American Crime

Sylvia likens was the victim of the biggest case of abuse ever investigated in the state of Indianapolis.
She and jenny were the daughters of carnival workers Betty and Lester Likens,whose marriage was unstable, and the family moved many times.

One night Sylvia and Jenny went over to the Baniszewski’s house as their friend, Paula Baniszewski invited them. Later that daywhen their father, Lester, went there to pick them up, he started talking with Paula’s mother, Gertrude, about their situation and how much they needed someone to take care of the girls while they wentaway with the carnival in order to work.
Gertrude offered Lester to take care of her girls for 20 dollars a week. Although Gertrude and her seven kids were very poor and he was aware ofthat, he agreed and encouraged Gertrude to straight her daughters up.
During their second week in the house, as their parents payment check arrived a few days later, Gertrude made the girlslie naked across a bed and whipped them with a belt. That was the begging of what was going to come.
Gertrude was underweight, asthmatic and suffering from stress of several failedmarriages, she began taking her anger out on both Likens girls at first, but then she the focused on Sylvia.
Gertrude and Paula started beating Sylvia every day mostly on her genitals as theyaccused her of being a prostitute and encouraged children from the neighborhood to torture Sylvia as well.
Sylvia began to be burned with cigarettes and lighted matches, AND also hit and kickeddaily until she was unconscious. Her sister Jenny was more than once forced to heat her or threatened to receive the same treat as her sister.
One day Gertrude in front all the children whowent to the house, made Sylvia take her clothes out and insert an empty coke bottle into her vagina. After that day she was taken out form school and locked in the basement and forbidden to use the...