Sony Pictures Television Judith Barsi with parents Maria and József
József and Maria were both Hungarian immigrants who fled their homeland after the 1956 Soviet invasion. József, who had a difficult upbringing in a rough industrial area of Hungary, and Maria, from a rural university town, arrived in the United States separately, each seeking a better life.
The couple met at a restaurant in Los Angeles, where Maria worked as a waitress. József, a plumber by trade, was known among friends as “Arizona Joe,” a nickname stemming from his time spent in that state.
Despite their shared heritage and the dreams that brought them to America, their marriage was marred by conflict. Friends recall that during arguments, Maria would call József a “bastard,” referring to his childhood, where he claimed to have been orphaned. Their volatile relationship would later have devastating consequences for their daughter, Judith.
Was Judith Barsi abused?
Despite her success, Judith’s life at home was anything but glamorous. Her father, József, was allegedly an abusive alcoholic with a violent temper. According to those close to the family, József was extremely controlling and would often make terrifying threats. One of the most chilling incidents occurred before Judith left to film Jaws: The Revenge in the Bahamas, when József reportedly held a knife to her throat and threatened to kill her if she didn’t return.
“If you decide not to come back, I will cut your throat,” he said, according to a relative, per the Los Angeles Times.
As Judith’s career flourished, so did her father’s rage and jealousy. József’s abusive behavior escalated, and Judith began to exhibit signs of extreme distress.
“I’m afraid to go home,” Judith told family friends months before her murder, according to the Los Angeles Times. “My daddy is miserable. My daddy is drunk every day, and I know he wants to kill my mother.”
Her mother, Maria, confided in friends and family that József was becoming increasingly unhinged, but attempts to get help from authorities fell tragically short.
In December 1986, Maria reported József’s threats to the Los Angeles County Department of Children’s Services, but the case was closed after police found no visible injuries, and Maria ultimately opted not to prosecute. Despite signs of emotional and physical abuse, including Judith pulling out her own eyelashes, no further action was taken by the authorities.
Neighbors and friends later recalled how Maria had been planning to leave József, taking steps such as renting an apartment in Panorama City, but she still exhibited hesitation to take the final leap.
“The woman had started, she had gotten an apartment,” Sandra Palmer, a Los Angeles detective who investigated the murders told the Los Angeles Times in 1988. “But she had not taken that child and moved into that apartment. Can we force that woman to do that?”
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Publish date : 2024-08-27 05:05:00
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