House of Evil: The Indiana Torture Slaying (St. Martin's True Crime Library)

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Richard Hobbs, Coy Hubbard, and John Baniszewski Jr. all served less than two years in the Indiana Reformatory before being granted parole on February 27, 1968. [175] [164]

By June 1965, Sylvia and Jenny Likens resided with their parents in Indianapolis. On July 3, their mother was arrested and subsequently jailed for shoplifting. Shortly thereafter, Lester Likens arranged for his daughters to board with Gertrude Baniszewski, the mother of two girls with whom the sisters had recently become acquainted while studying at Arsenal Technical High School, Paula and Stephanie Baniszewski. At the time of this boarding agreement, Gertrude assured Lester she would care for his daughters until his return as if they were her own children. [20] [n 3]Section of Deputy Prosecutor Marjorie Wessner's closing argument at the trial of Gertrude Baniszewski. [138] a b c Broeske, Pat H. (January 13, 2007). "A Midwest Nightmare, Too Depraved to Ignore". The New York Times . Retrieved September 7, 2011. Richard Hobbs, testifying as to Gertrude Baniszewski's decision to carve an insult into Likens's abdomen on October 23, 1965. [24]

Whatever legal niceties might have been involved in determining the name of the accused woman, the courts and news organizations finally settled on Baniszewski as the name that met the standards of legitimacy. When Stephanie realized that Likens was not breathing, she attempted to apply mouth-to-mouth resuscitation as Gertrude repeatedly shouted to the children in the house that Likens was faking her death. [6] Likens was 16 years old when she finally succumbed to her injuries. [78] Arrest [ edit ] Noe, Denise. "The Torturing Death of Sylvia Marie Likens: Foster Care". TruTV Crime Library. Archived from the original on August 25, 2008.

the one frail ghastly excuse for a woman old Gerty.She must have been on a power trip enjoying tormenting Syvia and getting them to do it to her also.What a Sylvia Likens and "Indiana's Most Terrible Crime" ". Sylvia's Child Advocacy Centre. January 1, 2021 . Retrieved March 8, 2021. Local Man Charged with Murder Tells Court he Never Hurt Anyone". The Indianapolis Star. January 28, 1983 . Retrieved December 15, 2019. On another occasion, Paula beat Likens about the face with such force that she broke her own wrist, having primarily focused her blows upon Likens's teeth and eyes. [36] Later, Paula used the cast on her wrist to further beat Likens. [37] [38] Gertrude repeatedly falsely accused Likens of promiscuity and of engaging in prostitution, ranting about the filthiness of prostitution and women in general. [39] Gertrude would later occasionally force Jenny to strike her own sister, beating Jenny if she did not comply. [40] The five-week trial of the divorcee and four children - two of them her own - on charges of first degree murder gave complacent Indiana citizens their most searing courtroom drama in years. The murder of Sylvia Likens became an item of daily conversation as people read how she was beaten, burned, starved, scalded, tattooed and branded until death mercifully stepped in. And the name of the divorcee, Gertrude Baniszewski, alias Gertrude Wright, came to rank alongside that of the Marquis de Sade.