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Paula Baniszewski

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Murderer

The Resume

    (1948- )
    Born in Indianapolis, Indiana
    Eldest daughter of Gertrude Baniszewski
    Perpetrator in the abuse and torture of 16-year-old Sylvia Likens (1965)
    Found guilty of second-degree murder (1966); released in 1972

Why she might be annoying:

    She was promiscuous and jealous of housemate Sylvia Likens.
    She regularly accused Sylvia of being a slut and of being pregnant, when she was herself three months pregnant at the time (by a married man).
    She regularly lied about Sylvia and her sister, Jenny, once claiming to her mother that the two had eaten gluttonous amounts of food at a church supper, leading to their being physically beaten as punishment.
    She regularly participated in abuse of the girls, although mainly Sylvia - whom she once hit so hard that she broke her wrist while doing it.
    Other acts she participated in included forcing Sylvia to bathe in scalding hot water, forcing food down her throat causing her to vomit (and then forcing her to eat it), mutilating her vaginal area, and branding the girl’s body with the inscription ‘I'M A PROSTITUTE AND PROUD OF IT!’
    She regularly bragged about abusing Sylvia to her friends and neighbors (none of whom cared enough to intervene personally or at least to notify authorities).
    Her torture of Sylvia caused her to eventually die from internal hemorrhaging of the brain and shock, finally leading to the police getting involved (when they came she emerged from her room clutching a Bible and claiming that Likens’ death ‘was meant to happen’).
    She was unrepentant during the murder trial proceedings, and was admonished for repeatedly laughing during her interrogation.
    She was sentenced to life in prison, but was paroled after seven years, changing her identity and concealing her criminal history to get work.
    She was fired from her job as a school counselor after the school discovered her true identity (October 2012).

Why she might not be annoying:

    Her mother was abusive and likely beat her long before Sylvia ever came to live with them.
    Her mother threw her and her siblings under the bus during the murder trial, claiming that she had no idea they were abusing Likens during her stay.
    She gave birth to a baby daughter while awaiting trial in 1966 (she was given up for adoption).
    She is inexplicably portrayed by Ari Graynor in a sympathetic light for the film documenting the events, ‘An American Crime,’ in 2007, occasionally showing remorse for her actions.
    She reportedly lives as a recluse on farmland in Iowa and regularly declines interview requests.
    Her case is credited with the state of Indiana changing laws to mandate reporting of abuse or criminal neglect of children.

Credit: BoyWithTheGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 5 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 100 Votes: 67.00% Annoying