Movie review time!! This week Zane and I watched Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. The movie is about Henry Lee Lucas, who was once listed as America's most prolific serial killer. Don't forget to check out Zanes other article about true horror movies.
The movie came out in 1986 (it's older than me!) and was directed by John McNaughton. It starts out with several scenes of dead bodies, all women. It didn't show the women being killed, but it's pretty obvious they were murdered by Henry. And one particular scene was gross, a dead half naked hooker with what looked like a coke bottle coming out her face....ewww! He often stalked his victims until he was able to get them alone to kill them. He lived with a man named Otis, and his sister Becky that came to live them after being abused by her husband. Otis confided in Becky that Henry admitted to killing his mom, and Henry later told Becky that he did. While Henry and Otis were out one night they picked up two hookers and went into a back alley and Henry proceeded to break both of the hookers necks and dump them into the alley. That was when Otis found out that Henry was killing people.
After spazzing out because he couldn't get good reception on the tv, Otis kicks it and breaks it so he and Henry go to see this guy in a garage to buy a tv. He doesn't offer them a fair price and they decide to leave until the guy gets smart. Henry stabs the guy in the hand and then in chest and then smashes a tv over the guys head and tells Otis to plug the tv in, which electrocutes the guy. Eeeek! After that Henry starts to teach Otis how to find people to kill by pretending the car was broken down and when someone stopped to help, Otis shot them. (My gun is bigger than your gun!...ha.) They took a video camera from the dead tv guy and filmed themselves killing a family in their home.
Becky decides that it's time for her to move back home and asks Henry if he wants to go with her and he says he'll think about it. He takes her out to dinner and they come home and Otis is passed out so Becky takes Henry into her room and starts undressing him when Otis walks in. Henry leaves to get cigarettes and comes back to find Otis raping Becky (his own sister....PERV!) and he throws him off of here. They start to fight and Becky grabs a comb and stabs Otis in the eye and then Henry stabbed him in the chest and killed him. Becky freaks out and Henry takes Otis into the bathroom, drains his blood, and dismembers him to he can fit him into trash bags. They pack their stuff and leave and on the way out of town they stop to dump Otis's body into the river.
On they way to the motel Becky says that she loves Henry and he says he loves her too (Well actually he said "I guess I love you too"..how romantic!..sarcasm) and they rent a room and talk for a while before he suggests that they go to bed. In the morning Henry leaves the hotel alone. He pulls over onto the side of the road and pulls Becky's suitcase from the trunk of the car and puts it on the ground, gets in the car and drives away. There is blood coming from the suitcase, so it's obviously Becky's body inside of the suitcase (so much for love huh??).
Thats it for Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. It was kind of hard to review really. There really wasn't much of a plot to it. Overall I'd give it a 2.5. The acting was ok, there was some blood, a few murder scenes, a rape scene (they didn't really show much though) a little nudity ( boobs and a butt) and the total body count was 15. There was alot of death, but not many actual death scenes. So there you have it! Until next week, take care and check back next friday!!
Dead End Horror Blog by Zombie Zane & Sasha Slaughter is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.
Friday, June 3, 2011
HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A FREAK SHOW by: Zombie Zane
WHAT IT DO! WHAT IT DO! Zombie Zane here as usual coming at ya live and direct from deep in the heart of the seven six one oh seven. It’s that time once again for me to share with you another movie review. This week Sasha and I were all about ‘true story’ horror. Ya know, films and shit that are inspired by true events. And there are a ton! So after reading this movie review, be sure and check out our other stuff.
For this week’s film, Sasha and I decided on ‘HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER.’ Have you seen that one? No? Well shit. Kick on back for a sec and let me tell ya what I thought about it. Or you can read Sasha’s review. Either way, take a sec and educate yourself.
‘HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER’ is a 1986 horror film directed and co-written by John McNaughton. It stars Michael Rooker as Henry, Tom Towles as Otis, and Tracy Arnold as Becky. It runs just over 80mins and can be found on Netflix instant watch. So if after you read this and wanna check it out, it’s readily available.
So this film is based loosely on serial killer Henry Lee Lucas. I say loosely because this film is more based on his accounts of what happened rather than the stone-cold facts of the case. He confessed to like 600 killings but I think he was only found guilty of 11.
Overall I liked this movie okay. It’s not the best Lucas film I’ve seen, but it’s the most unique. There is another film about Henry Lee Lucas that stars Antonio Sabato Jr. I think the name of it is ‘DRIFTER’ and that can be found on Netflix as well. On second thought, we should’ve reviewed that one. I caught the last hour of it on Chiller a few months back and was really impressed with it. But alas, we didn’t so whattaya gonna do.
SO this film focuses on Lucas as he leaves a trail of dead bodies in and around the Chicago area. Sometimes his perverted sister-fucking roommate helps him out and sometimes Lucas rides solo and does the murders himself. Really there ain’t much to the plot, it’s just about a dude going around and killing people. It is dark and there is some pretty harsh content, and it isn’t your typical slasher/serial killer film. No half nekkid chick running and falling down in the woods so it gets some cool points for that. In fact, considering the year it came out, it is a total different beast than what was out there at the time. The mid 80's was saturated with your typical slasher films. Believe me, I own a lot of them. Ok, let Zombie Zane break this movie down a lil further for ya:
ZOMBIE ZANE’S BREAKDOWN:
BODY COUNT: 14 (Now, not all the murders were shown, but the bodies were.)
SEVERINGS: 1 (One noggin gettin lopped off!)
NUDITY NUMBER 2 out of 5 (Boobs and butt. No bush, no panty hamster, and no tool shed.)
SEX SCENES : 0 (I don’t count rape as sex scenes. It’s gotta be consensual to count.)
GORE SCORE: 2 out of 5 (Not overly bloody, but there is some violent content)
MY SCORE: 2.5 out of 5. (Middle of the road for me. Like I said, ‘Drifter’ may be a bit better)
Well, there it is. Make sure you read Sasha’s review as well. It’s always cool to check out her stuff. Ok, then. That’s all there is and there ain’t no more. Until next time, take care, stay a-scared and I am out.
For this week’s film, Sasha and I decided on ‘HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER.’ Have you seen that one? No? Well shit. Kick on back for a sec and let me tell ya what I thought about it. Or you can read Sasha’s review. Either way, take a sec and educate yourself.
‘HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER’ is a 1986 horror film directed and co-written by John McNaughton. It stars Michael Rooker as Henry, Tom Towles as Otis, and Tracy Arnold as Becky. It runs just over 80mins and can be found on Netflix instant watch. So if after you read this and wanna check it out, it’s readily available.
So this film is based loosely on serial killer Henry Lee Lucas. I say loosely because this film is more based on his accounts of what happened rather than the stone-cold facts of the case. He confessed to like 600 killings but I think he was only found guilty of 11.
Overall I liked this movie okay. It’s not the best Lucas film I’ve seen, but it’s the most unique. There is another film about Henry Lee Lucas that stars Antonio Sabato Jr. I think the name of it is ‘DRIFTER’ and that can be found on Netflix as well. On second thought, we should’ve reviewed that one. I caught the last hour of it on Chiller a few months back and was really impressed with it. But alas, we didn’t so whattaya gonna do.
SO this film focuses on Lucas as he leaves a trail of dead bodies in and around the Chicago area. Sometimes his perverted sister-fucking roommate helps him out and sometimes Lucas rides solo and does the murders himself. Really there ain’t much to the plot, it’s just about a dude going around and killing people. It is dark and there is some pretty harsh content, and it isn’t your typical slasher/serial killer film. No half nekkid chick running and falling down in the woods so it gets some cool points for that. In fact, considering the year it came out, it is a total different beast than what was out there at the time. The mid 80's was saturated with your typical slasher films. Believe me, I own a lot of them. Ok, let Zombie Zane break this movie down a lil further for ya:
ZOMBIE ZANE’S BREAKDOWN:
BODY COUNT: 14 (Now, not all the murders were shown, but the bodies were.)
SEVERINGS: 1 (One noggin gettin lopped off!)
NUDITY NUMBER 2 out of 5 (Boobs and butt. No bush, no panty hamster, and no tool shed.)
SEX SCENES : 0 (I don’t count rape as sex scenes. It’s gotta be consensual to count.)
GORE SCORE: 2 out of 5 (Not overly bloody, but there is some violent content)
MY SCORE: 2.5 out of 5. (Middle of the road for me. Like I said, ‘Drifter’ may be a bit better)
Well, there it is. Make sure you read Sasha’s review as well. It’s always cool to check out her stuff. Ok, then. That’s all there is and there ain’t no more. Until next time, take care, stay a-scared and I am out.
IT'S TRUE!! IT'S TRUE by: Zombie Zane
YEP-YEP-YEP-YEP let’s do this motherfucker! Zombie Zane here one more time from the seven six one oh seven. Hope all is well wherever you may dwell. Hey, that rhymed. I rule. Okay, this week at Dead End Horror, My partner in crime the lovely Sasha Slaughter and myself will be talking about true story horror movies. Sasha has written a kick ass article on the story of Sylvia Likens. Those events inspired the book and the movie, ‘THE GIRL NEXT DOOR.’ Which by the way is some of Jack Ketchum’s shit. If you’re unfamiliar with him and the story of Sylvia Likens, then you should look into it. It’s not an easy film (or book) for that matter to watch/read but it is horror in it’s absolute. As for me, I’m gonna be listing a few of my favorite true story horror films and writing a review on ‘HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER.’ Yeah, I know we did serial killer shit last week, but this film is based on a true story and it’s on Netflix So there ya go. Ok, enough foreplay, let’s get to my list.
ZOMBIE ZANE’S FAVORITE TRUE STORY HORROR MOVIES
The first movie on my list is PSYCHO (1968). By now everybody knows the plot of this film. If not, egads and yikes you suck and are a total tool. But did you know that the character Norman Bates was inspired by serial killer Ed Gein? Mr. Ed was all about digging up the graves of women who reminded him of his dead mother. He also made a woman suit out of their skin. He was arrested in 1957 for killing two people and spent the rest of his life in a puzzle factory.
The next film to make my list of fav’s is, ‘JAWS.’ That’s right, the 70's classic about a 25 foot killer shark. Again, the plot is well-known so I’ll skip that part. This film was inspired by a series of shark attacks that plagued the Jersey shore over a two week period in the early 1900's. (1916 to be exact.) During the a 12 day span, 5 people were attacked, 4 bit the dust. A seven foot great white shark was captured and in it’s stomach were human remains. (Cue up the Jaws theme song!)
Ok, what about this film? Ever seen the movie ‘DEAD RINGERS?’ This 1988 horror film is about twin OBGYN’S that like to share women. Beverly, the more sensitive of the twins, falls in love with their latest ‘toy’ and when she finds out what the twins have been doing, she shit-cans them both sending Beverly into a downward spiral of drug abuse and dragging his brother down with him. Now here’s what really happened....In 1975 the rotted and emaciated bodies of twin OBGYN’S Stewart and Cyril Marcus were found in their apartment. The cause of death was an extreme withdrawal due to an addiction of barbiturates. It’s unknown to what lead to their horrible state.
Here’s another great horror film that was inspired by true events. THE HILLS HAVE EYES (1977). This film is about a family of violent cannibals who terrorize a vacationing family traveling in an RV across the desert. This film was inspired by the legend of one Alexander Bean. Bean was the head of a 40 person clan that killed and munched over 1000 people. However, as cool as that sounds, most historians really don’t believe that Bean ever existed. As for me, I don’t know if he did or didn’t. And honestly I don’t give shit number one. It’s a cool fuckin’ story though huh?
Obie Kaybe. The last movie on my list, and the one that Sasha and I are gonna review is one of my all time favorite films. Ever heard of the movie, ‘HENRY : PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER.?’ This 1986 film is about a serial killer named Henry who, with the help of his roommate Otis kills hundreds of people. Neato huh? The film was inspired by serial killer Henry Lee Lucas. The film is really based more on Lucas’s accountants rather than cold hard facts. Lucas confessed to over 600 killings. (He did that to improve his conditions while in custody.) Lucas was found guilty on 11 counts of murder and spent the rest of his life in the big house.
Well, there you go. Some of my favorite true story horror films. Be sure and check out Sasha’s stuff as well. Until next time, take care, stay a-scared and I am out.
ZOMBIE ZANE’S FAVORITE TRUE STORY HORROR MOVIES
The first movie on my list is PSYCHO (1968). By now everybody knows the plot of this film. If not, egads and yikes you suck and are a total tool. But did you know that the character Norman Bates was inspired by serial killer Ed Gein? Mr. Ed was all about digging up the graves of women who reminded him of his dead mother. He also made a woman suit out of their skin. He was arrested in 1957 for killing two people and spent the rest of his life in a puzzle factory.
The next film to make my list of fav’s is, ‘JAWS.’ That’s right, the 70's classic about a 25 foot killer shark. Again, the plot is well-known so I’ll skip that part. This film was inspired by a series of shark attacks that plagued the Jersey shore over a two week period in the early 1900's. (1916 to be exact.) During the a 12 day span, 5 people were attacked, 4 bit the dust. A seven foot great white shark was captured and in it’s stomach were human remains. (Cue up the Jaws theme song!)
Ok, what about this film? Ever seen the movie ‘DEAD RINGERS?’ This 1988 horror film is about twin OBGYN’S that like to share women. Beverly, the more sensitive of the twins, falls in love with their latest ‘toy’ and when she finds out what the twins have been doing, she shit-cans them both sending Beverly into a downward spiral of drug abuse and dragging his brother down with him. Now here’s what really happened....In 1975 the rotted and emaciated bodies of twin OBGYN’S Stewart and Cyril Marcus were found in their apartment. The cause of death was an extreme withdrawal due to an addiction of barbiturates. It’s unknown to what lead to their horrible state.
Here’s another great horror film that was inspired by true events. THE HILLS HAVE EYES (1977). This film is about a family of violent cannibals who terrorize a vacationing family traveling in an RV across the desert. This film was inspired by the legend of one Alexander Bean. Bean was the head of a 40 person clan that killed and munched over 1000 people. However, as cool as that sounds, most historians really don’t believe that Bean ever existed. As for me, I don’t know if he did or didn’t. And honestly I don’t give shit number one. It’s a cool fuckin’ story though huh?
Obie Kaybe. The last movie on my list, and the one that Sasha and I are gonna review is one of my all time favorite films. Ever heard of the movie, ‘HENRY : PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER.?’ This 1986 film is about a serial killer named Henry who, with the help of his roommate Otis kills hundreds of people. Neato huh? The film was inspired by serial killer Henry Lee Lucas. The film is really based more on Lucas’s accountants rather than cold hard facts. Lucas confessed to over 600 killings. (He did that to improve his conditions while in custody.) Lucas was found guilty on 11 counts of murder and spent the rest of his life in the big house.
Well, there you go. Some of my favorite true story horror films. Be sure and check out Sasha’s stuff as well. Until next time, take care, stay a-scared and I am out.
Ohh the true horror!!! by Sasha Slaughter
Hey there creeps and creepettes, Sasha Slaughter here && this week on Dead End we're talking true horror. So I'll be talking a little about Sylvia Likens. Never heard of her?? Neither did I until a few days ago. Her story was actually the inspiration for Jack Ketchum's book, "The girl next door" and it was also adapted as a film. In addition to the info I'm about to give you about Sylvia Likens, Zane && I will also be reviewing Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer and he'll be doing a list of true horror movies. Yay!!!
Sylvia Marie Likens was born January 3, 1949. She was the daughter of Betty and Lester Likens, who were carnival workers. She was the middle child, born between two sets of twins. Sylvia was often left with relatives due to her parents work schedule. She and her siblings had had at least fourteen different addresses over the years, due to her parents moving to find work. In 1965 Sylvia and her sister Jenny, who was disabled from polio, were living with their mother Betty in Indianapolis when she got arrested and jailed for shoplifting. Their father, who was separated from their mother at the time, arranged to have Sylvia and Jenny board with Gertrude Baniszewski in exchange for $20 a week.
Baniszewski was described as haggard, underweight, and was reporedly suffering from depression due to many failed marriages. She often took her anger out on Sylvia and Jenny, beating them with paddles when the $20 payments weren't sent on time. Shortly after arriving at Gertrudes home, Sylvia began being abused by Gertrude, Gertrudes children (Paula and John) and two neighborhood boys, Coy Hubbard and Richard Hobbs. Baniszewski focused most of the abuse on Sylvia, accusing her of stealing candy and humiliating her when Sylvia admitted that she had once had a boyfriend. She kicked Sylvia in the genitals and often accused her of being pregnant. Gertrudes daughter Paula, who was actually the one pregnant at the time, became enraged and knocked Sylvia to the floor. Later reports showed that Sylvia was never pregnant.
Sylvia was accused of spreading rumors around her high school that Stephanie and Paula (Gertrudes daughters) were prostitutes. These rumors caused Stephanie's boyfriend, Coy Hubbard to physically attack Likens. Gertrude often encouraged the neighborhood children to tourment Sylvia, by putting cigarettes out on her skin and forcing her to remove her clothes and insert a coke bottle into her vagina, on at least two separate occasions.
After beating Sylvia to get her to admit to stealing a gym uniform that Mrs. Baniszewski wouldn't buy for her to take gym class, Gertrude pulled Sylvia out of school and did not let her leave the house. She was held prisoner there. She wasn't allowed to use the bathroom, and when Sylvia urinated in her bed, she was locked in the cellar and forbidden to use the toilet for days. After that, she was forced by Gertrude to consume feces and urine. Gertrude began carving the words "I'm a prostitute and proud of it!" with a hot needle into Sylvia's stomach. When Baniszewski wasn't able to finish, Richard Hobbs completed the carving on her stomach. Richard Hobbs, with the help of Gertrudes 10 year old daughter Shirley, then burnt the number "3" into Sylvia's chest with a heated eye bolt.
Sylvia tried to escape after she over heard Gertrudes plan to have her dumped in a wooded area nearby. Unfortunately Sylvia was caught before she made it to the front door. As punishment for trying to escape, Sylvia was tied in the basement and fed only crackers. On October 26, 1965 after several beatings, burnings, and scalding baths, she died of a brain hemorrhage and malnutrition. When Stephanie and Richard realized that she wasn't breathing, they attempted to give her mouth to mouth resuscitation before realizing that she was dead. Sylvia Likens was 16 years old and had only been with the Baniszewski's for three months before her untimely death.
Stephanie then sent Hobbs to a payphone to call the police. When the police arrived, Gertrude handed them a note that she had forced Sylvia to write just days before she was murdered. It said that she agreed to have sexual relations with several boys in exchange for money and that they had dragged her away in their car, beaten her up, burned her several times and carved the inscription into her skin. Upon leaving the home, Jenny approached the police officers and told them that if they could get her out of the house, she would tell them everything.
During the trial, Baniszewski denied having anything to do with Likens death, by pleading not guilty by reason of insanity. She claimed to have been too distracted by her mental health and severe depression to control her children. While attorneys for the young people on trial (Paula and John Baniszewski, Richard Hobbs, and Coy Hubbard) claimed that the they were pressured by Gertrude. When Gerturdes 11 year old daughter Marie took the stand she broke down and admitted that she had been forced to heat the needle that was used to carve things into Sylvia Liken's skin, and that she had seen her mother beating Sylvia. It was said that during the closing statments of the trial Baniszewki's lawyer said "I condemn her for being a murderess...but I say she's not responsible because she's not all there!" and then proceeded to tap his head.
Richard Hobbs and Coy Hubbard spent two years in jail. In 1971, Paula and Gertrude were granted another trial. Paula pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and was released two years later. Gertrude was again convicted of first degree murder. In 1985 she came up for parole and was released due to good behavior. She changed her name to Nadine van Fossan and moved to Iowa. She died of lung cancer on June 16, 1990. It was reported that when Jenny Likens saw Baniszewki's obituary in the newspaper, she clipped it out and mailed it to her mother with a note reading "Some good news. Damn old Gertrude died. Ha ha ha! I'm happy about that".
Richard Hobbs died of lung cancer at 21 years of age after being released from the reformatory. After a middle school massacre, John Baniszewski made a speech in which he said that not all criminals are beyond help and described how he turned his life around. He died at the General Hospital in Lancaster, Pennsylvania on May 19, 2005 following a lengthy illness with diabetes. He had a wife and three children. Coy Hubbard, Stephanie Baniszewki's boyfriend who beat Sylvia and reportedly practiced judo on her, was in and out of prison before being charged and acquitted with the muder of two men. He died on June 23, 2007 of a heart attack in Shelbyville, Indiana. He had a wife and five children, seventeen grandchildren, and one great grandchild.
Paula Baniszewki was seventeen and the oldest of Gertrudes children was given a sentence of twenty years to life for her part in Sylvia's death. While in jail, she gave birth to a baby girl (which she named Gertrude) but was forced to give her up for adoption. She tried to escape from prison in 1971, both attempts were unsuccessful. Finally in 1972 she was paroled and changed her name. She is said to be married and living on a small farm in Iowa. The murder charge against Stephanie Bansizewski was dropped after she testified against the others. She changed her name and became a school teacher. She is married and has several children.
The other children in the neighborhood who helped torture Sylvia (Anna Ruth Siscoe, Judy Darlene Duke, Michael John Monroe, and Randy Gordon Lepper) had the charges against them dropped. The house at 3850 East New York Street in which Sylvia Likens was murdered stood vacant for years and was finally demolished on April 23, 2009. The property became a church parking lot.
There it is! The story of Sylvia Likens. Sad isn't it??? Hope you enjoyed it! Don't forget to check out Zanes true horror movie list && his review of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. And you know the drill, check back next week when Dead End returns with new stuff! Take care =)
Sylvia Marie Likens was born January 3, 1949. She was the daughter of Betty and Lester Likens, who were carnival workers. She was the middle child, born between two sets of twins. Sylvia was often left with relatives due to her parents work schedule. She and her siblings had had at least fourteen different addresses over the years, due to her parents moving to find work. In 1965 Sylvia and her sister Jenny, who was disabled from polio, were living with their mother Betty in Indianapolis when she got arrested and jailed for shoplifting. Their father, who was separated from their mother at the time, arranged to have Sylvia and Jenny board with Gertrude Baniszewski in exchange for $20 a week.
Baniszewski was described as haggard, underweight, and was reporedly suffering from depression due to many failed marriages. She often took her anger out on Sylvia and Jenny, beating them with paddles when the $20 payments weren't sent on time. Shortly after arriving at Gertrudes home, Sylvia began being abused by Gertrude, Gertrudes children (Paula and John) and two neighborhood boys, Coy Hubbard and Richard Hobbs. Baniszewski focused most of the abuse on Sylvia, accusing her of stealing candy and humiliating her when Sylvia admitted that she had once had a boyfriend. She kicked Sylvia in the genitals and often accused her of being pregnant. Gertrudes daughter Paula, who was actually the one pregnant at the time, became enraged and knocked Sylvia to the floor. Later reports showed that Sylvia was never pregnant.
Sylvia was accused of spreading rumors around her high school that Stephanie and Paula (Gertrudes daughters) were prostitutes. These rumors caused Stephanie's boyfriend, Coy Hubbard to physically attack Likens. Gertrude often encouraged the neighborhood children to tourment Sylvia, by putting cigarettes out on her skin and forcing her to remove her clothes and insert a coke bottle into her vagina, on at least two separate occasions.
After beating Sylvia to get her to admit to stealing a gym uniform that Mrs. Baniszewski wouldn't buy for her to take gym class, Gertrude pulled Sylvia out of school and did not let her leave the house. She was held prisoner there. She wasn't allowed to use the bathroom, and when Sylvia urinated in her bed, she was locked in the cellar and forbidden to use the toilet for days. After that, she was forced by Gertrude to consume feces and urine. Gertrude began carving the words "I'm a prostitute and proud of it!" with a hot needle into Sylvia's stomach. When Baniszewski wasn't able to finish, Richard Hobbs completed the carving on her stomach. Richard Hobbs, with the help of Gertrudes 10 year old daughter Shirley, then burnt the number "3" into Sylvia's chest with a heated eye bolt.
Sylvia tried to escape after she over heard Gertrudes plan to have her dumped in a wooded area nearby. Unfortunately Sylvia was caught before she made it to the front door. As punishment for trying to escape, Sylvia was tied in the basement and fed only crackers. On October 26, 1965 after several beatings, burnings, and scalding baths, she died of a brain hemorrhage and malnutrition. When Stephanie and Richard realized that she wasn't breathing, they attempted to give her mouth to mouth resuscitation before realizing that she was dead. Sylvia Likens was 16 years old and had only been with the Baniszewski's for three months before her untimely death.
Stephanie then sent Hobbs to a payphone to call the police. When the police arrived, Gertrude handed them a note that she had forced Sylvia to write just days before she was murdered. It said that she agreed to have sexual relations with several boys in exchange for money and that they had dragged her away in their car, beaten her up, burned her several times and carved the inscription into her skin. Upon leaving the home, Jenny approached the police officers and told them that if they could get her out of the house, she would tell them everything.
During the trial, Baniszewski denied having anything to do with Likens death, by pleading not guilty by reason of insanity. She claimed to have been too distracted by her mental health and severe depression to control her children. While attorneys for the young people on trial (Paula and John Baniszewski, Richard Hobbs, and Coy Hubbard) claimed that the they were pressured by Gertrude. When Gerturdes 11 year old daughter Marie took the stand she broke down and admitted that she had been forced to heat the needle that was used to carve things into Sylvia Liken's skin, and that she had seen her mother beating Sylvia. It was said that during the closing statments of the trial Baniszewki's lawyer said "I condemn her for being a murderess...but I say she's not responsible because she's not all there!" and then proceeded to tap his head.
Richard Hobbs and Coy Hubbard spent two years in jail. In 1971, Paula and Gertrude were granted another trial. Paula pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and was released two years later. Gertrude was again convicted of first degree murder. In 1985 she came up for parole and was released due to good behavior. She changed her name to Nadine van Fossan and moved to Iowa. She died of lung cancer on June 16, 1990. It was reported that when Jenny Likens saw Baniszewki's obituary in the newspaper, she clipped it out and mailed it to her mother with a note reading "Some good news. Damn old Gertrude died. Ha ha ha! I'm happy about that".
Richard Hobbs died of lung cancer at 21 years of age after being released from the reformatory. After a middle school massacre, John Baniszewski made a speech in which he said that not all criminals are beyond help and described how he turned his life around. He died at the General Hospital in Lancaster, Pennsylvania on May 19, 2005 following a lengthy illness with diabetes. He had a wife and three children. Coy Hubbard, Stephanie Baniszewki's boyfriend who beat Sylvia and reportedly practiced judo on her, was in and out of prison before being charged and acquitted with the muder of two men. He died on June 23, 2007 of a heart attack in Shelbyville, Indiana. He had a wife and five children, seventeen grandchildren, and one great grandchild.
Paula Baniszewki was seventeen and the oldest of Gertrudes children was given a sentence of twenty years to life for her part in Sylvia's death. While in jail, she gave birth to a baby girl (which she named Gertrude) but was forced to give her up for adoption. She tried to escape from prison in 1971, both attempts were unsuccessful. Finally in 1972 she was paroled and changed her name. She is said to be married and living on a small farm in Iowa. The murder charge against Stephanie Bansizewski was dropped after she testified against the others. She changed her name and became a school teacher. She is married and has several children.
The other children in the neighborhood who helped torture Sylvia (Anna Ruth Siscoe, Judy Darlene Duke, Michael John Monroe, and Randy Gordon Lepper) had the charges against them dropped. The house at 3850 East New York Street in which Sylvia Likens was murdered stood vacant for years and was finally demolished on April 23, 2009. The property became a church parking lot.
There it is! The story of Sylvia Likens. Sad isn't it??? Hope you enjoyed it! Don't forget to check out Zanes true horror movie list && his review of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. And you know the drill, check back next week when Dead End returns with new stuff! Take care =)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)