Inside Sylvia Likens’ tragic fate: New Ashton Gleckman documentary gives fresh perspective

Ashton Gleckman's new 33-minute-long documentary about the murder of Sylvia Likens debuted at the Indy Shorts Film Festival from July 21 to July 25. The premiere was scheduled for 5 p.m. on July 23 at the Frank Basile Theater in the Indy Art Center with another screening at 2:30 p.m. on July 26 at the same venue.

Sylvia Likens' case remains one of the most disturbing Indian crimes in history. The 16-year-old girl was tortured and killed and after 60 years, Gleckman said that before starting production, he collected information on Sylvia's case by interviewing her Tech High School best friend, Sheila Jane Johnson Wells.

Continue reading more about Sylvia Likens's tragic story.

What happened to Sylvia Likens 60 years ago?

In July 1965, Lester and Betty Likens, placed their teenage daughters, Sylvia and Jenny, under the care of Gertrude Baniszewski in Indianapolis. They agreed to pay her $20 each week while they traveled and worked on the carnival circuit.

Over the next three months, Gertrude, her children, and neighborhood youths systematically abused Sylvia. She was denied food, beaten repeatedly, burned, and tortured. On October 26, 1965, she died from a subdural hematoma (a brain bleed) and extreme malnutrition.

Indianapolis police found Sylvia's body lying on a mattress at 3850 East New York Street. Gertrude told the officers that a group of boys had attacked the girl. She even showed the police a note written in Sylvia’s own handwriting that seemed to support her claim. However, the police quickly realized from the severe condition of Sylvia’s body that this was not the result of a single attack.

The killers of Sylvia Likens

The torture and killing of Sylvia Likens remains one of the most infamous and disturbing crimes in Indiana history. The trial deeply shocked the public because it exposed the involvement of neighbors as well as the failure of adults to protect the teenager. After the jury's eight hours of deliberation, the court reached a verdict in May 1966.

Gertrude was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison, though she was released on parole in 1985. Her 17-year-old daughter, Paula, was also found guilty of second-degree murder and received a mandatory life sentence, but she was released in 1972.

John Baniszewski, Coy Hubbard, and Richard Hobbs were also convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to terms ranging from 2 to 21 years at the Indiana Reformatory, with parole granted in 1968.

Ashton Gleckman documents the case of Sylvia Likens

According to the information collected by Gleckman, Sheila was a young African American student attending her first integrated school, while Sylvia had no friends. The two eventually formed a bond.

The director noted that this was the period when Sylvia was being abused before she was withdrawn from school during her final weeks. Sylvia often arrived at school with visible marks on her body, and Sheila would sit with her in the gymnasium locker room. Gradually, they became friends.

Gleckman further revealed that it was hard for Sylvia to go to sleep because of the sounds she heard from her neighbors. The director mentioned in a statement:

"You could see the pain in this woman’s eyes. She’s now in her 60s, but the memory is still there of hearing these sounds. Her mother and father made a conscious decision not to get involved because they felt it wasn’t their business."

Gleckman managed to speak with one of Baniszewski’s children, who had been indicted, but was not convicted in the case. He explained that she refused to acknowledge anything, avoided conversation, and showed no willingness to accept accountability of Sylvia's murder.