Gertrude Baniszewski | The Woman Who Charged Neighborhood Kids a Nickel to Watch Her Torture a Girl
Weird Darkness: Paranormal & True Crime Stories
Darren Marlar
4.6 • 4.1K Ratings
🗓️ 9 January 2026
⏱️ 57 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
IN THIS EPISODE: Gertrude Baniszewski – a woman whose evil ran so deep, it flowed through her children and their friends and displayed itself in the torture, mutilation and murder of a young girl. (Torture Mother) *** On January 2, 1935, a man who signed the guest register as “Roland T. Owen” checked into the President Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri – and never checked out. (The Man in Room 1046) *** If you ask a dying loved one to try and reach you from the other side when they finally pass away, don’t be surprised if they follow up on that promise. (My Mom’s Wake) *** The last cabin standing along the beach at Hunting Island State Park is a celebrity among locals and visitors as folks have taken to a love affair with the little blue cabin’s fight against nature over the past few years. Oh… and it also appears to be haunted. (Little Blue Ocean Cabin)
CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…
00:00:00.000 = Disclaimer and Lead-In
00:01:42.103 = Show Open
00:03:33.891 = The Torture Mother, Part 1
00:17:39.437 = *** The Torture Mother, Part 2
00:38:39.253 = *** The Man In Room 1046
00:45:45.323 = My Mom’s Wake
00:51:06.802 = *** Little Blue
00:55:43.060 = Show Close
*** = Begins immediately after inserted ad break
SOURCES AND REFERENCES FROM THE EPISODE…
“The Man in Room 1046” by Troy Taylor: http://bit.ly/2QJcZpW
“My Mom’s Wake” by Pete Inesc: http://bit.ly/2EObXUE
“Little Blue Ocean Cabin” posted at GhostsNGhouls.com (link no longer available)
“The Torture Mother” posted at Murderpedia.org: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/4xcbkut7
Weird Darkness theme from Alibi Music Library
= = = = =
(Over time links seen above may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)
= = = = =
"I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46
= = = = =
WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2024, Weird Darkness.
= = = = =
Originally aired: June 01, 2019
EPISODE PAGE (includes sources): https://weirdarkness.com/TortureMother
ABOUT WEIRD DARKNESS: Weird Darkness is a true crime and paranormal podcast narrated by professional award-winning voice actor, Darren Marlar. Seven days per week, Weird Darkness focuses on all things strange and macabre such as haunted locations, unsolved mysteries, true ghost stories, supernatural manifestations, urban legends, unsolved or cold cases, conspiracy theories, and more. Weird Darkness has been named one of the “20 Best Storytellers in Podcasting” by Podcast Business Journal. Listeners have described the show as a blend of “Coast to Coast AM”, “The Twilight Zone”, “Unsolved Mysteries”, and “In Search Of”.DISCLAIMER: Stories and content in Weird Darkness can be disturbing for some listeners and intended for mature audiences only. Parental discretion is strongly advised.
#WeirdDarkness #TrueCrime #SylviaLikens #TortureMother #GertrudeBaniszewski #TrueCrimeHistory #IndianapolisTrue Crime #1960sCrime #TrueCrimeCommunity #MurderCase
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Before listening to this episode, I want to let you know that the first story is so graphic |
| 0:05.1 | that I would strongly encourage you not to listen if children are in the room. I'd also recommend |
| 0:11.1 | the same if you are easily squeamish. Our first story, the one promoted at the beginning |
| 0:16.1 | of this episode, is the most graphic story I have ever presented in the podcast. Listener discretion |
| 0:22.7 | is advised. |
| 0:23.6 | Gertrude Benazevsky, also known as Gertrude Wright and the Torture Mother, was an Indiana |
| 0:39.0 | divorcee who oversaw and facilitated the prolonged torture, mutilation, and eventual murder |
| 0:46.7 | of Sylvia Lykens, a teenage girl she had taken into her home. |
| 0:52.2 | The case is unique in that, while Benezevsky did play an active role |
| 0:56.9 | in Lichen's death, the majority of the torture that eventually brought about Likin's demise |
| 1:02.0 | was carried out by Benssevsky's teenage children and other neighborhood children. |
| 1:08.8 | Although Benezevsky did instruct the children on several occasions, it was |
| 1:13.3 | later discovered that they took a large degree of lichen's torture into their own hands, |
| 1:19.2 | and what would later be called a Lord of the Flies scenario come to life. When she was convicted |
| 1:25.8 | of first-degree murder in 1965, the case was called |
| 1:30.2 | the single worst crime perpetuated against an individual in Indiana's history. |
| 1:38.0 | I'm Darren Marler, and this is Weird Darkness. Welcome, Weird Darkness. |
| 1:51.0 | I'm Darren Marler, and this is Weird Darkness. |
| 1:55.0 | Here you'll find stories of the paranormal, supernatural, legends, lore, strange and bizarre, crime, conspiracy, mysterious, macabre, |
| 2:06.6 | unsolved and unexplained. |
| 2:09.6 | Coming up in this episode. |
| 2:11.6 | On January 2nd, 1935, a man who signed the guest register as Roland T. Owen checked in to the Presidential |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Darren Marlar, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Darren Marlar and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.