Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Review of indiana injury lawyer::What are Texas laws regarding a vehicle rear-ending ...







Review of indiana injury lawyer::What are Texas laws regarding a vehicle rear-ending ...








In               July               1965,               Lester               Likens               made               arrangements               with               a               woman               who               he               had               met               only               one               day               earlier,               known               to               him               as               "Mrs.

Wright,"               to               board               two               of               his               five               children               while               he               and               his               wife               operated               a               concession               stand               for               a               traveling               carnival.

He               did               not               bother               to               become               acquainted               with               the               woman               or               her               household               before               leaving               his               children               in               her               care.

He               figured               that               his               daughters               were               in               good               hands               since               "Mrs.

Wright"               had               many               children               of               her               own               and               was               raising               them               by               herself.

He               was               gravely               mistaken.

On               October               26,               1965,               the               Indianapolis               Police               Department               received               a               call               from               a               teenage               boy,               reporting               the               death               of               a               young               girl.

Officers               responded               to               the               call               and               arrived               at               3850               East               New               York               Street,               completely               unprepared               for               what               they               were               about               to               find.

In               the               basement               of               the               house               was               the               emaciated               and               bruised               body               of               16-year-old               Sylvia               Likens.

She               had               no               less               than               100               burns               and               contusions               as               well               as               several               large               patches               of               missing               skin.

The               number               "3"               was               burned               on               her               chest               and               the               words               "I               am               a               prostitute               and               proud               of               it"               were               carved               across               her               stomach.

All               of               her               fingernails               were               missing               and               her               lower               lip               was               bitten               to               the               point               that               it               was               partially               severed.

The               slow               and               painful               torture               death               of               Sylvia               Likens               was               caused               by               a               group               of               children               ranging               in               age               from               11               to               17.

The               despicable               acts               were               orchestrated               and               masterminded               by               the               37-year-old               "Mrs.

Wright."
               The               woman               known               as               Mrs.

Wright               was               really               Gertrude               Baniszewski.

Born               in               1929               to               a               low-income               family,               Getrude               was               one               of               six               children.

She               got               along               well               with               her               father,               but               was               constantly               at               odds               with               her               mother.

Her               father               passed               away               when               she               was               11               from               a               heart               attack,               leaving               her               devastated.

At               16,               she               dropped               out               of               high               school               and               married               John               Baniszewski,               a               cop               who               frequently               broke               the               laws               he               was               supposed               to               enforce               by               beating               his               wife               on               a               regular               basis.

The               two               had               four               children               before               divorcing               a               decade               later.

During               this               time,               Gertrude               was               briefly               married               to               another               man.

When               that               relationship               failed,               she               re-married               her               first               husband               only               to               divorce               him               again               seven               years               and               two               children               later.

She               then               cohabitated               briefly               with               another               man,               Dennis               Wright,               with               whom               she               had               a               son               out               of               wedlock.

Not               wanting               her               youngest               son               to               be               considered               illegitimate,               Gertrude               insisted               on               being               called               "Mrs.

Wright"               even               after               she               and               Dennis               separated.

By               1965,               she               had               seven               children               and               had               endured               six               miscarriages.

She               was               a               chain               smoker               and               had               bronchitis.

She               also               suffered               from               a               nervous               disorder.
               Sylvia               Marie               Likens               was               a               pleasant               young               girl.

Those               who               knew               her               described               her               as               outgoing               and               energetic.

She               was               born               to               Betty               and               Lester               Likens               and               had               four               siblings:               two               sets               of               twins.

She               was               exceptionally               close               with               her               younger               sister               Jenny,               15,               who               was               disabled               and               had               to               wear               leg               braces               as               a               result               of               Polio.

In               July               1965,               Sylvia               and               Jenny               were               out               playing               when               they               met               one               of               Gertrude's               children,               17-year-old               Paula               Baniszewski               who               invited               the               two               girls               back               to               her               home.

The               next               day,               Lester               Likens               arranged               to               pay               Gertrude               $20/week               to               board               his               two               daughters:               unbeknownst               to               him,               an               act               that               would               lead               to               the               abuse               of               both               children               and               the               tragic               and               untimely               death               of               Sylvia.
               Had               Lester               bothered               to               inspect               the               home               where               his               children               were               staying,               he               would               have               found               that               there               was               no               stove,               less               beds               than               people               living               there               and               a               total               of               three               spoons.

The               first               week               of               the               girls'               stay               at               the               Baniszewski               house               passed               without               any               incidents.

During               the               second               week,               the               abuse               began.

Gertrude               had               not               yet               received               her               payment               from               Lester               Likens.

In               a               rage,               she               screamed,               "I               took               care               of               you               two               bitches               for               nothing,"               at               the               two               young               girls,               pulled               down               their               pants               and               spanked               them.
               After               attending               church               with               the               Baniszewski               family,               Paula               told               her               mother               that               Sylvia               had               overeaten               at               the               church               picnic.

Gertrude               and               her               children               came               up               with               what               they               considered               to               be               a               fitting               punishment.

They               loaded               a               hot               dog               with               a               variety               of               condiments               and               forced               Sylvia               to               eat               it.

Sylvia               vomited               immediately               after               eating               the               hot               dog               and               was               then               forced               to               eat               her               own               vomit.
               A               couple               of               weeks               later,               Lester               and               Betty               Likens               visited               the               Baniszewski               home,               but               both               Sylvia               and               Jenny               were               too               afraid               to               tell               them               about               Gertrude's               abusive               behavior.

Soon               after               the               Likens'               departure,               Paula               filled               a               glass               with               hot               water               and               threw               it               at               Sylvia               giving               her               a               black               eye.

She               then               beat               the               poor               girl               with               a               belt.
               In               August,               Sylvia               expressed               romantic               interest               in               a               teenage               boy               from               her               class.

Gertrude               accused               her               of               being               promiscuous               and               kicked               her               in               the               crotch,               a               habit               that               she               continued               with               great               frequency.

Sylvia's               autopsy               later               revealed               extreme               injuries               in               the               pubic               area.
               As               an               attempt               at               revenge               for               Paula's               cruel               treatment               of               her,               Sylvia               spread               a               rumor               around               school               that               Paula               was               a               prostitute.

When               Paula's               boyfriend               found               out               that               Sylvia               had               done               this,               he               beat               her               severely               while               Gertrude               watched               and               ultimately               joined.

Gertrude               also               encouraged               many               of               the               neighborhood               children               to               hate               Sylvia               and               abuse               her               physically.

Paula               frequently               heaved               objects               at               Sylvia's               head.

Several               times               Gertrude               forced               Jenny               to               hit               her               sister.

When               she               refused,               Gertrude               beat               her               until               she               reluctantly               complied,               using               her               left               hand               so               that               she               would               not               hurt               Sylvia               too               much.
               In               early               October,               the               horror               escalated.

Sylvia               did               not               have               money               for               a               physical               education               uniform,               a               mandatory               part               of               her               class,               and               Gertrude               would               not               give               her               money               to               buy               one.

Sylvia               panicked               and               stole               a               gym               suit.

As               punishment               for               her               theft,               Gertrude               repeatedly               kicked               Sylvia               in               the               crotch               and               burned               her               fingers               with               a               lighted               match.

From               that               point               on,               the               neighborhood               children               and               Gertrude               made               a               habit               of               burning               Sylvia               with               matches               and               lit               cigarettes.
               The               incidents               continued               to               increase               in               both               frequency               and               severity               and               Jenny               was               almost               always               forced               to               watch               the               cruel               treatment               of               her               sister.

Convinced               that               Sylvia               was               stealing               money,               Gertrude               forced               her               to               strip               completely               nude               and               perform               a               strip               tease               for               a               co-ed               group               of               the               neighborhood               and               her               own               kids.

She               then               forced               Gertrude               to               insert               a               bottle               into               her               vagina               in               front               of               everyone.
               Several               days               later,               Sylvia               wet               her               bed.

This               was               likely               the               result               of               anxiety               or               the               frequent               vicious               kicks               to               the               stomach               inflicted               by               Gertrude.

As               punishment               for               her               "lack               of               cleanliness,"               Sylvia               was               sent               to               live               in               the               basement               and               was               denied               any               use               of               the               bathroom               facilities.

In               a               sadistic               attempt               to               "clean"               her,               Gertrude               and               the               neighborhood               kids               often               filled               the               bathroom               tub               with               scalding               hot               water               and               forced               Sylvia               to               sit               in               it.

She               was               forced               to               remain               nude               most               of               the               time               and               the               neighborhood               kids               delighted               in               visiting               the               Baniszewski               house               and               kicking,               punching               and               assaulting               poor               Sylvia.

They               made               a               game               of               shoving               her               down               the               stairs               and               forcing               her               back               up               them               only               to               push               her               down               again.

Sylvia               was               hardly               ever               fed               and               on               one               particularly               disgusting               occasion               was               forced               by               Gertrude               to               eat               manure               and               drink               urine.
               During               the               last               weekend               before               her               tragic               demise,               Sylvia               was               tied               to               a               bed               in               one               of               the               upstairs               bedrooms.

She               wet               the               bed               that               night               and               the               following               day               was               forced               to               perform               a               second               strip               tease               for               the               neighborhood               children.

As               payback               for               the               rumor               that               Sylvia               had               spread               about               Paula,               Gertrude               and               some               of               the               kids               used               a               heated               sewing               needle               to               carve               the               words               "I'm               a               prostitute               and               proud               of               it"               into               Sylvia's               stomach.

The               kids               then               attempted               to               carve               the               letter               "s"               (for               "slave)               into               her               chest.

They               carved               the               second               curve               the               wrong               way               and               ended               up               cutting               the               number               3               into               her               chest.

Gertrude               then               taunted               Sylvia,               telling               her               that               she               would               never               get               married               and               never               be               able               to               undress               in               front               of               men               without               them               knowing               that               she               was               a               "slut."               When               the               others               went               to               bed               that               night,               Jenny               visited               her               tied               and               bound               sister               who               told               her,               "I'm               going               to               die.

I               can               tell."
               The               next               morning,               Gertrude               forced               Sylvia               to               write               a               letter               to               her               parents               claiming               that               she               had               sex               with               a               boy               and               he               had               carved               the               message               into               her               stomach.

Gertrude               intended               to               eventually               dump               Sylvia's               body               in               an               empty               lot               and               give               the               note               to               the               police               in               an               attempt               to               absolve               her               of               blame.
               Soon               before               her               death,               Sylvia               miraculously               managed               to               muster               enough               energy               to               attempt               an               escape               from               the               Baniszewski               house.

Unfortunately,               she               was               caught               before               reaching               the               front               porch.

Later               that               day,               Sylvia               refused               to               eat               a               piece               of               toast               because               her               throat               was               too               dry.

Gertrude               punished               her               by               hitting               her               across               the               mouth               with               a               curtain               rod.

She               was               beaten               severely               with               chairs               and               broomsticks               that               night               by               Gertrude               and               others.

The               next               morning,               she               was               dragged               upstairs               for               a               bath               and               died               while               she               was               in               the               tub.
               Gertrude               had               one               of               the               teenage               boys               phone               the               police.

When               they               arrived,               she               gave               them               the               note.

Jenny,               devastated               by               the               torture               and               loss               of               her               beloved               sister               whispered               to               one               of               the               officers,               "Get               me               out               of               here               and               I'll               tell               you               everything.
               Gertrude,               Paula               and               four               of               the               older               participants               were               arrested               for               murder.

The               younger               participants               were               charged               with               injury               to               person.

Appallingly,               the               latter               charges               were               later               dropped.

The               lawyer               of               one               of               the               older               participants               was               successful               in               getting               the               murder               charge               against               his               client               dropped.

Not               surprisingly,               Gertrude               denied               almost               all               of               the               accusations               against               her               and               her               children               backed               up               her               lies               and               false               claims.
               Gertrude               was               convicted               of               first               degree               murder.

She               appealed,               was               convicted               again               and               sentenced               to               life               in               prison.

Paula               was               convicted               of               second               degree               murder.

She               appealed               and               the               conviction               was               lessened               to               voluntary               manslaughter.

She               was               unfairly               released               from               prison               after               just               a               few               years.

Three               of               the               older               participants               were               convicted               of               manslaughter               and               spent               a               mere               year               and               a               half               in               a               juvenile               correctional               facility.
               One               of               the               most               unfortunate               things               about               this               tragic               story               is               the               fact               that               several               of               Gertrude's               neighbors               witnessed               the               abuse               of               Sylvia               Likens               and               did               nothing,               feeling               that               it               was               not               their               place               to               interfere.

Had               even               one               of               them               alerted               the               authorities,               Sylvia               might               still               be               alive               today.

Her               tragic               death               serves               as               a               reminder               that               suspicion               of               child               abuse               should               be               promptly               reported               to               the               authorities.
               Sylvia's               story               is               told               in               the               book               "The               Indiana               Torture               Slaying"               by               John               Dean               (not               of               the               Watergate               scandal)               and               "The               Basement"               by               Kate               Millett.

These               events               were               the               inspiration               for               Jack               Ketchum's               novel               "The               Girl               Next               Door"               and               its               film               adaptation               by               the               same               name.The               film               "An               American               Crime"               starring               Ellen               Page               and               Catherine               Keener               is               also               based               on               these               events.






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