hitting the walls of the basement with a spade ultimately to no avail. The Likens sisters had no way to contact other family members to inform them of the abuse. Jenny especially struggled to do this since she was constantly threatened by Baniszewski that she would be abused and tortured next like her sister. Early that summer they saw their older sister Diana a couple of times at the local park. Diana was then 18 years old, married and estranged from the rest of her family. Their parents had forbidden contact between the two. When her sisters finally had the chance to tell Diana about the punishments they were receiving she assumed that seeing her was the reason why. They wished they could all live together but at the time they didn't know they lived less than a 1,5 mile apart. Diana eventually learned that Sylvia and Jenny were staying at a home which wasn't their parents and she attempted to visit them. Baniszewski told her that the girls weren't allowed to see her and ordered Diana off her property. Shortly thereafter a neighbor made an anonymous report which prompted an in-home visit by a public health nurse. The nurse entered the home, made inquiries and had no choice but to leave without further investigation. Baniszewski replied she had kicked Likens out of her house and her whereabouts were unknown. On October 22 Baniszewski forced Likens to insert an empty glass Coca-Cola bottle into her vagina once again after discovering that she had urinated herself. After that she carved the words "I'M A PROSTITUTE AND PROUD OF IT" onto Likens' abdomen with a heated needle. When Baniszewski was unable to finish the branding she had Ricky Hobbs finish. Hobbs and 10-year-old Shirley Baniszewski then used an iron poker in an attempt to burn the letter "S" into Likens' chest. The burn scar ended up looking like the number 3. Baniszewski later taunted Likens about how she would never be able to marry a man due to the words carved onto her stomach. The next day Baniszewski woke Likens, then dictated a letter to her intending to mislead her parents into believing that she had run away. The letter also tried to frame a group of anonymous boys for inflicting the injuries and mutilations onto Sylvia after she supposedly agreed to have sexual relations with them. After Likens finished the letter Baniszewski formulated a plan to have John and Jenny take Sylvia to a nearby forested area and leave her there to die. On October 25 the day before she died Likens tried to escape after overhearing Baniszewski's plan to blindfold her and dump her body in Jimmy's Forest (a wooded area nearby). Likens fled to the front door but due to her extensive injuries Baniszewski caught her. She threw Likens into the basement and with the assistance of Hubbard she tied, beat and bludgeoned her with a chair, paddle and broomstick until she was unconscious. On October 26 after multiple beatings, burnings and scalding baths Likens died of a brain hemorrhage, shock and malnutrition. She was 16 years old. When Stephanie Baniszewski and Richard Hobbs realized that Likens wasn't breathing Stephanie tried to give her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. When she realized that Likens was dead Baniszewski sent Hobbs to call the police. When police arrived Gertrude handed them the letter she had forced Likens to write a few days previously. Before the police officers left the house however Jenny Likens approached them and said "Get me out of here and I'll tell you everything". Her statement combined with the discovery of Likens' body prompted the officers to arrest Gertrude, Paula, Stephanie, John Baniszewski, Richard Hobbs and Coy Hubbard for murder. Other neighborhood children present at the time - Mike Monroe, Randy Lepper, Darlene McGuire, Judy Duke and Anna Siscoe - were arrested for "injury to person".

[crimeloversdelight-blog]

The Murder of Sylvia Likens

This is a case that rattles me to my core. I have heard read and watched countless murder cases and all of them absolutely devastate me. But something about Sylvia Liken’s isolation, torture and murder has stuck with me for years. 

In the early 1960′s, Sylvia Liken and her younger sister, Jenny, were constantly traveling as their parents were of a nomadic circus. Persistent schooling was hard as the family frequently relocated to the circus’ next spot and the parents wanted a better education and future for their daughters. When Sylvia and Jenny met the daughters of Gertrude Baniszewski, they all instantly became friends, and the parents trusted the mother as well. Gertrude offered to watch the two Liken girls in return for some 30$ each month. The parents agreed, though not knowing Gertrude well, but wanting their daughters to have a normal school and play life.

Gertrude instantly hated Sylvia. Sylvia was beautiful and young, aspects the mother desperately wished she still had. Gertrude would invite young boys over, constantly pursue men and had a bizarre way of smooth talking and gaining people’s admiration. When Gertrude’s biological daughter became pregnant, she told Sylvia and the news spread. Instead of chastising her daughter, Gertrude told her daughter to beat Sylvia up for spreading lies as “it was only fair.” Sylvia’s torture was just starting.

Gertrude would ash her lit cigarettes out on Sylvia’s skin. She would tell her children to watch as this is what a slut deserves. She even forced Sylvia to shove an entire glass bottle up herself in front of the family. Jenny, sylvia’s sister, cried silently and every time she tried to intervene, Gertrude would say she would enact the same harm on her. The biological children were brainwashed to an extent as they believed their mother truly knew best, and this torture and punishment was just for “lying” and being “promiscuous” neither of which Sylvia was. 

In fact the only flaw Sylvia had was being beautiful. That was a crime in Gertrude’s eyes.

Gertrude force fed Sylvia hot dogs at a church function once, and when Sylvia’s body could not handle any more she threw up. Gertrude then made her eat her own vomit. 

The torture escalated to Gertrude throwing Sylvia down a flight of steps, locking her up in the basement and tying her to a post so she was kept prisoner. She was given no food or water for days on end, slowly starving and only growing weaker. Gertrude told everyone and made sure her children repeated the lie, that Sylvia was in Juvenile Detention. 

This is where the story really makes me sick.

Gertrude involved the entire neighborhood and her own seven children to join in on the torture of Sylvia. Sylvia was too weak and battered to fight back or attempt to escape. Gertrude’s son would invite friends over to the basement to burn Sylvia, tie her up, kick her in the face, beat her with sticks, dance with her limp body, and even hose her down with water like a rabid animal. Gertrude even forced Jenny to partake in the torture as a horrific psychological punishment for them both.

Neighborhood kids would later implicate each other with statements like “no i didn’t brand her with an S, i did the other part, but Shirley Ann did the rest.” or “I hit her but i don’t know why, I was recruited by Anna Siscoe.” Every kid in the neighborhood, boy and girl, believed Gertrude’s rumors about sylvia that she was paying men for sex and that the torture was just. Just about everyone in the small town knew of the prisoner in Gertrude’s basement, said nothing, did nothing, and even participated. Many kids liked to just watch Gertrude kick and beat Sylvia.

“I am going to die. I can tell.” Sylvia told Jenny three days before she finally died. This was the result of months of abuse. 

Gertrude made Sylvia write a note saying she was a prostitute, and a group of boys who had sex with her beat her up, and she was running away. Gertrude even knew Sylvia would be dead soon and was preparing. 

One neighborhood boy, Richard Hoobs, and Gertrude went into the basement and carved into Sylvia’s body “I’m a prostitute and proud of it” as a coverup for blaming the murder on boys who wanted to fuck her. 

When the oldest daughter finally saw Sylvia deceased, she called the police. 911 came and took the body out. It was Jenny, who through tears, told the cops if they took her with them she would tell them the truth. 

The truth came out. Gertrude was convicted of murder and sentenced to life. Gertrude’s children Paula, Stephanie and John were also arrested. Richard Hobbs and more than 7 other neighborhood kids were indicted. And plenty more had participated in the slaughter of Sylvia but too young to be convicted.

Gertrude’s own lawyer later admitted “she ought to go to the electric chair.” 

BUT THIS IS WHERE THE JUSTICE SYSTEM FAILED

Gertrude was RELEASED on “good behavior” just 19 years later. How disgusting? She claims she had found God. 

The murderer died of lung cancer five years later. 

Do you blame the parents of Jenny and Sylvia for trusting a woman they barely knew?

[aeonouji]

Aeon Reviews: An American Crime

TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR THE FILM: ABUSE DRUG USE INTENSE/FRIGHTENING SCENES So after getting my ass handed to me in Pokemon (tcg), watching copious amounts of Megan Batoon cooking videos and some more, my brother said "hey do you wanna watch a movie" to which I groaned and made a face at. Now, my track record with the equation of my brother + a movie of his choice is mixed. Last time was Moana(loved) and he cut off in the middle of Zootopia(he was mad i finished w/o him but serves him right, he knows I hate not finishing movies). The times before were horror. So like I said, mixed. He assured me it was a documentary and there would not be any horror or gore. "An American Crime" (2007) is about the true story of a suburban mother who locks up and abuses a teenage girl the 1960s. It has Ellen Page. There's that. HOLY FUCK, this film gets dark. So Sylvia Likens and her sister have to stay with a complete stranger because her parents are carnival workers. Everything is fine and dandy until the 1/3rd point. Until Sylvia makes a "regrettable mistake" and ends up getting abused as a way for Gertrude Baniszewski to vent her "stress" of being in financial trouble and Paula Baniszewski lying about gossip caused by Sylvia attempting to protect her. What follows after is gut-wrenching at worst. This is based off a true case. And I dare not repeat what I just saw. But it's horrible. I can tell you this: my hands were shaking as Sylvia was forced to put a glass Coke bottle inside her vagina as a means of Gertrude attempting to "punish" her. And it made me almost cry when I saw a montage of the Baniszewski children "punishing" and humiliating for months because this poor teenage girl was trying to protect a friend. Of course, it tries to bring you up. But, Paula realizes too late, the damage she's done. *sigh* at important intervals we watch the court case as it goes on. We watch each of the Baniszewski children and the neighborhood children who participated in the abuse of Likens testify and when it gets to the point of the montage mentioned they all say "they did it because they could." While the Baniszewski children save Paula responded "they were punishing her." It is a dark movie not meant for all. It should be awareness of abuse and mistreatment of people due to a misconstrued concept and punishment and justice. It should be awareness that evil is not born, it is placed in your lap and you have the choice of pushing it off or keeping it there. -- in short coming from someone of 2017 where everything is sour grapes and lemons, this movie is one that made me almost cry because I was disgusted by the events happening.

[rcwleonard617-blog]

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It's Sunday early morning, one moment just before the religion bell bands. All youngsters create at other rates, and your kid might not possess the capability to do all the items on this list by the time university starts. Some folks find babysitting as a part-time project to create gravy train, yet they do not really like children. Children were aligned in the snack bar from a Christian university for lunch. While at a preschool or even nursery college children spend a ton of their time with their favored packed creature or fuzzy little toy where they can get an unimaginable variety of germs and infections. For those little ones listed below 21 yrs aged, they are no must renounce their Malaysian citizenseip, ie. no need to relinquish their childbirth cert n passposrt to Malaysia High Comm in Sg. The kids are going to keep twin citizenship ie Singapore & Malaysia till 21 years old.

Sadly, while our experts as a community have actually failed to adequately enroll the usefulness from loved ones on our kids, those who victimize young people understand it all also well. Some individuals take part in being a parent with outlandish requirements as well as they may be surprised at the quantity of care as well as attention that little ones as well as little ones need to have.

Although this was actually certainly not yet known (apart from to her), Paula was actually expecting (she was intimately included with a local married man ). The 4 teen ladies, agnieszkagotuje.Info after some discussion, headed to Gertrude Baniszewski's house where they spent time.It is actually greatly because of business that we have children consuming alcohol dirty water in our area from the planet in the 21st century. Youngsters additionally are able to know colour recognition as well as effective ways to utilize the colour steering wheel. A sophisticated pedophile is actually guaranteed of having sex for the prey's life time with child changes as the target grows older, unless or till the victim begins to heal as well as can take herself away from a really harmful environment.Parents from little ones ought to discover that few folks, and also possibly no person, will definitely find their children as captivating as they do. In some cases, you will need to work with your kid to get that space appearing like that can Occasionally a fresh start and a break off the nagging benefits the family members.Or even, you could also possess a worry about the children being actually abused or even their well-being being driven to one side due to adult protection struggles. Home cleaning entails the several complicated everyday chores that are necessary to keep your property livable and inviting.A questionnaire of virtually 9,000 USA moms and dads and also young children located that simply concerning one-half of the kids went outside to walk or even participate in along with a moms and dad daily. Your little one has to be actually entailed with the straightening method, otherwise the hard cleaning.Their era of innocence is actually the amount of time when they know and also embrace just about anything conveniently. Regrettably, they are going to likewise create dozens extra pounds of filthy brood during the course of their lifetime. Start caring for these youngsters today as well as view a variation in the world tomorrow.Doctors consistently distribute guidance to parents of young children in the course of well-child gos to, but a brand-new University from Michigan survey presents that a lot of typically aren't observing doctors' purchases. Keeping your lavatory well-maintained as well as smelling excellent is important considering that dirty lavatories may certainly not only look awful and aroma disgusting however can additionally make below ground water polluted.I wish to be actually a released writer at some point from children's publications, but for now would certainly settle for a big following of my blog. Dampness motivates bacteria, which suggests stench, according to the Children's Medical center Colorado website. Parents comply with these mental requirements by remaining to offer opportunities for play and also understanding.

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Ezine Contents Off AMAZINES.COM Page 20

Raising little ones in America today is actually an uphill struggle. Post 37: Status commitments to guarantee that little ones are exempt to torment, derogatory or barbaric therapy or even consequences, consisting of capital punishment or even lifestyle imprisonment without the option of launch. A dental cleaning does certainly not usually deserve taking a whole day off job because it must certainly not last over a couple hrs maximum. If the child's title is not modified back then, the moms and dad asking for the title adjustment have to file a courtroom application to modify the child's name and request a hearing. Mosting likely to the dental professional is actually especially necessary for kids given that their teeth and also dental care are actually still in the developing period. Youngsters are acquiring much more included with computer system gaming consoles as well as off an earlier age and also there are actually also computer system gaming consoles targeted at pre-school kids to aid all of them establish their listening, amount, character as well as talking awareness.

. You could also communicate collectively to a little one specialist that can easily aid you understand just what type of parenting time routine would certainly be most ideal for your kid relying on his or her grow older and also stage of advancement, your household dynamic, proximity of you and your significant other per other, as well as any other pertinent factors - including your need that each of your youngsters manage to sustain a premium relationship along with each parent. Although that was actually not yet recognized (other than to her), Paula was actually expecting (she was actually sexually entailed with a regional married man ). The four teenage gals, after some conversation, visited Gertrude Baniszewski's home where they spent time. When playthings, blocks out, http://piekna-i-szczupla.info/plan-diety-lk-yokebe/ crayons or even cars all have an exclusive area to become stashed, that has the thinking out of clean up. By limiting the amount from points enabled out at any one time, the overwhelming calamity never has the possibility to take place. D. Preschoolers typically have worries from the dark, being actually laid off especially at bedtime, as well as ghosts, which might impact the little one's going to sleep in the evening. Being involved in the institution including joining the PTA and also offering in courses or journeys, permits a parent to know every person around their kid in the course of school hours a lot better. Water was not an ideal drink for this "social" event, for that reason it was actually become red or white wine for the benefit of individuals in attendance. There are numerous files from children being repeatedly mistreated by team in addition to the other little ones at the center.

They each spent their time familiarizing themselves with Gertrude's various other little ones. In addition, a study of respiratory health and wellness showed a clear connection in between little ones's breathing complications as well as their mothers' massive use of common cleaning items in pregnancy. The good news is there is actually a method to combat this certain visitation challenge, and that pops in method of the visiting focuses that are set up with the court house as well as are actually made use of for the reason from keeping track of the pick-up and drop-off times from the little ones to make sure not either moms and dad breaches a breakup subpoena.

Twenty years later, Carissa has actually dealt with to get away the desperate "survival sex" way of living that has come to be a blind roadway for several youngsters. The Trump administration divided almost 2,000 immigrant children coming from moms and dads or guardians at the border over the stretch of six full weeks, a Department of Birthplace Protection official claimed on Friday.

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Sylvia Likens part 3 When Stephanie Baniszewski and Richard Hobbs realized that Likens was not breathing, Stephanie attempted to give her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. After realizing Likens was dead, Baniszewski sent Hobbs to call the police from a nearby payphone. When police arrived, Gertrude Baniszewski handed them a letter she had forced Likens to write a few days previously, addressed to her parents. The letter stated that Likens had agreed to have sexual relations with a group of boys in exchange for money who then dragged her away in their car. The letter went on to claim that the boys had beaten, burned, and carved the “S�� inscription into Likens’ skin. Before the police left, however, Jenny Likens approached them and said, “Get me out of here and I’ll tell you everything.” During the highly publicized trial, Gertrude Baniszewski denied responsibility for Likens’ death, pleading not guilty by reason of insanity. She claimed that she was too distracted by her ill health and depression to control her children. Gertrude Baniszewski’s second-oldest daughter Stephanie (15) was granted immunity after she turned state’s evidence against the others. Attorneys for the minors on trial (Paula (17) and John Baniszewski (13), Richard Hobbs (15), and Coy Hubbard (15)) claimed that they had been pressured by Baniszewski. When Gertrude’s 11-year-old daughter Marie Baniszewski was called to the stand as a witness for the defense, she broke down and admitted that she had been forced to heat the needle with which Hobbs had carved Likens’ skin, and that she had seen her mother beating Likens and forcing her into the basement. In his closing statement, Baniszewski’s lawyer said: “I condemn her for being a murderess… but I say she’s not responsible because she’s not all here!” and tapped his head to make a point about Baniszewski’s state of mind. #destroytheday https://www.instagram.com/p/BxPor90hhte/?igshid=1x526djr6ki9x

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Below the cut are 78 icons of Ari Graynor as Paula Baniszewski in An American Crime. Size 100x100. Please like or reblog if you use!

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THE TORTURE MOTHER  -  PART ONE Life before Sylvia Likens

The tragic case of the torture and murder of 16 year old Sylvia Likens was called the "single worst crime perpetuated against an individual in Indiana history" and for me, its one of the worst cases I have ever heard about, read about or researched, and without a doubt the hardest case I have ever written about. I will warn you in advance that this case is extremely graphic, and there’s a lot of detail known about the case and the torture that this young girl went through, which I will be including, so if you think that this may be triggering for you, give this one a pass.

Gertrude Baniszewski was born as Gertrude Van Fossan in 1929, and she was the third child born of 6 to the Indiana family, which definitely had it’s troubles, but as far as investigators could find, the reasons for Gertrude committing her later crimes were not based in her formative years. Not much is known about her relationship with her mother, it seems that they really didn’t have too much of a relationship with her mother at all. She was however very close to her father, who tragically died of a heart attack in front of Gertrude when she was 11. This tragedy did impact Gertrude and caused her to become even more distant from her mother, however Gertrude major problems would occur once she was 16 years old.

16 year old Gertrude dropped out of school in order to marry John Baniszewski, who was an 18 year old deputy, this would begin a spiral for Gertrude of her becoming reliant on men for quite some time, likely due to the tragic loss of her father at such a young age. Gertrude and John had four children together, but the relationship was not healthy, with John often being abusive towards his young wife, eventually leading to their divorce after 10 years, leaving Gertrude to raise 4 children alone.

However, it would not take long for Gertrude to remarry, within a year of her divorce she had bagged herself a new man, Edward Guthrie. Not much is known about this relationship, largely due to the fact that it only lasted 3 months before they divorced, allegedly because of Gertrude's 4 children.

In an unexpected twist Gertrude rekindled her relationship with her first husband John, who had been abusive for the length of their 10 year relationship, and actually remarried him before having another two children, putting the grand total so far at 6. However, they would then divorce 7 years later in 1963, leaving her with 6 children to raise.

However, Gertrude could not handle being alone, leading her ( now 37 ) to find herself a younger man, 23 year old Dennis Lee Wright and move in with him. The couple never married, though she would later claim that they had in order to try and salvage some of her reputation after the two had a child together. Dennis Lee Wright was very abusive to Gertrude, and it is theorised that the miscarriage that Gertrude suffered during this relationship was actually caused by Dennis. Very shortly after their son, her last child, was born, Dennis actually abandoned Gertrude and ran away from the family, which is when Gertrude began to lie to neighbours, claiming that the couple had married before he left her.

Now with seven children to look after, and no man to help support her, other than occasional child support from John for their six children, Gertrude needed to find a way to bring in money, so she began doing odd jobs for her neighbours, especially babysitting and laundry. The house would reportedly always be full of kids and piles of washing.

It was around this time that Gertrude became chronically ill with undiagnosed illnesses, and she almost completely stopped looking after herself, she stopped bathing and almost completely stopped eating. This left Gertrude with a receding hairline, sunken eyes and a skeletal appearance, which in turn left her feeling bitter and angry, the woman who could not stand being without a man was now unable to gain the attention that she was so used to. It was reportedly around this time that her eldest child, 17 year old Paula came to her mother to tell her that she was pregnant after having an ‘affair’ with a middle aged married man.