Barbara Daly Baekeland, who entered the plastics industry through marriage, met a tragic end at the age of 52 in her opulent London residence at the hands of her son, who was nonchalantly ordering takeout when law enforcement arrived.
Her son Tony, aged 25, was found standing near her lifeless body, being the sole offspring of Barbara and Brooks Baekeland, heir to the Bakelite fortune. Barbara, a former model renowned as one of New York’s top 10 most beautiful women, met Brooks, a Royal Canadian Air Force trainee pilot and the grandson of Leo Baekeland, the inventor of the first synthetic plastic. Their only child, Antony, was born in 1946.
Speculations arose about the unconventional relationship between Tony and his mother. Tony had engaged in a romantic involvement with an Australian man, which led Barbara to intervene by taking him to Spain to end the relationship. She later coerced her son into interactions with sex workers in an attempt to alter his sexual orientation. When these efforts failed, allegations surfaced that she resorted to sexually abusing him herself.
The dynamic between mother and son escalated into violent episodes, including an incident where Tony tried to harm his mother by pushing her into oncoming traffic. The nature of their relationship, possibly crossing into incestuous territory, remains ambiguous.
Barbara had previously attempted suicide upon discovering her husband’s infidelity while they were still married. Brooks remarried, had another child, and distanced himself from both Tony and Barbara.
Later, Tony was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Despite their affluent lifestyle in London, Tony exhibited increasingly erratic behavior, threatening his mother with knives and physical violence. Barbara’s assertions about incest shocked those around her, although she was also known for seeking attention desperately.
On the night of Barbara’s demise, an argument erupted between her and Tony regarding a friend he had invited over, a dispute that turned violent with Tony ultimately stabbing his mother. He later claimed to the authorities that he felt under his mother’s control, leading to the tragic outcome.
Tony, unaware that he had killed his mother, inquired about her well-being while in custody. He was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to Broadmoor.
His paternal grandmother, Nini Daly, rallied supporters, including Hugo Money-Coutts, to advocate for Tony’s return to the United States. However, Brooks remained steadfast in his belief that Tony posed a significant danger, describing him as “evil.”
In 1980, Tony was released into the care of his 87-year-old grandmother Nini in New York. Shortly after his release, Tony constructed a disturbing memorial for his late mother and spoke to her ashes.
Just six days post-release, Tony had a violent altercation with his grandmother over a phone call he wished to make to England, resulting in him stabbing her multiple times. Despite the severity of the attack, Nini survived.
Tony received a life sentence at Rikers Island, where his substantial family wealth provided him with companionship and protection.
On March 20, 1981, at 3:30 pm, Tony was discovered deceased with a plastic bag tightly secured over his head. Authorities could not definitively determine whether his death was a result of murder or suicide.