1965 radio interview - murder of Sylvia Likens

"Down There" - the new play from Axis Company (NYC) (September 2010) - is based on the following story.

http://www.AxisCompany.org

Sylvia Marie Likens (January 3, 1949 - October 26, 1965) was an American murder victim from Indiana. She was tortured to death by Gertrude Baniszewski (née Van Fossan), Gertrude's children, and other young people from their neighborhood. Her parents, carnival workers, had left Likens and her sister Jenny in the care of the Baniszewski family three months before her death in exchange for $20 a week. Baniszewski, two of her children, Paula and John, and two neighbor youths, Coy Hubbard and Richard Hobbs, were charged and convicted of the crime. Her torture and murder were described by the prosecutor in Baniszewski's trial as "the most terrible crime ever committed in the state of Indiana."

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Axis-Theatre-Company/123280619946?ref=ts

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• sylvia
• likens
• torture
• murder
• 1965
• axis
• theatre
• down
• there
• indiana
• indianapolis

[electronictrip]

at 2:38 it sounds like Hobbs is about to admit that he carried Sylvia up from the basement. He stumbles over his words in order to get his story "straight". I'll bet you anything that Sylvia died in the basement and he carried her up and she was cold and dead and prolly had emptied bowels and bladder. I bet they tried to warm her up and clean her in a warm bath in a pathetic attempt to make it appear the as less horrific as they could.

[FemalePirate]

The way Gertrude and Hobbs talk about this case sickens me. They talk about it like it's the the most normal thing you could do to a young girl!

[seanboy97]

Gertrude is a evil bitch im glad shes burnimg in hell

[xXprincesstiff96Xx]

OK Somebody answer this plz. Did Richard and gertrude ever had a sexual relationship? and did Richard ever had a crush on Sylvia like on the movie?

[ECCO767]

And truth, what Gertruda and Richard were lovers?

[taffina123]

@spotdathief ITA..Hobbs wasnt raised by this sadistic bitch and he didn't live with her, there was no reason for him to be under her control or do what she said. He had his own family and home that seemed relatively normal He was just a sadistic mofo like Gerty.

That's all.

[taffina123]

@MeMrecious All criminals on death row commit crimes JUST LIKE THIS. Only the most heinous of crimes in the USA get the death penalty. Women in general are not sentenced as heavily for their crimes . It's not about race, dumb ass. And the majority of violent crime in the USA is disproportionately committed by black men, so who do you expect would be sitting on death row?

You left wing fucking loons comment about politics and start spouting off your fucked up social agenda.

[ECCO767]

BITCH! I hate this mongrel

[ECCO767]

Hobbs a bough

[lovespace6]

gerty's a liar -.-

[holycrap225]

@spotdathief Well, when you think about it, it was different times back then. Children were raised to respect their elders and do what the older people expected them to do. I'm not saying I condone this crime at all; all of those who were involved with hurting that poor girl, including Richard and Gertrude, are indeed serving their time and paying the price.

[holycrap225]

@LunaG7 her new name i believe was nadine van fossan.