Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder and abuse. Reader discretion is advised.
On October 26, 1965, Sylvia Likens was discovered dead at Gertrude Baniszewski’s house. She was brutally beaten and was found to be tortured and murdered. Gertrude presented the authorities with a note that Sylvia had written claiming that a group of boys beat her. However, the wounds that were found pointed to a long pattern of abuse since many of them were weeks old.
Sylvia had died from brain swelling, extensive hemorrhaging of the brain, and shock induced by extreme skin damage. She was also suffering from malnutrition. After authorities suspected foul play in her murder case, they dug deeper into who Sylvia was and why she was living with the Baniszewskis.
Sylvia Likens was born into a poor family in Indiana on January 3, 1949. She had four siblings—Diana, Danny, Bennie, and Jenny. Their father, Lester Likens, worked odd jobs to run the family. Sylvia was 16 when her parents decided to travel with carnivals to sell food from concession carts in the summer of 1965.
She met Gertrude Baniszewski, who offered to take care of Sylvia and Jenny in exchange for $20 a week. Jenny suffered from polio. Meanwhile, Gertrude already had seven children to take care of, and 17-year-old Paula was one of them. Paula and Sylvia were reportedly at odds once Sylvia moved in. According to IndyStar, this clash became a seeming cause for the abuse that followed.
One particular day, when a payment that was supposed to reach Gertrude from the Likens didn’t arrive on time, a long pattern of abuse that would follow began. Gertrude used her ex-husband’s leather belt and a paddle to physically abuse Sylvia and Jenny.
Who was convicted of Sylvia Likens’ murder?
Gertrude Baniszewski maintained that she was innocent. She pleaded not guilty and not guilty by insanity. On May 19, 1966, Gertrude was found guilty of first-degree murder. Paula was held guilty of second-degree murder. Aside from them, Richard Hobbs, Gertrude’s son John, and Coy Hubbard, another boy from the neighborhood, were held guilty of manslaughter.
They reportedly burned Sylvia and Jenny’s fingers and accused them of eating too much food, prostitution, and spreading rumors about the family, Tuko News reported. Gertrude, along with the other children, also perpetrated violent physical and verbal abuse on Sylvia Likens.
Gertrude reportedly forced her to step into a steaming hot bath after every beating and claimed that this would cleanse her of her sins. She was also severely beaten for wetting her bed. Soon after, Gertrude abandoned her in the cellar, refused to allow her access to the bathroom, and gave her crackers for food, according to IndyStar. Moreover, Gertrude horrifyingly carved the words, “I’m a prostitute and I’m proud of it,” on Sylvia’s stomach. A neighbor boy named Richard Hobbs also reportedly helped her do this.
All of the boys were sentenced to 2 to 21 years at the Indiana State Reformatory in Pendleton, while Paula and Gertrude were sentenced to life in prison at the Indiana Women’s Prison in Indianapolis. In 1968, the boys were all let out of prison owing to good behavior. Paula also pleaded guilty to a lower conviction of voluntary manslaughter and served two years. In 1985, Gertrude was released from prison for good behavior. She moved to Iowa and died of lung cancer on June 16, 1990.
ID‘s Deadly Women explored Sylvia Likens’ case in an episode titled “Born Bad.” The episode revolved around the abuse and murder of Sylvia and was aired on November 30, 2009.
