Murder of Linda Andersen

Linda Andersen (Anne Margaret Lebensztejn)[1] (April 15, 1959 – January 18, 2003) was the victim of premeditated murder by her two teenage daughters, then 16-year-old Sandra and 15-year-old Elizabeth, on January 18, 2003 in Mississauga, Ontario.[2][3]

Anne Margaret Lebensztejn
BornApril 5, 1959
Bialystok, Poland
DiedJanuary 18, 2003 (aged 43)
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Cause of deathMurder by drowning
Other namesLinda Andersen

Since both daughters were under the age of 18 at the time of the murder, their identities were protected under Canadian law. The names Linda, Sandra and Elizabeth (Beth) Andersen are aliases created by journalist Bob Mitchell, in an effort to protect their identities in the book he wrote about the murder.

Background

"Linda"[4] raised her two daughters as a single mother after her husband (the sisters' father) had left. She had an alcohol dependency and suffered from depression. At the time of her death, Linda had one job after being fired.

According to police reports, "Sandra" and "Beth", aged 16 and 15 respectively,[4] had become irritated by their mother "wasting...money on alcohol". They were also unhappy that their friends had "better things like swimming pools and clothes".[1] Sandra also described surviving childhood sexual abuse, which went unreported by a priest whom she confided in. She also described her mom's alcoholism. She said that her mother drove drunk. She said her household lacked basic necessities. She tried and failed to report the abuse to Children's Aid Society.[5]

Because of their discontent, the sisters began to search on the Internet for ways to kill their mother. Sandra and Beth believed that by killing their mother, they would be entitled to insurance money. This compensation, the sisters resolved, would be spent on a trip with their friends to Europe. The sisters decided to drown Linda because they believed it would be "fast and unspectacular". After formulating a murder plan, Sandra and Beth informed three of their friends, who all encouraged the sisters and laughed at the idea of murdering Linda.[1][6]

Murder

During lunch time on January 18, 2003, the sisters began giving their mother liquor in order to get her drunk. Their plan was to make Linda fully inebriated so that she could not resist their attack. They also gave Linda six Tylenol 3 tablets[7] (containing codeine), to slow down her heartbeat. Sandra and Beth then waited for the drugs to work. While waiting, the sisters communicated with their friends online, one of whom ended their conversation with the phrase "well good luck - wear gloves".

Sandra and Beth filled the family bathtub with water and took Linda to the bathroom. Linda had difficulty getting into the bathtub, because of the mixture of vodka and pills she had been given. After putting gloves on, Sandra and Beth gave their mother a massage. Within minutes, according to police reports, Sandra instructed her mother to lie on her stomach so that she could scrub her back. Sandra instantly pushed her mother's head down and did not let go. After four minutes, Sandra released her mother's head and found Linda to be dead. After having killed their mother, Sandra and Beth went with their friends to a nearby restaurant where they celebrated their victory. Later that night, Sandra and Beth called 9-1-1 and informed them that they had found their mother lying in the bathtub.

The 9-1-1 operator told Sandra and Beth to take their mother out of the bathtub and to perform CPR. The sisters cried over the phone, telling the operator that Linda could not be resuscitated. When police arrived, they believed Sandra and Beth's story.

The cause of death was determined to be drowning. Analysis of the deceased's bodily fluids disclosed very high levels of alcohol (around 400 mgs%) and drugs, including codeine and acetaminophen.[8]

Arrest

The defendants were arrested on January 21, 2004. The victim's death was officially considered to be accidental until a young male went to the police and told them that one of the defendants had confessed to him at a party that she and her sister had killed their mother. Following his report a car was provided to the young male friend, wired for audio and video by the police.[8] Soon thereafter, under judicial authorization, each defendant was recorded describing what she said was her role in their mother's death. Sandra and Beth were subsequently arrested, tried, and sentenced to 10 years in prison for first degree murder. The sisters were separated and could not communicate with each other while in jail. They were released in 2009 and 2010 respectively.

Aftermath

The older sister, Sandra, was released to a halfway house in 2009, while the younger sister, Beth, was released a year later. The girls' father unsuccessfully attempted to have Beth released earlier so that she could complete her sentence under house arrest in their hometown. Since both Sandra and Beth were under the age of 18 at the time of the murder, their identities were protected under Canadian law and were not to be revealed in the Canadian media.

In 2015, it was reported that Sandra was studying engineering at university, while Beth was married, a mother, and was about to start law school.[9]

Projects

Linda Andersen's murder case was broadcast on the television series Deadly Women in 2010.

In 2008, journalist Bob Mitchell wrote the book The Class Project: How to Kill a Mother – The True Story of Canada's Infamous Bathtub Girls.[10]

In 2014, the crime drama film Perfect Sisters, based on the murder of Linda Andersen, went into limited release. In 2015 it was released in the UK under the name, "Deadly Sisters".

See also

References
  1. "Proyecto escolar: como matar a una madre o las chicas de la bañera" [School project: how to kill a mother or, the bathtub girls]. Periodista Digital (in Spanish). 2019-07-26. Retrieved 2021-12-30.
  2. "International Teen Killers". National Organization of Victims of Juvenile Murderers. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  3. "El macabro plan de dos quinceañeras: ahogaron a su mamá y ahora tienen nuevas identidades" [The macabre plan of two quinceañeras: they drowned their mother and now they have new identities]. Los Andes (in Spanish). 2019-07-27. Retrieved 2020-10-24.
  4. Mitchell, Bob (March 10, 2009). "'Bathtub Girl' still lies and manipulates, therapist tells court". Toronto Star. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  5. Pazzano, Sam (2020-11-30). "'The hate did blind me': A 'Bathtub Girl' explains why she took her mother's life". Global News. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
  6. Chambers, Thomas F. (January 9, 2009). "The Class Project: How to Kill a Mother: The True Story of Canada's Infamous Bathtub Girls". CM: Canadian Review of Materials. Manitoba Library Association. XIV (13). Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  7. Rennie, Steve (March 1, 2013). "Boyfriend in "Bathtub Girls" case has appeal of conspiracy conviction dismissed". Toronto Star. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  8. "R. v. C.K." (PDF). nicholasguindon.com. December 15, 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 20, 2015. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  9. Gillis, Wendy (2014-04-11). ""Bathtub girls" are all but free. Rehab success or legal failure". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  10. Mitchell, Bob (2008). The Class Project: How to Kill a Mother – The True Story of Canada's Infamous Bathtub Girls. Key Porter Books. ISBN 9781552639290. OCLC 124034524.
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