2007’s An American Crime contains some of the most horrific abuse ever seen on-screen, and it’s made all the more disturbing due to being based on a true story. Directed by Tommy O’Haver and starring Elliot Page and Catherine Keener, An American Crime tells the story of Sylvia Likens (Page), an Indianapolis teen who finds herself in the care of a family friend, Gertrude Baniszewski (Keener). However, shortly after arriving in the Baniszewski home, Sylvia finds herself subjected to a campaign of brutal torture at the hands of Gertrude, Gertrude’s children, and many local neighborhood kids.

An American Crime is nothing short of disturbing. What’s even more disturbing, however, is the true crime on which it’s based. It would be unfair to say that An American Crime pulled no punches in its depiction of the abuse and murder of the real Sylvia Likens, because in reality it pulled several. The true story behind An American Crime is even more harrowing than the adaptation, as there were multiple aspects of the abuse the real Gertrude Baniszewski inflicted on the young girl in her care that could never be shown on screen.

An American Crime Is Based On The Murder Of Sylvia Likens

The 1965 Murder Is One Of The Most Shocking Cases Of Abuse In American History

An American Crime is an incredibly difficult movie to watch and, unfortunately, the true story is just as harrowing - if not more so. Both Sylvia Likens and Gertrude Baniszewski are real, and the harrowing and utterly disturbing events shown in An American Crime actually happened. It’s a relatively direct adaptation, with much of the story of An American Crime was crafted from transcripts and court documents of the extensive trial of Baniszewski.

The 2007 true-crime movie didn’t embellish or exaggerate any details. If anything, An American Crime toned a lot of what happened to Sylvia Likens down. Much of the torture inflicted on her by Gertrude Baniszewski simply couldn’t be shown on screen if director Tommy O’Haver’s film had any hope of being distributed. As it stands, An American Crime didn’t see a theatrical release (though whether this was due to the content is unknown), and it was only when the Showtime network chose to air the film that it made it to screens in 2008.

Just like An American Crime showed, Sylvia Likens entered the care of Gertrude Baniszewski in July of 1965. It wasn’t long before the horrific abuse started, and just like in An American Crime, it was initially due to late payment from Lester Likens (played in the movie by Nick Searcy). An American Crime was also accurate in showing the role that Baniszewski’s children played in the abuse. By October the same year, Sylvia Likens had ed away.

How Did The Real Sylvia Likens Died

Over 150 Injuries Were Discovered In The Autopsy

As a horror movie based on real events, An American Crime portrayed the moment of Sylvia Likens’ death relatively accurately when comparing details from the actual case. Much like Elliot Page’s character in An American Crime, the real Sylvia Likens died from the cumulative effect of her many injuries and severe malnutrition. However, there were some details changed about the final moments of Sylvia Likens’ life in the 2007 movie.

Specifically, the real Paula Baniszewski (played by Ari Graynor) never tried to help Sylvia Likens escape from the basement.

Specifically, the real Paula Baniszewski (played by Ari Graynor) never tried to help Sylvia Likens escape from the basement. Overall, Paula is made out to be a much more sympathetic character in An American Crime than her real-life counterpart. While the real Paula eventually expressed a great deal of remorse, there’s little evidence that she ever tried to stop the abuse Sylvia Likens experienced, and didn’t try to help her escape on the night she died.

Sylvia Likens ed away on October 25, 1965. When police found her body after Gertrude Baniszewski called the police, she had been posthumously given a bath and dressed. Baniszewski and her children gave police a variety of pre-rehearsed excuses and alternative explanations for how Likens died, but none of these could explain away the incredibly clear signs of abuse and mistreatment.

In the end, Jenny was escorted from the Baniszewski household by police after she whispered to one of the officers that she could tell them the entire truth if they helped her escape. It was Jenny’s testimony that ultimately led to the criminal trial where the harrowing truth about the abuse that inspired An American Crime became public knowledge.

The final cause of death of the real Sylvia Likens was revealed to be brain damage from a severe blow to her right temple, likely from Gertrude Baniszewski herself.

The autopsy of the real Sylvia Likens revealed that she had over 150 separate wounds. These included cuts and lacerations, burns, extensive bruises, and damage to both her muscles and nerves that it’s unlikely would have ever healed had she survived. Incredibly disturbingly, her reproductive organs had swollen shut, her fingernails had all been peeled back, and Liken’s had bitten through her own lips to the point that her teeth were permanently visible.

The final cause of death of the real Sylvia Likens was revealed to be brain damage from a severe blow to her right temple, likely from Gertrude Baniszewski herself. Much like in An American Time, Sylvia Likens had tried to make an escape attempt on the day of her death, though collapsed due to exhaustion. According to court documents, Gertrude had punished her by stamping on her head. This is presumed to be the injury that ultimately took Sylvia Likens’ life.

Why The Abuse That Inspired An American Crime Went On So Long

There Were Plenty Of Opportunities For Someone To Intervene

The treatment Sylvia Likens endured between July and October of 1965 was nothing short of horrific. What makes it even more shocking is that Gertrude Baniszewski managed to rope in so many accomplices, such as her own children and local neighborhood children like Richard Dean Hobbs, and yet the treatment continued for months. This has led to many questions, both from the general public at the time and viewers of the true crime film adaptation An American Crime decades later, over why nobody noticed what was happening.

There are several reasons why nobody knew what was happening to Sylvia Likens until it was too late. It’s known that Sylvia and Jenny Likens didn’t act on opportunities to inform other adults at school or church, as they believed it would make the abuse worse. They had no faith that the police or other authorities would help them, either.

The horrific abuse of Sylvia Likens became a kind of twisted entertainment for the neighborhood kids and children of Gertrude Baniszewski - either that, or the participants feared punishment if they spoke up.

As for why none of the younger neighborhood participants informed their parents, there seems to have been a code of silence among them. This is one of the most disturbing aspects of the true story of An American Crime. The horrific abuse of Sylvia Likens became a kind of twisted entertainment for the neighborhood kids and children of Gertrude Baniszewski - either that, or the participants feared punishment if they spoke up.

It’s impossible to know if any of the local adults would have intervened had they learned the truth. While it’s tempting to hope that the events seen in An American Crime could have been prevented had there been more witnesses, there were several adults who visited the Gertrude Baniszewski and would have seen some kind of signs as the horrors that went on there. Unfortunately, none spoke up.

What Happened To The Real Gertrude Baniszewski

The Murderer Of Sylvia LIkens Didn't Die In Prison

The ending of An American Murder has Sylvia Likens narrate the eventual fate of her abs and is accurate to the true story. Following the discovery of Sylvia Liken’s body and the testimony of her sister Jenny, multiple of the Baniszewski family were charged, as were multiple children from the local neighborhood.

Gertrude, Paula, and John Baniszewski were all indicted for first-degree murder, as were Richard Hobbs and Coy Hubbard. Stephanie Banisewski was released following insufficient evidence, though she waived her immunity and agreed to testify.

The trial of the five abs of Sylvia Likens lasted for 17 days, and took place in August 1966, almost a year after she died. The prosecution initially sought the death penalty and tried to have all of them tried and sentenced together. However, by the time the jury gave their verdicts, the prosecution was unsuccessful when it came to their initial aims when it came to the death penalty, though the five weren’t tried as individuals.

Gertrude Baniszewski changed her name and relocated to Iowa, eventually ing away from lung cancer in 1990.

Hobbs, Hubbard, and John Banisewski Jr. were found guilty of manslaughter. They were sentenced to 2 to 21 years each. They ended up serving less than two years, being granted parole in 1968.

Paula and Gertude Banisewski were both found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. They were retried in 1971 after the Indiana Supreme Court found the group trial to be unlawful, and that the media frenzy could have created an atmosphere leading to an unfair trial. Paula was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter rather than murder, and granted parole in 1972.

Gertrude was once again found guilty of first-degree murder, with her sentence remaining intact. However, she too was eventually granted parole in 1985, to much public outcry. Gertrude Baniszewski changed her name and relocated to Iowa, eventually ing away from lung cancer in 1990. She never accepted responsibility for the death of Sylvia Likens or her part as the ringleader of the group responsible for the harrowing torment shown in An American Crime.