The murder of Sylvia Likens (sad story) (2 Viewers)

[Shockskullgang]

Gotta bump this.

I've been interested in this case for a few months now. I've seen both the movies based off of the story and I'm currently reading the book about the case too.

 

[Sakura1215]

Yeah I read the book on this and saw the movie with Ellen Page. Interesting case, with a nice lethal mixture of stress, pressure, and jealousy, with some peer pressure and one-upping thrown in. I was aghast when I first learned about this one. Poor girl. And I wondered--Did Gertrude and Richard Hobbs have a sexual relationship thing going on? I also find it incredibly interesting that Richard Hobbs died so young with lung cancer, at age 21. I do wonder if extreme guilt/stress influences certain diseases to thrive.

 

[Shockskullgang]

Yeah I read the book on this and saw the movie with Ellen Page. Interesting case, with a nice lethal mixture of stress, pressure, and jealousy, with some peer pressure and one-upping thrown in. I was aghast when I first learned about this one. Poor girl. And I wondered--Did Gertrude and Richard Hobbs have a sexual relationship thing going on? I also find it incredibly interesting that Richard Hobbs died so young with lung cancer, at age 21. I do wonder if extreme guilt/stress influences certain diseases to thrive.

An American Crime is how I first found out about it. It sounded interesting on Netflix so I watched it and I was very saddened by it. I found out it was a true crime and researched it intensely. I've seen the other movie that is loosely based on the case, A Girl Next Door and man, is it depressing. I could do without the kiddie porn though. I just got the book last week and I'm still getting through it.

And, who knows? Gertie did dance for him provocatively once, right? They could of fucked but both of them are dead so we'll never know.

 

[Sicksicle]

If stuff like this is allowed to happen then there's no god, no heaven, and no hell!
And the poor darling is just gone,
No angel wings

 

[Popsicle]

 

[vixens pandora box]

I recently studied this crime. Not at a proper level lol I'm just bat shit crazy about learning all there is to know about killers and shiz.. But on that note this is one of the saddest ones I have read . She went through hell ! Poor girl

 

[Popsicle]

The Baniszewski house. Demolished in 2009.

 

[Popsicle]

Paula Baniszewski

 

[LilyCuster]

The room Where Sylvia's body was found.

 

[LilyCuster]

 

[LilyCuster]

Gertrude Baniszewski at the time of her parole hearing in 1985, at which she stated “…I was on drugs…so I never really knew [Sylvia]…I accept full responsibility for what happened…” Despite these words, however, Gertrude is said to have still ultimately blamed her children for Sylvia’s death, merely admitting that she “…should have watched those kids better”.

 

[LilyCuster]

 

[LilyCuster]

A police photo of basement where Sylvia was tortured.

 

[LilyCuster]

The Baniszewski house. Demolished in 2009.
View attachment 158784

 

[LilyCuster]

 

[LilyCuster]

 

[LilyCuster]

She was pushed down these stairs many times and at least one of those times with her hands tied behind her back. The kids would come home from school and bring in a few neighborhood kids to “have fun with Sylvia” they would push her down those steps, then have her get up and walk back up them so they could push her down again. They also took turns burning her with cigarettes…one of the wounds goes nearly to the bone. During the autopsy they counted about 150 cigarette burns on her.

 

[LilyCuster]

According to the court transcripts, Gertrude and Paula (her daughter) would give her scalding baths every other night…sometimes tying her hands and feet before dropping her into the scalding water. On time the pain was too much for her and she passed out. Her skin was so burnt and damaged it began peeling away leaving her raw…Paula then took salt and would rub it into her open wounds…Coy Hubbard saw her doing this and said that’s not the way to do it and poured more salt on her opens wounds and scrubbed the salt hard into them. It’s no wonder Sylvia bit clear through her bottom lip, it was in shreds from biting during these tortures. All of her fingernails were bent backwards in an effort to scratch through the concrete doing these torture sessions.

 

[LilyCuster]

The tub used to give Sylvia her scalding baths. During which she has passed out from the pain…her hands and feet tied as she was put into the tub….when she passed out Gertrude and Paula grabbed onto her head and beat it against the tub to wake her up. According to Jenny in the trial transcripts she received these baths about every other day. Sylvia’s torture sessions were usually once school let out and the kids came home and on weekends.

 

[LilyCuster]

Pictured turned. She was found dead by authorities in her bed.

Interesting because she was never allowed to wear clothes at home.