Judith Barsi: Murdered in bed

Warning signs

As the abuse went on, Judith began to experience emotional problems. Judith began putting on weight and exhibited disturbing behavior, which included plucking out all her eyelashes and pulling out her cat's whiskers. When she was asked why she did this, Judith replied "Because of all the problems at home."

She also told a couple who were friends with the family, "I'm afraid to go home. My daddy is miserable. My daddy is drunk every day and I know he wants to kill my mother."

Judith's friends recall the fear they also had of Joszef. They say that sometimes when they would knock on the door to see if Judith could come outside to play, he would say to them, "Oh that little ass? She's not here."

In May 1988 Judith attended an audition for a singing part in an animated feature. The child burst into tears. Appalled by her client's distress, Hansen suggested Maria take Judith to a child psychologist. Maria did. Hansen recalled talking to the psychologist who said, "Ruth, it is extreme verbal, mental and emotional problems with this child and I have to report it to Children's Services."

A spokeswoman for Children's Services later said the agency had contacted Maria who said she had "a plan of action." However, Hansen claims Maria "said they weren't doing anything so she said, 'I guess I'll have to handle it myself.'"

Maria rented an apartment. She and Judith spent their days there but returned home to Jozsef in the evening. Hansen pressed Maria as to why she did not make a complete break with Jozsef. She said she did not want to lose the nice home that Judith's career had bought the family.
That same May in 1988, Sherry Barber, saw Maria and Judith in a studio parking lot. Barber was puzzled by Judith's appearance: she had no eyelashes. Unbeknownst to Barber, Judith had pulled them all out.

According to a National Enquirer article, Maria had rented a $700 apartment at the Regency Premier located at 8525 Tobias Avenue #314 Panorama City, CA 91402 which is directly across the street from the Panorama Mall.

One day, Jozsef followed Maria. He noticed her carrying moving boxes into the apartment and asked her about it, and Maria replied that she was giving away some items to some friends. Maria suspected that he didnt believe her and sensed things were getting worse. She even tried to make the house look like a pigsty to force Joe out as he was a neat freak. But she wanted to maintain her home and belongings. She also didnt want to lose it, including her child's acting career. She had also been waiting on a $12,000 tax refund check that she didnt want Joe to get his hands on.