Paula, he said, was also very close with his mother. She wasnt conditioned to believe that anyone would help her. Sylvia finally succumbed to her injuries after months of torture. She made dinner every night," he said. Stephanie cared about Sylvia. She was living in Iowa in the mid-1980s, according to a man who grew up with her three sons. Baniszewski told them the girl had been attacked by a gang of boys, and she even produced a note written in Sylvias own hand that seemed to confirm that story. All; Titles; TV Episodes; Celebs; Companies; . Sylvias carnival-worker parents boarded her and her sister Jenny with Baniszewski for $20 a week. Rest in peace. On the other hand, the book contains much powerful, poetic prose and astute observations that ring real. Community. We cant say their name. [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.. A male occupant in the car, whose identity has not been confirmed, had died, the news release said. Someone should track her down because it says she's a Florida teacher. The children had gone wild on Sylvia without her knowledge. It came as a shock to an Iowan school when they discovered that one of their own faculty members, Paula Pace, had once been convicted of second degree murder. Your IP: Performance & security by Cloudflare. Sign Up For Our Newsletters She also married and had kids as did Paula who moved to Iowa and is said to live on a small farm there. Patte Wheat brought the story into the 1970s in By Sanction of the Victim. Showing all 2 items Jump to: Photos (1) Quotes (1) The Grundy County Sheriffs Office in Iowa received an ominous voice mail earlier this month: A teachers aide at the local high school was a member of an Indianapolis family that tortured and killed a girl in 1965. If we wanted to go outside and play, shed let us, and maybe shed come out and mess around and play, joke around. View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro. Dianna contacted social services, but when a worker showed up at the Baniszewski residence, Jenny told her (on threat of punishment from Gertrude) that Sylvia had run away. The cause of death was determined to be brain swelling, internal hemorrhaging of the brain, and shock induced by Sylvias extensive skin damage. Reportedly a lay minister and real-estate agent with a wife and three children, he died of cancer in 2005 at age 52. Her whereabouts today are unknown. 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. All rights reserved. NEW: How many times was she disobedient to you? How can she be around children? BANISZEWSKI: I believe I testified I whipped her. He was very effusive and said, Come inside, I want to introduce you to my boss, Bowman recalls. Sylvia also suffered from extreme malnutrition. Some say Florida where it's married with kids/grandkids? He doesnt know who sent him the message but assumes it was someone he knew who opened an account under an alias. It was a girl. Stephanie Baniszewski changed her name after the episode and left for Florida, where she filled in as an educator for a very long time. Her moms remorselessness was past the creative mind, where her mom utilized her teen youngsters to manhandle another high schooler young lady. Other adults occasionally came to the Baniszewski house for various reasons and saw Sylvias battered appearance. In a masterpiece of understatement, he once told a reporter that My mom was a very selfish, self-centered woman.. Its author, poet, playwright, and composer Mari Evans, told The Indianapolis Star that she first became concerned about child abuse because of Likens horrible death. She wrote that she was able to speak with her mother on the phone, and they told each other, "I love you.". The second-oldest of the Baniszewski children, Stephanie, was 15 at the time of the crime. Makes me ill to know that people are so consumed by evil and glad to know that there will be Divine judgement. Hobbs, along with Baniszewskis son John and another neighborhood boy, Coy Hubbard, were convicted of manslaughter. He died in 2012 in California. Stephanie Baniszewski became a schoolteacher. Two anti-crime groups, Protect the Innocent and Societys League Against Molestation (SLAM), instantly swung into action. Further, Her 17 years of age sister was condemned to seven years of detainment, though his 12 years of age brother got two years of prison for killing Sylvia. Ha ha ha! Paula was convicted of second-degree murder. Shitty house for a shitty person, hope that she as a shitty life too. A lot of people have compared this to Lord of the Flies, says attorney Natty Bumppo, a former Indianapolis Star reporter who covered the case. Visibly devastated, Sylvias mother gave only short responses on the witness stand at the trial. He became a semi-recluse, tormented by voices only he could hear. In a display of filial devotion, Paula named her child Gertrude. John Baniszewski surfaced a few years ago after the Jonesboro, Arkansas tragedy in which a couple of junior high school students gunned down four peers and a teacher. It is a powerful work of compassion and depth. According to Mrs. Baniszewskis testimony, a girl came to her door looking for Darlene MacGuire, who often visited the Baniszewski kids. However, a court ruled that the boards hearing had not been properly open to the public and a new vote had to be taken. A search of her keepsakes revealed a yellowed newspaper clipping of Gertrude Baniszewskis obituary together with a note by Jenny saying, Some good news. Oh no not again! We have no more information about his spouse. John Baniszewski was to tell a reporter that he actively. We have no more Information about his Father; we will try to collect information and update soon. Baniszewski had changed his name to John Blake. Also, we have no idea about his brother and sister, and we dont know their names either. Bedwell, the older sister, was 18 at the time and married to her first husband. Paula, however, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter to avoid another trial. Microsoft has removed the Birds Eye imagery for this map. This case was somehow more disturbing than other crimes, mainly because the abuse was carried out not just by the caregiver but also by her own children, some as young as 10, and by other children in the neighborhood. Gertrude Baniszewski Daughter Stephanie Baniszewski got liberated from every one of the charges against her in the homicide of Sylvia. The Gertrude Baniszewski home where Sylvia Marie Likens was tortured. Evans was deeply involved with the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and her book is directed primarily at African American youngsters. She was buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Lebanon. When he spoke publicly for the first time about Sylvias death he said he still could not adequately explained why he and the others turned on the girl the way they did. 26 . The following is a link to evidence against Stephanie's innocence. I speculate that there was never any experience in Sylvias life, up to the time she went into Gerties house, when she learned that people would come to her aid, says Bowman, Hubbards attorney. John Baniszewski and two other boys ages 16 and 15 were convicted of manslaughter. There are problems with it, however. The charges of injury to person were dropped against the younger juveniles. Stephanie Baniszewski when she was in 1st grade Stephanie would be approximately 65/66 years old today, if she is still living. Copyright 2023 Indianapolis Monthly, All Rights Reserved. Paula Baniszewski was charged with second degree murder for the death of a 16-year-old girl who lived in her home. 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. She needed money and suggested toSylvias father that Sylvia and her sister Jennie move in provided he pay $20 a week. 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. 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. BANISZEWSKI: I told you she would not mind me at all. His Girlfriend/boyfriends name is Not Available. Heres what happened to this tragedys principal players. More at IMDbPro. Mrs. Baniszewski testified in her own defense. She deserves to be treated like she treated Sylvia. 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. They were released on parole in 1968. None reported what they saw. Contact info. 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. A student of the case whom this writer will call Craig Kelley complains that the author almost canonizes Stephanie, a girl who, on at least one occasion, helped tie Sylvia up and who might have done more to check the outrages of her boyfriend, Coy Hubbard. 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. Agent info. You may wish to switch to the. His contributions included using her as a practice dummy for judo flips and punches and shoving her down the basement stairs. Baniszewski accused the girls of being prostitutes, and lectured the children about these matters, always using the Likens as a bad example. Where Could Stephanie Baniszewski Now be? She hobbled to the witness stand in a new dress and, in a voice sometimes firm, sometimes halting, and often choked with tears, detailed the horrors she and her sister had suffered. She also recalled slapping a misbehaving Sylvias hands. If that was the extent of it, this case would likely have been lost to history long ago like so many other long-forgotten murders. Representing Gertrude Baniszewski was William Erbecker, a respected, heavy-set attorney considered flamboyant and personable. She moved to Iowa, changed her name to Nadine Van Fossan, and died of lung cancer on June 16, 1990. Damn old Gertrude died. May 4, 1966 -- Where Branded Girl Died -- State and defense attorneys today viewed. This was the worst single murder the state had ever known and the largest number of defendants it had ever tried at once. Fourth-oldest of the Baniszewski children, Marie was 11 when the torture took place. He decided to come forward to say that there is hope for young murderers and that they can turn their lives around. Although women lawyers were still a rarity in those days, the thinking was that it was good to have a female on hand in cases involving women and child defendants and witnesses. Sylvias body was malnourished and covered with sores, burns, and bruises, many of them old. The Indiana Department of Corrections records indicate she was sentenced in August 1971 to a sentence of two to 21 years. Sylvia. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. . Recently reissued by Borf Books, it is good journalism, written in a restrained and compassionate manner. paula her mom and the guys were. Specifically, Stephanie was one of the members in the staggering homicide of teenager Sylvia Likens in 1965. His attorney, Forrest Bowman Jr., remembers running into him in the early 1970s when he stopped at a near-downtown gas station where Hubbard happened to work. Baniszewski was born on September 19, 1929, in Indianapolis, Indiana, as Gertrude Nadine Van Fossan, the third of six children. Marie repeated the denials of the previous day to the prosecutor, whose questions of this fragile witness were relatively low-key. Of all the Baniszewski offspring, the least is known about him. From the beginning, she had opportunities to tell neighbors what was going on, but she didnt because she feared she would make things worse. On a family Facebook page, Bedwell's stepdaughter posted Sunday night, "It is them. Rest in Peace Dad." Years of poverty and abuse had worn Baniszewski down and although she was thirty-six years old, she weighed only 100 He asked that NBC News not use his name. None reported what they saw. Tears streamed down her pale cheeks when Erbecker asked her why she was there. She was recently found out. 95.142.101.145 Coy Hubbard was, at first represented by Joseph Quill. Lester . Stephanie cared about Sylvia. Ketchum has given the tale a haunting spin by having it narrated by David, a teenaged boy who watches Megs tortures with a combined sense of titillation and disgust. The Basement is an odd combination of nonsense and brilliance, of fact and fiction together with the authors personal reactions to the crime. Sometimes Gertrude felt too weak from her asthma to discipline the girls properly, so her 17-year-old daughter, Paula, helped. Bedwell and her husband, Cecil Knutson, 79, Anaheim, Calif., disappeared May 10 after visiting Valley View Casino in Southern California. There were rumors in high school about Likens saying two of Baniszewski's daughters were "having sex for money," according to Gertrude's version. We have no information about his girlfriend/boyfriend. I betcha it is still alive and living a good life. Indeed, one of the enduring mysteries of the case is why neither she nor Sylvia sought help before things escalated. According to our records, Stephanie Baniszewski is possibly single. But we are sure that it is not available and his spouses name is not available. Stephanie is the member of the Baniszewski clan that has made the most statements about the crime. I thought she was a downtrodden, mean woman.. Look it up. A post mortem on her body revealed more than 150 wounds on her body, allegedly inflicted by Getrude and her children. 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. That was punishment, allegedly, for having spread rumors that the elder two Baniszewski girls, including Paula, were prostitutes. She reportedly still lives in Indiana. The torture-murderer moved to Iowa where she lived out her life under the name Nadine Van Fossan. Sylvia herself and her younger sister Jenny had opportunities to tell adults at school or church they even had adult relatives living nearby. She never took responsibility for her crimes, claiming she couldnt remember her actions. 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. Dianna Bedwell, 67, was found in serious condition in a vehicle stranded along a dirt road, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department. But Likens never made it out alive. Sylvia Likens died at the hands of Getrude Baniszewski, a woman who was supposed to take care of her. But we are trying hard to collect all the information about him and will update you soon. The third-oldest of the Baniszewski children and an active participant in Sylvias torture, John was 12 when she died. Call Star reporter Stephanie Wang at (317) 444-6184. It was children doing what they were told.. I never really knew her. 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. Sylvias carnival-worker parents boarded her and her sister Jenny with Baniszewski for $20 a week. Rest in peace. 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). She had heard her mother order Sylvia down to the basement. (An autopsy revealed burns across her body -- "Everyone but the baby" burned Sylvia, 12-year-old John told police, according to the Indianapolis Star). She reportedly changed her name, married, had children, worked as a teacher, and now lives in Florida. When she suspected Sylvia of stealing, she used matches to burn the girls fingers. George Rice, a Ph.d in psychology as well as a member of the bar, was Paulas lawyer. As she had previously, Marie maintained that it was her 10-year-old sister Shirley who had lit the matches for the needle and that her mom was in bed sick, knowing nothing of the mutilation. Paula Baniszewski is a criminal. ! I agree, who out there has the experience/knowledge in hunting this beast down? She also married. It wasnt children going wild. Assisting him was deputy prosecutor Marjorie Wessner. Contribute Who is Stephanie Baniszewski dating? All of these lawyers worked for their indigent clients free of charge. Other Works | Publicity Listings | Official Sites. Jennys response was always the same: Gertrude threatened me if I told anyone, Id get the same treatment Sylvia was getting.. Paula, now 64, was released from prison in 1972. The older sister of Sylvia Likens, a 16-year-old Indianapolis girl who was tortured and murdered in 1965, was found Sunday after going missing for two weeks, authorities said. Johns attorney, Forrest Bowman, was widely regarded as thorough and dedicated. The details of her demise, revealed at the 1966 trial, defy belief. Also, we have no information about his son and daughter. quit hating on stephanie she wasnt the evil. I feel a breeze; strength. The mothers name is Not Available. Her mom was 37 years of age around then, and she got twenty years of sentence after she was seen as at real fault for first-degree murder. 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