Barbara Daly Baekeland, a notable figure in the plastics industry through marriage, tragically met her demise at the age of 52 in her opulent residence in London. The perpetrator of this heinous act was her own son, Tony, who was found at the scene casually placing a food order over the phone.
Tony, aged 25, was Barbara’s only child from her tumultuous marriage to Brooks Baekeland, heir to the Bakelite fortune. Their union began when Barbara, a former model renowned for her beauty, met Brooks, a pilot trainee with royal lineage in Canada. Their son Antony was born in 1946.
Speculations arose about the unusual closeness between Tony and his mother. Tony’s involvement with a bisexual man from Australia led Barbara to intervene by traveling to Spain to separate them. She later coerced Tony into encounters with sex workers in an attempt to alter his sexual orientation. Allegations surfaced suggesting that Barbara even engaged in inappropriate behavior with her son.
The turbulent relationship between mother and son escalated into violence, with Tony even attempting to harm Barbara by pushing her into oncoming traffic. The nature of their relationship, whether truly incestuous, remained unclear.
Barbara had previously attempted suicide upon discovering her husband’s infidelity, leading to their eventual separation. Brooks remarried, had another child, and distanced himself from both Tony and Barbara.
Tony was later diagnosed with schizophrenia. Despite their affluent lifestyle in London, Tony exhibited increasingly erratic and violent behavior towards his mother, at times threatening her with knives and strangling her. Barbara’s claims of incest shocked those around her, though she was also known for seeking attention desperately.
The fatal altercation between Barbara and Tony occurred when they argued over a guest Tony had invited over, whom Barbara did not wish to meet. The argument turned violent, culminating in Tony stabbing his mother. Tony later claimed to the authorities that he felt under his mother’s control and his actions were influenced by her.
Tony, unaware of the gravity of his actions, inquired about his mother’s condition while in custody, having admitted to the stabbing. He was ultimately convicted of manslaughter and confined to Broadmoor.
Despite efforts by his paternal grandmother Nini Daly and supporters to secure Tony’s return to the U.S., Brooks remained adamant about the danger Tony posed, labeling him as “evil.” In 1980, Tony was transferred to his grandmother’s care in New York, a decision later deemed a mistake by his medical consultant at Broadmoor.
Shortly after relocating to New York, Tony displayed disturbing behavior by creating a shrine for his late mother and making unsettling remarks. Within days, he assaulted his grandmother during a dispute over a phone call, stabbing her multiple times. Miraculously, she survived the attack.
Tony was sentenced to life imprisonment at Rikers Island, where his family’s wealth provided him with companionship and protection. Tragically, on March 20, 1981, Tony was found dead with a plastic bag secured tightly over his head, the circumstances of his death remaining unresolved.
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