At a formal pretrial hearing held on March 16, 1966, several psychiatrists testified before Judge Saul Isaac Rabb as to their conclusions regarding psychiatric evaluations they had conducted upon three individuals indicted in Likens's murder. These experts testified that all three were mentally competent to stand trial. [111] Trial [ edit ] On January 13, 1966, Paula Baniszewski gave birth to a baby daughter. She named her child Gertrude in honor of her mother. [109] On one occasion, Gertrude and her twelve-year-old son, John Jr., rubbed urine and feces from Gertrude's one-year-old son's diaper into Likens's mouth [67] before giving her a cup half-filled with water and stating the water was all she would receive for the remainder of the day. [33]

Hornberger, Francine (2002). Mistresses of Mayhem: The Book of Women Criminals. Indianapolis: Alpha. ISBN 978-0-739-42867-2. The Investigation Discovery channel commissioned a documentary focusing upon the abuse and murder of Sylvia Likens as part of its true-life crime documentary series Deadly Women. This 45-minute documentary, titled "Born Bad", was first broadcast on November 30, 2009. Bodenhamer, David J.; Barrows, Robert G. (1994). The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis. Indiana: Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-31222-1. The injuries discovered upon and around Likens's fingernails would later be described as most likely having been inflicted via her "desperate scratching motions" at the trial of her tormentors and murderers. [60] Monster Mom Gertrude Baniszewski and Teen Cohorts Torture Sylvia Likens to Death in Indiana Boarding House of Horror". New York Daily News. April 6, 2013 . Retrieved December 22, 2020.work well together and that is rare, were not interested in competing oh I hate idiots with that mind set. I would just do the book here Serene or start a new On May 10, a Baptist Minister named Roy Julian testified to having known a teenage girl was being abused in the Baniszewski household, although he had failed to report this information to authorities as, having been informed by Gertrude that Likens had "made advances to men for money," he had believed the girl was being punished for soliciting. The same day, 13-year-old Judy Duke also testified, admitting to having witnessed Likens once endure salt being rubbed into sores upon her legs until she screamed. [125] Duke also testified to one occasion where she witnessed 10-year-old Shirley Baniszewski rip open Likens's blouse, to which Richard Hobbs had made the casual remark, "Everybody's having fun with Sylvia." [126] Following her 1985 release from prison, Gertrude Baniszewski relocated to Iowa. [164] She never accepted full responsibility for Likens's prolonged torment and death, insisting she was unable to precisely recall any of her actions in the months of Likens's prolonged and increasing abuse and torment within her home. [165] She primarily blamed her actions upon the medication she had been prescribed to treat her asthma. [8] [166] Gertrude Baniszewski lived in relative obscurity in Laurel, Iowa, until her death due to lung cancer on June 16, 1990, at the age of 61. [164] [1]

In June 2001, a six-foot-tall (1.8m) granite memorial was formally dedicated to Sylvia Likens's life and legacy in Willard Park, Washington Street, Indianapolis. This dedication was attended by several hundred people, including members of the Likens family. The memorial itself is inscribed with these words: "This memorial is in memory of a young child who died a tragic death. As a result, laws changed and awareness increased. This is a commitment to our children, that the Indianapolis Police Department is working to make this a safe city for our children." [190] I see a light: The pair were retried in 1971. [154] On this occasion, Paula Baniszewski opted to plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter rather than face a retrial; [11] she was sentenced to serve a term of between two and twenty years' imprisonment for her part in Likens's abuse and death. [133] Despite twice unsuccessfully having attempted to escape from prison in 1971, she was released in December 1972. [6] Gertrude Baniszewski, however, was again convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. [155]Local Man Charged with Murder Tells Court he Never Hurt Anyone". The Indianapolis Star. January 28, 1983 . Retrieved December 15, 2019. Torture Death Jury Naming Gioes Slowly". The Indianapolis Monthly. April 21, 1966 . Retrieved June 8, 2019. 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] Deputy Prosecutor Marjorie Wessner delivered the state's closing argument before the jury on behalf of the prosecution. As each defendant, except Richard Hobbs, remained impassive, Wessner recounted the continuous mistreatment Likens had endured before her death, emphasizing that at no point had Likens either provoked any of the defendants, or received any medical care beyond occasionally having margarine rubbed into scalded sections of her face and body. [136] Referencing specific forms and means of abuse and neglect at the defendants' hands and their collective failure to either help Likens or deter each other from mistreating her, Wessner described Likens's abuse as "stomach-wrenching" and compared her treatment at the hands of all five defendants as being the equivalent in severity to that committed against prisoners in Nazi concentration camps. [137] "There was practically no fat on [Sylvia's] body. She hadn't eaten for a week! We'll never know the pain and suffering that Sylvia endured ... the best evidence of that was the picture of her lips—lips that were bitten into shreds!" [138] a b c d e f g h Stafford, David (October 22, 2014). "Lawyer's Book Retraces Indy's Infamous Sylvia Likens Murder Case". The Indiana Lawyer.

On another occasion, in late August, Likens was subjected to humiliation when she claimed to have a boyfriend in Long Beach, whom she had met in the spring of 1965 when her family lived in California. [31] In response, Gertrude asked if Sylvia had "ever done anything with a boy" to which Likens—unsure of her meaning—replied, "I guess so," and explained that she had gone skating with boys there, and had once gone to a park on the beach with them. Continuing the conversation with Jenny and Stephanie, Sylvia mentioned that she had once laid under the covers with her boyfriend. Upon hearing this, Gertrude asked, "Why did you do that, Sylvia?" Likens replied, "I don't know," and shrugged. Several days later, Gertrude returned to the subject with Likens, telling her, "You're certainly getting big in the stomach, Sylvia. It looks like you're going to have a baby." Likens thought Gertrude was kidding with her and said, "Yeah, it sure is getting big. I'm just going to have to go on a diet." 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 Other reports say the family forced Sylvia to strip in front of neighborhood boys and masturbate with a coke bottle. Emotional contagion is alive and well in science. Mention of hypnosis, however, is mostly avoided. Mimesis, that old word, to mimic, imitate, is built in to the species. Testimony delivered at trial clearly illustrated Paula Baniszewski and her mother as being the most enthusiastic participants in Likens's abuse and torture. [133]I'll edit this part then but like Isay really you know more about these people someone like you I dont mind editing my post we Nash, Jay Robert (1992). World Encyclopedia of 20th Century Murder. New York City: M. Evans & Company. ISBN 978-1-590-77532-5.