Barbara Baekeland was an American socialite who was murdered at her home by her son Antony Baekeland.
She became famous for modeling works with Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. Baekeland was invited to high-class events because of her beauty. She also agreed to date only wealthy admirers during that time.
The socialite was not only regarded as a glamour queen but also celebrated as one of the ten prettiest women in New York at that time.
Barbara Baekeland did not approve of her son’s homosexuality. It was rumored that she tried to fix him by getting him into an incestuous relationship with her.
Barbara Baekeland’s Biography
Barbara Daly Baekeland was born on 28 September 1921 in Cambridge, MA. She grew up with her mother Nini Daly as her father Frank Daly was said to have committed suicide by carbon poisoning from the exhaust of his car in the garage.
Baekeland and her mother later moved to New York City and stayed in the Delmonico Hotel. All through her childhood years, she suffered some severe mental health issues
Barbara Baekeland Marriage
Barbara Baekeland wanted to have a career in the movie industry aside from posing for the camera. She got an offer from Hollywood to appear for a screen test alongside Dana Andrews but that didn’t go well for her.
She became friends with Cornelia Baekeland an inspiring actor also and Cornelia introduced her to Brooks Baekeland, her younger brother who was an associate with the Royal Canadian Air Force as a trainee pilot at that time.
Barbara and Brooks became lovers with so many similarities. She later lied to him that she was pregnant so they got married immediately.
Their wedding was done in a very flamboyant style. The couple began to enjoy their lives together with friends at crazy parties at their luxury apartment in the upper east side of New York.
They both lived an extravagant lifestyle and before they could realize how their lives were going the marriage became sour.
On August 28, 1946, Barbara Baekeland gave birth to their son Antony and the tension between the couple was reduced.
Before the coming of her son, her mental health which she obviously got from her mother continued and she was treated by Psychiatrist Foster Kennedy. But she got worse because of her drinking habit, drug abuse, and extramarital affairs which she and her husband participated.
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Divorce
Brooks Baekeland met an English diplomat’s daughter during one of their parties in Paris. He requested a divorce from his wife in order to continue his affair with the English lady.
Brooks ended the affair when Baekeland tried to commit suicide. After a short while, he started having an affair with a French girl Sylvie. His wife discovered he was having an affair in February 1968 and she tried to commit suicide again.
Brooks Baekeland got tired of his wife’s mental problems and finally decided to pursue a divorce.
After the divorce, Barbara Baekeland had severe depression and another suicide attempt but she was saved by her friend Gloria Jones.
The American socialite later met a pop art curator Samuel Adams Green in 1969. The two started dating until Green-met Antony whom he didn’t like so well. The relationship ended after six weeks but Baekeland was very much obsessed with Green.
All her efforts to get him back did not work.
Barbara Baekeland’s Relationship with Her Son
In 1967, while Brook and Baekeland were staying in Switzerland, their son met Jake Cooper a bisexual Australian man who introduced Antony to hallucinogenic drugs.
It was alleged that Cooper and Antony began an affair at that time even though the former denied it. Baekeland was informed of the situation and it made her furious.
In other to fix her son, she allegedly started an incestuous relationship with him. she even tried to hire prostitutes to have sex with him.
In 1968 while she and her son were both living in Majorca, Barbara Baekeland allegedly raped her son.
Antony was later diagnosed with schizophrenia. His family and friends noticed the signs he was displaying so they called and sought medical help.
His father initially refused to allow him to be treated by a psychiatrist but he later did.
Barbara Baekeland’s Murder
On several accounts, Antony has tried to harm his mother. He threw her under the traffic outside her penthouse in London in July 1972. She was lucky to be saved by her friend Susan Guinness.
He was arrested for the attempted murder of his mother but she, in turn, refused to press charges. He was admitted to The Priory private psychiatric hospital for a short while.
After he was released the private psychiatrist warn Barbara Baekeland that Antony was capable of murder but she dismissed it.
Barely two weeks after, Antony murdered his mother by stabbing her with a kitchen knife on November 17, 1972. She died instantly at the age of 51 while her son was 25 when he murdered her.
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Her son’s death
After Antony confessed to killing his mother, he was institutionalized at Broadmoor Hospital for almost eight years.
He was released on July 21 1980 and went to stay with his 87-year-old maternal grandmother.
On July 27, six days after his release, he attacked his grandmother with a kitchen knife and stabbed her eight times. He was arrested by the New York City Police Department and was sent to Rikers Island prison for attempted murder.
Antony was found dead in his cell on March 20, 1981, after he returned to his cell from a court hearing. At the hearing, he was supposed to be released on bail but the case was adjourned because of the delay in transferring his medical records.
