Although the 1940s were regarded as “the war years,” there was hope in America for new beginnings. Although progress was being made, numerous issues remained unresolved, which have now been revealed.
For one thing, the LGBTQ+ community is now welcomed and widely accepted, but in the 1940s, it was still considered a sin. Due to her riches and influence, one socialite, Barbara Daly Baekeland, attempted to “cure” a loved one’s homosexuality, which led to the end of her career as a wealthy American socialite.
Barbara’s terrible crime and the extent to which she went to keep a secret are revealed.
Warning: The content contains descriptions of incest & murder.
Barbara’s Beginning
Barbara Daly Baekeland lived in a world of death and instability before she had it all. When she was ten years old, her father committed suicide. He pretended to die in an accident so that his family could receive insurance money, but the anguish he caused was unrecoverable.
Barbara inherited her mother’s mental condition, and while she inherited her good genes, she also inherited her mother’s unpredictable behavior.
She is said to have spent a lot of money on therapists and the best psychiatrists money could buy. Nonetheless, her health problems would follow her for the rest of her life, and they were largely to blame for the heinous murder that followed her death.
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Brooks and Tony’s family life
Barbara Daly Baekeland was an American socialite who was dubbed “one of the ten most beautiful females” in New York. She also worked as a model for high-end publications such as Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar.
Brooks Baekeland, a handsome and pleasant man, was eventually introduced to her. Brooks was a Royal Canadian Air Force trainee pilot whose grandfather, Leo Baekeland, created plastics.
The couple was dubbed the “it couple” because they appeared to have it all, but they were doomed from the start behind closed doors. Barbara deceived Brooks into believing she was pregnant in order for him to propose to her.
She became pregnant in 1946 and gave birth to a boy named Antony “Tony” Baekeland. The couple was overjoyed by their new arrival and essentially transformed into a joyful and loving family… for a time.
Following Tony’s Appearance
Tony ultimately told his parents that he was gay as he grew older. Tony’s way of life didn’t fit into his parents’ story, and Barbara was always trying to persuade him to marry a woman.
Her tactics included inviting sex workers to Tony’s house in order to “cure” him of his homosexuality.
Barbara and Brooks’ marriage had become tumultuous by this time, and Brooks had begun an affair with one of Tony’s female classmates.
Brooks intended to divorce Barbara because of the affair and his refusal to accept Tony’s sexuality. Barbara attempted suicide to stop the divorce procedures, but it failed, and Brooks divorced Barbara in the mid-1960s.
With Brooks out of the picture, Barbara met and began dating acclaimed pop-art curator Samuel Adams Green. The relationship was short-lived, lasting only six weeks, and once Green broke up with Barbara, she pursued him persistently. To go to his house, she even walked barefoot across Central Park in New York City.
Barbara and Tony’s Relationship
Tony and Barbara’s relationship began to deteriorate for all the wrong reasons at this time. Tony allegedly had an incestuous relationship with her and she continued to “fix” him after she tried to have sex with him. She would eventually rape her son as a result of her advances.
Tony showed evidence of schizophrenia and paranoid tendencies as he grew older. Brooks was finally diagnosed with schizophrenia, but he refused to seek treatment from doctors, whom he considered “amoral.”
Barbara’s Murder
On the surface, Barbara Daly Baekeland’s relationship with her son appeared to be “extravagant, lovely, and fun-filled,” but it was actually confrontational, toxic, dependent, unhealthy, and on the verge of becoming a terrible crime.
Tony struggled on the inside, as his mother continued to press for a “cure” for his homosexuality. Tony had been pushed to the breaking point by 1972, and as a result, he attacked his mother with a kitchen knife, which she managed to avoid. Tony went to see a psychiatrist after that.
His psychiatrist warned Barbara after his session about the severity of his condition and that he might try to hurt her again. Tony carried out the horrible act that the doctor had warned Barbara about and stabbed her in the heart on November 17th, 1972. When law enforcement arrived, Tony appeared to be completely unconcerned about the heinous crime he had just done and was found ordering Chinese cuisine over the phone.