Sylvia Likens:1965, Indianapolis, Indiana
When you hear of a victim tortured to death slowly in a basement; you don’t think that the perpetrators would be a mother and her children. You wouldn’t imagine that other children from the neighborhood would also participate over many weeks. You wouldn’t imagine that not one of those people would tell the police. But that is exactly who killed Sylvia Likens. In this case, it was not a predatory man that Sylvia had to fear but the woman who was being paid to care for Sylvia and her sister.
This case raises so many disturbing questions. Why did none of the children speak up? I don’t ask this to shame and blame them but more to understand the psychology of this. Were they afraid that no one would believe them? Had they become convinced that Sylvia deserved this? Did they worry that they would be culpable now that they knew? Many of them were encouraged to also kick and injure Sylvia and they did.
We want to believe that we would do better in a situation like this. We that hope we would. What was the thing that kept so many of these kids from seeking help for Sylvia? Why was it so easy to convince them to torture a girl? Could you and I also be so easily convinced to harm others?
I think one reason that they didn’t speak out is because they were afraid. These were their friends and neighbors. It’s not easy as a teen to side against your friends and neighbors. You know that you are probably going to be ostracized and picked on too. Teens and others with immature minds and emotions are easily manipulated that way.
Another big reason why they participated and did not speak out is religion. Gertrude Baniszewski claimed to be a Christian. She used religion like a weapon. What child will stand in front of their friends and say no to a religious zealot? Not many. The fear of offending God was probably overwhelming. Mrs. Baniszewski was telling them that Sylvia deserved to be punished.
We can see today how easy it is to talk people into committing atrocities in the name of religion. Once you do the first criminal act; then you almost have to protect yourself and the others. You have to double down and convince yourself that the thing you’ve done was deserved.
Sylvia Likens and her sister Jenny grew up in Central Indiana. Sylvia was born on January 3rd, 1949 in Lebanon, Indiana. She and her sister, Jenny were part of the baby boomer generation.
Lebanon is a nice little town about 30 minutes north of Indianapolis. It has a very vibrant downtown these days with shops and restaurants. My family’s favorite Christmas Tree Farm is near there. We would travel through Lebanon once a year. I didn’t know then that Sylvia was from there.
Sylvia and Jenny’s parents worked at county fairs and carnivals. They had to be on the road. They were hoping to find someone who could take care of Sylvia and Jenny. They didn’t think the carnival life on the road would be a wholesome place for young girls.
Gertrude Baniszewski said that she was a Christian and kept a good Christian home. She had children about the same age. They would all get along nicely. She was convincing. The Likens girls were moved in that summer in 1965.
On October 26th, 1965, Sylvia died from a brain contusion, shock and malnutrition. She had 150 injuries including burns, cuts and bruises all over her body. She was found on an old mattress on Gertrude Baniszewski’s floor.
Gertrude Baniszewski and her children had all been a part of torturing Sylvia. The children of neighbors also participated in beating and kicking Sylvia. Some of the abuse took place in the basement. Gertrude convinced them that Sylvia was evil.
Paula Baniszewski had gotten pregnant that Summer. Someone in the neighborhood found out and people were gossiping. Gertrude blamed Sylvia for the gossip. She psychologically, sexually and physically abused Sylvia until the 16 year old died. She kept everyone in fear by quoting the Bible. She urged them to punish Sylvia to save their own souls.
Sylvia’s sister, Jenny Likens, was forced to watch. She had no one to turn to. The entire neighborhood knew. Well, at least all the children did. If their parents knew how bad it was is another story. (I find it hard to believe that no adults knew that Sylvia was being abused. No one had air conditioning then. The windows would have been open until late October unless a cold snap came. They would have heard.)
Gertrude Baniszewski and two of her children, Paula and John were arrested. Two children of neighbors, Coy Hubbard and Richard Hobbs were also arrested for participating in the torture. Five other neighborhood children faced charges for beating Sylvia but their charges were later dropped. (One boy whose charges were dropped, Randy Gordon Lepper, smirked in court as he said he hit Sylvia 40 separate times.)
All five were tried. Gertrude received a life sentence. She was released in 1985. She moved to Iowa and lived out her life without ever accepting responsibility for her crimes. She blamed her asthma medication. She died of lung cancer in 1990 at the age of 61.
Paula Baniszewski was found guilty of 2nd degree murder. She was released in 1972. She changed her name to Paula Pace and moved to Iowa. She worked for many years as an assistant to a school counselor until her identity and crime was revealed and she was fired. She had not been honest when she applied. If you are in charge of hiring people; don’t skip the background checks.
John Baniszewski, Coy Hubbard and Richard Hobbs served less than two years each in the Indiana Reformatory.
Five other neighborhood children were charged with injury to person. Those charges were later dropped for some reason.
They all got a second chance to be good people in the free world.
Richard Hobbs died at the age of 21 from lung cancer. He had struggled with his mental health after participating in the murder of Sylvia Likens.
Coy Hubbard died at the age of 56 of a heart attack. He had a rather lengthy criminal record for most of his adult life.
John Baniszewski Jr. lived under the name John Blake. Under that new name of John Blake he became a lay minister who counseled children. (Don’t skip the background checks!) He said that he had enjoyed the attention of the trial. He also said he “only hit Sylvia once”. He died at the age of 52 of diabetes.
Soldiers who are encouraged or goaded into committing war crimes and atrocities come home with “moral wounds”. That’s the name for the guilt and disgust that they have great difficulty dealing with when they are no longer in a war zone. It can be a big part of post traumatic stress disorder.
Sometimes you meet parents who are strict authoritarians and staunchly religious. They dole out physical punishment because they think it will make their children tougher. Gertrude Baniszewski’s children and the neighborhood children were toughened up to the point of becoming accomplices to murder. And they had, for the most part, rationalized their actions to the point that they believed Sylvia deserved it. When you “toughen up” your kids; you do so at great peril. Their futures are at stake. The futures of those people that they interact with are at stake as well.
The house where Sylvia was murdered is gone now. In a nearby park a monument has been placed as a memorial.
Sylvia Likens is buried in Lebanon, Indiana at Oak Hill Cemetery. She had grown up in Lebanon. She was only 16 years old when she was murdered.
Rest in peace, Sylvia
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