Coy Hubbard was, at first represented by Joseph Quill. Other adults occasionally came to the Baniszewski house for various reasons and saw Sylvias battered appearance. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The daughter of Gertrude Baniszewski, who tortured and murdered Sylvia Likens in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1965, known as the worst crime ever commited in the state of Indiana, lives here. Sylvia also suffered from extreme malnutrition. She was the mother of Paula and Stephanie Baniszewski. Stephanie's boyfriend, Coy Hubbard killed Sylvia when he administered the very last fatal blow to her head with a wooden broomstick handle, which resulted in the immediate cause of death, a subdural hematoma to the brain. He has worked as a truck driver and realtor and served as a lay pastor. He asked that NBC News not use his name. Many of the younger imprisoned women called the child killer and mother of seven by a title most familiar to her: Mom. According to the Chicago Tribune, prison psychiatrists termed Baniszewski a healthy, stable, pleasant and agreeable person who wants to try to make up for the past and leave the world a little better. At the hearing, Baniszewski teared up frequently and expressed remorse but claimed amnesia about the crime. Gertrude Baniszewski was convicted of first-degree murder again at a second trial. The torture-murderer moved to Iowa where she lived out her life under the name Nadine Van Fossan. But when one of their checks arrived late, Baniszewski took out her frustration by beating the girls. With all the kids in her home, both her own and their many friends, a lot of fights broke out. Fifth-oldest of the Baniszewski children, Shirley was the youngest of the family to actively participate in Sylvias torture. Exclusive Events + Special Offers. Her moms remorselessness was past the creative mind, where her mom utilized her teen youngsters to manhandle another high schooler young lady. The details of her demise, revealed at the 1966 trial, defy belief. If you know some information, please comment below. As Gertrude and a gang of teenagers watched, Sylvia was forced to undress in the living room and insert an empty Coke bottle into her vagina. Stephanie Baniszewskis attorney got her a separate trial and later the murder charge against her was dropped as well. Although not about the Sylvia Likens case, a book called Dear Corinne, Tell Somebody! shooting in fitchburg ma today; how to get to quezon avenue mrt station Uncovering hot babes since 1919. stephanie baniszewski. Who Is Stephanie Baniszewski Husband? Ha ha ha! Follow her on Twitter: @stephaniewang. To the surprise and consternation of many observers, the jury did not sentence her to death. A never-published play called Hey, Rube was also inspired by this slaying and that leads us to a most bizarre coincidence. She also married. I think GB was a complete whacko and the kids were the major villains. After all, Mr. Kelly notes, Mrs. Wright. Representing Gertrude Baniszewski was William Erbecker, a respected, heavy-set attorney considered flamboyant and personable. | She was 15 YEARS OLD--old enough to know right from wrong! Stephanie admitted to participating in Sylvia's abuse, but to some degree, she was given a special trail . Truly brutal and heinous crimes, the kind you usually see in horror or slasher movies, do happen in real life. Likens' father, impoverished and traveling to make a meager living for his family, had placed the girl and her sister, Jenny, in the care of Baniszewski. The teenaged Dianne is described as bony like Mrs. Wright. Press J to jump to the feed. Paula, now 64, was released from prison in 1972. Years of poverty and abuse had worn Baniszewski down and although she was thirty-six years old, she weighed only 100 Stephanie in real life walked into the house right as Sylvia was inserting the coke bottle, but instead of stopping the incident like as shown in An American Crime, she actually made the situation worse by going up to Sylvia and slapping her across the face, ordering her to go up into her room. She served time and was released from prison in 1972. John Baniszewski, Coy Hubbard, and Richard Hobbs were convicted of manslaughter. But the pain of what happened to Likens has plagued her all her life, her stepdaughter said. More at IMDbPro. But, so many of you must be wondering who was Stephanie? All; Titles; TV Episodes; Celebs; Companies; . Her eyes were blurred with tears as she got into the witness box. The only paid attorney, James G. Nedeff, had been appointed by the court to represent Richard Hobbs. They burned her skin with their cigarette butts. In a display of filial devotion, Paula named her child Gertrude. According to the afterward in The Indiana Torture Slaying, Lester Likens found out his son was dead when a letter the father had written to Benny was returned marked Deceased., The people of Indianapolis have not forgotten Sylvia. Sylvia herself and her younger sister Jenny had opportunities to tell adults at school or church they even had adult relatives living nearby. You can't hide Stephanie! IMDbPro Starmeter. Though she admitted to participating to some degree in Sylvia's abuse, she was granted a special trial and then all charges against her were dropped, likely because she agreed to turn state's evidence against her family. Google has the address and phone. They all should be harassed for the rest of their lives and should have never had peace to live out their lives. Despite the outcry, when the parole board again voted, it was three to two in favor of the parole, exactly as it had been on the first vote. It wasnt children going wild. Paula, however, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter to avoid another trial. But that was just a bunch of uncontrolled children. The Baniszewskis beat, belted and burned her. The easiest to get hold of is The Basement by feminist Kate Millett. I agree, who out there has the experience/knowledge in hunting this beast down? Was thinking of Shirley who disappeared. Indeed, one of the enduring mysteries of the case is why neither she nor Sylvia sought help before things escalated. John Baniszewski was to tell a reporter that he actively. Gertrude Baniszewskis story was that she had been too sick and chronically tired to know all the terrible things going on in her own home. Millett foolishly reads all kinds of cosmic implications into it and projects her own beliefs pacifist as much as feminist onto the dead girl in ways that defy credibility. Blake acknowledges that his punishment was inadequate to the terrible crime. I thought she was a downtrodden, mean woman.. As indicated by an alternate source, it appears Stephanie Baniszewski has changed her name and relocated to Florida, where the report recommends that she is hitched and has youngsters. Was Stephanie Guilty? If we wanted to go outside and play, shed let us, and maybe shed come out and mess around and play, joke around. There is a special place in hell waiting for you! They dropped her into a tub of scalding water, then rubbed salt into her raw skin. Some say Florida where it's married with kids/grandkids? Some wounds time will never heal. I never really knew her. Paula Pace, the caller said, was actually Paula Baniszewski, who was 17 at the time of the killings and the eldest of seven children. All of these lawyers worked for their indigent clients free of charge. Stephanie Baniszewski when she was in 1st grade. She was fired from the school system, and with a past so notorious, her future looks bleak. Sylvia Likens died Oct. 26, 1965. Copyright 2023 Indianapolis Monthly, All Rights Reserved. It is not known whether or not she had contact with her paroled mother. When Gertrude, a sickly asthmatic, didnt feel up to disciplining Sylvia, she relied on her oldest child, Paula, to help out. She had heard her mother order Sylvia down to the basement. But when one of their checks arrived late, Baniszewski took out her frustration by beating the girls. They deserved harsher punishments, regardless of age. Love, Annie was inspired by it. Everyone that participated in the beating of Sylvia Likens, and the people who knew about it should all die of abuse. Several of Baniszewskis children and a gaggle of neighborhood kids, some as young as 10, watched or joined in on the beatings and torture. Marie replied, Im here to testify to see if my mom killed Sylvia Likens.. She was quiet and reserved but she also made him nervous. She was considered to be (probably) the most attractive and intelligent of the children in that . Coy Hubbard, who took such excessive revenge again and again for a slur against his ladylove, Stephanie Baniszewski, served time for burglary some years after his brief stint in the reformatory. Yes, Sylvia Likens was indeed a real person, and she did suffer under the hands of Gertrude Baniszewski. One of the film's primary departures from reality is the sympathetic portrayal of Paula Baniszewski; interviews conducted after her arrest revealed that Paula was fully compliant in Likens' torture, and at one point had even taken to literally rubbing salt in Likens' wounds, independent of . One of the most shocking murders of a young teen-aged girl happened over 50 years ago and still brings tears to the eyes of even the most hardened police detective. A group of kids ranging in age from seventeen to ten tie up Barbara, their 20-year-old babysitter. Quill quit after a week and Forrest Bowman assumed Hubbards case as well as John Baniszewsis. We have no information about his girlfriend/boyfriend. Someone should track her down because it says she's a Florida teacher. New continued questioning Marie until finally the sobbing child shouted, Oh, God, help me! Then, Perry Mason-like, the witness for the defense turned into one for the prosecution. Contact info. Figures Florida would have somebody like that as a teacher. BANISZEWSKI: She would not do anything I told her, no. Sylvia Likens died at the hands of Getrude Baniszewski, a woman who was supposed to take care of her. I condemn her for being a murderess, thats what I do, Erbecker said, but I say shes not responsible because shes not all here! He pointed to his head. Dianna made headlines recently when she and her husband, Cecil Paul Knutson, both diabetics, got lost in the California backcountry and were stranded in their car for two weeks with nothing to sustain them but rainwater, a pie, and some oranges. Five days before she died, according to a 1965 story by the Indianapolis Star, Gertrude Baniszewski ordered one of the neighbor boys to etch, with a three-inch, red hot needle, I am a prostitute and I'm proud of it into Sylvias stomach. To back up Mrs. B.s story, Marie Baniszewski was called to the stand. Though she admitted to participating to some degree in Sylvias abuse, she was granted a special trial, and then all charges against her were dropped, likely because she agreed to turn states evidence against her family. John Stephen Baniszewski died in 2005. He was the son of Gertrudes lover, Dennis Lee Wright Sr., who abandoned the family shortly after his namesakes birth. Stephanie Baniszewski at the time of Sylvia's murder trial in 1966. Finally, he took her to the day Sylvia was branded on the stomach. Stephanie cared about Sylvia. At least a dozen children participated or at least watched, and none felt sufficiently disturbed to tell their own parents. On October 26, 1965, Indianapolis police were called to 3850 E. New York St., where Sylvias body lay on a mattress. On October 26, 1965, police found Sylvia Likenss emaciated corpsecovered with more than 150 wounds ranging from burns to cutssprawled on a filthy mattress in the Indianapolis home of 37-year-old Gertrude Baniszewski, mother of seven and the architect of the girls gruesome death. . When she suspected Sylvia of stealing, she used matches to burn the girls fingers. Convicted of manslaughter, he served a short sentence and died of cancer in 1972 at age 21. The 2007 movie, An American Crime, directed by Tommy OHaver, was based on the horrific life and tragic death of Sylvia Likens. And may your tormentors burn in the depths of hell forever. Stephanie waived her immunity from any potential impending prosecution while agreeing to testify against her family and any other individuals charged with abusing and murdering Likens. She got 2-to-21 years but, in spite of attempting a prison break, was paroled in March 1972 and released completely in March 1974. Gertrude Baniszewski, then 37, and 12-year-old John would force her to eat her own feces. Prior to starting this book, Millett had put on several sculptural exhibitions inspired by the Likens case. Benny Likens, Jennys twin brother began showing signs of severe mental illness a few years after his sisters hideous death. By 1965, Baniszewski lived alone with her seven children: Paula (17), Stephanie (15), John (12), Marie (11), Shirley (10), James (8), and Dennis Jr. (1). He's suppose to be a minister, but many they have heard him speak and that he really just wants to talk about as a sadistIt sounds like he has no remorse and still has his sick, evil family roots. They all should be harassed for the rest of their lives and should have never had peace to live out their lives. Gertrude and Paula Baniszewski were sentenced to life terms at the Indiana Womens Prison in Indianapolis. Near the end, Sylvia was no longer permitted to leave the house. The Girl Next Door is a repulsively readable story. Marie repeated the denials of the previous day to the prosecutor, whose questions of this fragile witness were relatively low-key. She also recalled slapping a misbehaving Sylvias hands. She was recently found out. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Richard Hobbs, who did most of the dirty work of etching the words into Sylvia and half that of burning the 3, died of cancer when he was only 21. He changed his name to John Blake and drifted aimlessly before experiencing a religious epiphany that, he said, helped him see the error of his ways. Mr. Kelly believes that the Likens torture was about fun (twisted and perverted as it was). Mrs. B. went to the door with Darlene and the visitor related to Darlene she wanted to know whether she knew where she could get hold of Sylvia Likensthe reason this woman was hunting for Sylvia was supposed to have been Sylvia had been out with her husband Darlene brought Sylvia Likens over to our home two days later and introduced her as the girl this other girl was looking for. TICLE MENTIONS HORRIFIC TORTURE AND ABUSE BOTH EMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL! Stephanie Baniszewski at the time of Sylvia's murder trial in 1966. However, a court ruled that the boards hearing had not been properly open to the public and a new vote had to be taken. Please log in if you don't want to post She appealed and was granted a new trial in which she was again convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. I am happy about that., Benny Likens died only four months after his mother. The courtroom was jam packed with spectators every day. Gertrude Baniszewski Daughter Stephanie Baniszewski got liberated from every one of the charges against her in the homicide of Sylvia. In his adult life, Blake has had no run-ins with the law. It was a Cinderella story without a happy ending a teenage girl left under the care of a strict authoritarian whose idea of discipline is physical abuse that escalates until the abuse victim dies. In this case, they had an adult supervising what they were doing. However, there is enough resemblance between the Adams tale and the Likens murder to suggest a connection. Interestingly, SLAM was founded by Patti Linebaugh, the grandmother of Amy Sue Seitz, a two-year-old molested, tortured, and murdered by convicted child molester Theodore Frank. Sylvias carnival-worker parents boarded her and her sister Jenny with Baniszewski for $20 a week. Stephanie Baniszewski changed her name after the episode and left for Florida, where she filled in as an educator for a very long time. Mr. Kelley makes another good point when he says, Dean just skips over a lot of really significant things. Paula Baniszewski was a teenage participant in one of the most heinous crimes of the 20th century. On October 26, 1965, police found Sylvia Likenss emaciated corpsecovered with more than 150 wounds ranging from burns to cutssprawled on a filthy mattress in the Indianapolis home of 37-year-old Gertrude Baniszewski, mother of seven and the architect of the girls untimely gruesome death. No charges were brought against her. Other reports say the family forced Sylvia to strip in front of neighborhood boys and masturbate with a coke bottle. However, even as Gertrude testified for herself, she often seemed to be testifying against the dead Sylvia. When Wessner gently asked her why she hadnt sought help, young Likens replied, I was scared. "She was like a normal person. After working at a school under an assumed name for 14 years, Paula's identity has been revealed. Members of SLAM and Protect the Innocent pounded the pavements of Indianapolis seeking signatures of citizens opposed to the parole. I dunno; it's hard for me to feel her kids were entirely responsible for their actions considering the parent they had. The second-oldest of the Baniszewski children, Stephanie was 15 at the time of the crime. She needed money and suggested toSylvias father that Sylvia and her sister Jennie move in provided he pay $20 a week. Recently reissued by Borf Books, it is good journalism, written in a restrained and compassionate manner. There were rumors in high school about Likens saying two of Baniszewski's daughters were "having sex for money," according to Gertrude's version. Originally found guilty of first-degree murder, Gertrude (or Gertie, as she was sometimes called) was sentenced to life in prisona judgment confirmed by a 1971 retrial. I said she would not mind at all. I have too many of my own and too many worries and too many responsibilities without adding any more. May 4, 1966 -- Where Branded Girl Died -- State and defense attorneys today viewed. Makes me ill to know that people are so consumed by evil and glad to know that there will be Divine judgement. She also married and had kids as did Paula who moved to Iowa and is said to live on a small farm there. Managed by: Private User Last Updated: May 23, 2018: View Complete Profile . Sylvia. The attacks focused almost exclusively on Sylvia, grew ever more violent and sadistic. Born Today Most Popular Celebs Most Popular Celebs Celebrity News. Allegedly the only member of the Baniszewski clan to show public remorse for his deeds, he made no attempt to hide his past and even spoke about it publicly on occasion. [Sylvia] said, Well, we can take care of ourselves, we are used to that. Just determined to live with the Baniszewskis at least as Gertrude told it Sylvia turned around to her father and said, Daddy, you could pay her for letting us stay here.. This article appeared in theOctober2015 Issue. The second-oldest of the Baniszewski children, Stephanie was 15 at the time of the crime. Bedwell and her husband, Cecil Knutson, 79, Anaheim, Calif., disappeared May 10 after visiting Valley View Casino in Southern California. Baniszewski accused the girls of being prostitutes, and lectured the children about these matters, always using the Likens as a bad example.
Who was Stephanie Baniszewski? This Paula (2012) looks absolutely reptilian. 1966, the year when this book was published, was not a good time for books about true murder cases.
The daughter of Gertrude Baniszewski, who tortured and murdered Sylvia Likens in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1965, known as the worst crime ever commited in the state of Indiana, lives here. She deserves to be treated like she treated Sylvia.