The house where Sylvia Likens was murdered

This is the lot where Sylvia Likens' murder house once stood.

It is located at 3850 East New York Street in Indianapolis, Indiana.

In 1965, a teenager named Sylvia Likens was tortured and then murdered at this address. Her caregiver, Gertrude Baniszewski, was later convicted of the crime. Four of her young accomplices were also found guilty of manslaughter.

The boarded-up property was eventually demolished on April 23rd, 2009, after it had lain vacant for years. Neighbors were reportedly glad to see it being torn down, as it had become an unwelcome tourist attraction and a hot spot for antisocial activity.

These days, all that remains is a parking lot.

Gertrude Baniszewski's house

At the time of the murder, the house was being rented by Gertrude Baniszewski, a clinically depressed, three-time divorcee who had seven children.

Over the years, Sylvia's father, Lester, had worked at various jobs around Indianapolis. He sold food from a concession cart at a carnival, worked in different factories, and operated a dry cleaning business.

He had also unsuccessfully tried to start his own restaurant.

By July 1965, Lester and his wife decided to travel to the east coast and rejoin the carnival for some seasonal work.

However, before they left, they needed to find someone who could look after their children.

When Lester noticed that Sylvia and her sister, Jenny, seemed to get along with one of Baniszewski's daughters, he asked the mother-of-seven if she could take care of them while he was on the East Coast.

Baniszewski agreed in exchange for $20 per week.

Initially, everything was fine, and the two girls settled into their new home. However, things turned sour when Lester's weekly payments became inconsistent.

When the money failed to arrive on time, Baniszewski began to abuse the Likens sisters.

The Likens sisters suffered horrific abuse

The girls were beaten with a leather belt or a wooden panel for the slightest of infractions. In certain cases, Baniszewski would even burn their fingers with matches.

Sylvia, in particular, became the victim of a horrific onslaught of torture. Not only was she beaten, sexually abused, and deprived of food, but she was also chained up in the basement and forbidden from leaving the house.

Baniszewski suffered from asthma and was sometimes physically unable to hit the girls herself. Consequently, she started directing her children to dish out corporal punishment on her behalf.

This eventually snowballed into a situation where Baniszewski's children began to take it upon themselves to torture Sylvia and Jenny. They also invited their neighborhood friends to "join in on the fun."

Sylvia was burned with cigarettes and forced to take scalding hot baths. The children also shoved feces into her mouth.

Although Baniszewski's house quickly turned into something that resembled the Lord of the Flies, she still maintained a leading role in the abuse.

On one occasion, Baniszewski directed a neighborhood boy to carve the words "I am a prostitute" into Sylvia's stomach.

Afterwards, she mocked the 16-year-old and told her that the scar would prevent her from finding a husband.

The Likens sisters were too afraid to notify anyone about their abuse, as they were terrified that it might make the situation even worse.

When a school nurse called to the house to investigate an anonymous report about Sylivia's condition, Baniszewski convinced her that the teenager had run away. Consequently, the school decided not to investigate the matter any further.

Sadly, the torture continued until Sylvia became weak, emaciated, and incontinent. At one point, the Baniszewski family even started charging neighborhood children money to inflict punishment on the young girl.

The murder of Sylvia Likens

On October 25th, 1965, Sylvia attempted to escape the house after she overheard plans that some of the family members were going to bring her to a remote location and then leave her there to die. However, the 16-year-old was too frail to move quickly enough. As a result, Baniszewski and a neighborhood boy easily caught her and beat her with a rod.

Badly injured and terrified that she was going to die, Sylvia spent the rest of the night deliriously screaming for help. Although one neighbor heard sounds coming from the basement, she decided not to report the commotion after it suddenly stopped.

By the next morning, the teenager's condition had worsened to the point that she was unable to move or talk properly.

However, the family believed that she was faking it and continued their abuse.

When Sylvia attempted to make one last ditch for freedom, Baniszewski proceeded to stomp on her head.

Later that day, the young girl finally succumbed to her injuries.

Arrests and trial

Previously, Gertrude had forced Sylvia to write a letter detailing how she had been attacked by a gang of biker boys.

After calling the police and showing them the letter, she claimed that the young girl had run away with the boys and then returned to her house with extensive injuries.

When the officers spoke to Sylvia's sister, Jenny, she initially backed up Gertrude's version of events. However, before they left, she whispered that she would tell them the truth if they promised to take her away from the house.

Jenny's statement led to the arrest of Gertrude, two of her children, and two neighborhood boys.

Shortly afterwards, they were all charged with Likens' murder.

During the trial, the defendants attempted to blame each other. However, their case was severely damaged after Gertrude's 11-year-old daughter broke down under cross-examination and started recalling exact details of the horrific abuse.

Convictions and aftermath

Gertrude was convicted of first-degree murder and given a life sentence without the possibility of parole. She was found guilty a second time during a retrial in 1971. However, her sentence was reduced to 18 years to life in prison.

Following her conviction, she refused to take responsibility for the crime. Instead, she blamed her actions on her asthma medication.

In December 1985, she was released on parole, much to the anger of the people of Indiana. Following her release, she moved to Iowa and began living under the name Nadine Van Fossan. Five years later, she died of lung cancer.

Richard Hobbs, John Baniszewski Jr., and Coy Hubbard were found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 2-21 years in prison. In 1968, the three boys were released on parole after serving roughly two years in the Indiana Reformatory.

Hobbs suffered a mental breakdown and began chain smoking. On January 2nd, 1972, he died of lung cancer at the age of 21.

Baniszewski Jr. changed his name to John Blake and reportedly found God. Later, he publicly expressed remorse for his role in Likens' death. He died of cancer in May 2005 at the age of 52.

Hubbard stayed in Indiana and lived a relatively obscure life of petty crime. He was reportedly fired from his job in 2007, after a film about Likens' murder was released. A few months later, he died at the age of 56.

Gertrude's 17-year-old daughter, Paula Baniszewski, eventually pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter. She was granted parole in 1972. Afterwards, she changed her name to Paula Pace and became a teacher's assistant in Conrad, Iowa.

However, Paula failed to disclose her history when she was applying for the role.

In 2012, an anonymous person contacted the school and revealed her true identity. Shortly afterwards, the school board unanimously voted to terminate her employment.