Child Star - Judith Barsi

Hollywood, a city aptly named Tinseltown because of all the bright lights, shiny buildings, and of course, who can forget the movie stars. Among these stars was one who was beginning to shine brighter than most, ten year old Judith Barci. Now, whether you know her name or not, she was very likely a part of your childhood, as she had significant roles in the Land Before Time and all Dogs Go

Warning.

The following podcast contains graphic content and material intended for a mature audience.

Listener discretion is advised.

Welcome back.

My name's Ben and I'm Nicole, and you're listening to Wicket and Grim, a true crime podcast.

You're gonna do it?

Oh yeah, I wasn't ready. Way to fail.

There you go.

She's pretty good.

That wasn't bad. That wasn't bad. Usually it's me making that sound, but this time it's Nicole and I'm drinking the waters.

Yeah, I needed an alcoholic beverage of sorts.

Why is that stressed to the max or what oh, I've been busy.

It's been busy fair enough.

But luckily you're going on vacation here next week, so that's cool.

Well, I think that's what's stressing me out, that you're going on vacation, well, because there's always so much done before you go on vacation, you know.

Yeah, I mean you're not wrong, that's for sure.

But I suppose with that being said, so our next Tuesday episode is actually going to be a special Q and A edition yeap.

So we rather than Nicole going on vacation and we're just like struggling and rushing an episode, we thought, you know what, we're going to take the week not have an episode, but you know, instead of not delivering, we thought Q and A option.

So so we already put posts up asking We got over sixty questions. You guys are your answer? You to know some things?

Yeah, and that was only in like what twelve hours.

Yeah, so we'll see. I think a lot of them are a little bit similar, so we'll try our best to get through all of them. But yeah, gonna learn a thing or two about us, I think definitely.

So we will be here next week. It'll just be a little bit of a different episode for you guys, so stay tuned for that. Also also highlight on the Also also something dropped this morning, same time this episode was released.

What was that?

The next stage of the Wicked giveaway?

Oh my goodness.

So we're not sure if you're aware of it, or if you've been participating or not, but we have talked about doing a Wicked giveaway.

We've talked a lot about it. Actually, have we quite a bit, Okay, throughout the last few months.

I think so, I think so. Well, it's as of right now it's happening. I mean, weeks down the road, months down the road, if you're listening in retrospect this episode, it's probably over with then, But as of right now, as this dropping, it's happening. So over on our website, if you're curious about joining, you want to take part, maybe win this epic giveaway prize, go to our website,

Yeah, and we also, are you going to release when? Or when are we releasing What's in that Wicked Box?

Whenever I get the time to put the material together to show it off.

Yeah, because we did a little reel or something of sorts. It's gonna be and yeah, we'd like to show off what's in there. There's some pretty cool stuff. It's definitely worth playing the game.

Hundred percent a part of it we already talked about. You get the very first number one out of thirty. It's marked because we did a batch of thirty artistsan handmade mugs that say stay wicked. Holy heck, we found her toy these dogs. We'll just leave her. It might squeak here for a minute. We'll just leave her first love her toys. But yeah, you'll get that epic mug, the number one, the first ever one, among other things.

Okay, got the squeaky toys out of the way.

Yeah, so all right, So yeah, join that giveaway over on the website. We're on to stage four. There's not a whole lot of stages left, so join up. See if you can figure it out, go through it. It's gonna be epic.

Yeah, very soon, someone's gonna walk away some some sweet things, some.

Sweet things indeed awesome. What else do you have to talk with? Oh? The patrons, Oh my gosh.

Yeah, it was a busy week for our patrons.

No kidding. So this past week we had a slew of patrons join us over on Patreon. So a big shout out too. We got b I don't know if that's a nickname or not, but I love it regardless. Shiria McCrae. Hope I pronounced your name right, Sorry if I didn't. Sarah frad Brie and John Cobb shout out to you too. We actually go way back, those two just saying I was there when they met.

I knew you were going to have to make a comment on that a little bit.

Elena Maine, Savannah Purdue, Isabelle and Letitia So thank you so much, you guys for joining us over on Patreon. If you want to show your support over there, you can join us too, link down below. If not, you want to just listen, totally cool, love that too.

That's so good. Thank you so much everyone.

Well you ready to get into today's episode.

I don't know. Your intro has me very very intrigued.

Well, that's the point of the introduction.

I know, but I was just like two innocent lives. Yes, I'm stuck on that line very much.

So you'll figure it out pretty quick, I believe.

Okay, good, good, good. You're not gonna leave us hanging too long here.

No, there's not a lot of mystery in this case. It is very straightforward. You pretty much know what's going to happen. You're gonna call it. But it's a tragic, tragic tale that I think needs to be out there.

Okay, well, I was just going to say not that this. I was going to be like, this is not a very ben episode.

Then it's not.

Usually you leave us hanging until the very end, or you don't even freaking tell us anything.

Well, I will say this that it's a very ben episode. In regards to childhood, cartoons and stuff are very much big part of my life. I have childhood cartoons tattooed on my arms. For example, you don't say one of the cartoons we're discussing in this episode, Land before Time. I even have plans for future Land before Time tattoos.

Oh so it's been okay, I would actually like to watch that again. It's been too long.

We watched it last year before we left her other house.

Oh shit, okay, well that's apparently I don't remember that clearly.

I mean, I'm totally up for watching it again, doing it me wrong.

I can watch it like, well, there's numerous ones of that one, right, Oh, there's like ten, and watch them all though. No, okay, so there are you.

The first one is the only one that matters.

Oh gosh, okay, of course you'd think that.

Yes, it goes downhill from there. Well not. It's very much more kid orient. It's I don't know, new age cartoon. It's it's different. It's very different.

Okay.

Anyways, that aside, let's get into this. So on the outside, Judith Barci seemed to have it all. She was a ten year old girl, but yet she was a rising name in the Hollywood industry. She had an impressive resume with multiple movie and TV roles. She made an appearance on the memorable TV show Cheers, the cult classic film

Oh, we just watched that show.

Actually we did watch it aunt too long ago. But as we know, things are often not always as they seem. She may be a rising star, but behind closed doors of her home she lived with a monster. Her father.

Oh jeez.

So. Judith Barzi was born in sunny Los Angeles, California, on June sixth of nineteen seventy eight. She was the daughter of Joseph Barcie and Maria Barsie. Now, unlike their daughter, though they were not born in North America, they were not born in the United States. The two were born and immigrated to the US. They were born in Hungary, Okay. So as they fled from Hungary, they fled from the Hungarians Republic, which was under the influence of the Soviet

So the two but did they know each other prior to escaping?

Then no, they did not. Okay, so they immigrated completely separately different times. But once they were both in the US, they would eventually meet up and meet each other at a restaurant in California where Maria was working as a waitress.

Okay, that's kind of cool.

It is here the new couple began their new life together, chasing the fabled American dream. And we all know what the American dream is, right. I don't think many of us can really put it into words, but we know what it is exactly. It's owning your own peace of land. It's having your dream job, it's having your dream car, it's raising the right family, all these stipulations that are different for everybody, but it's that same feeling, that same

Hi, kind of sounds awful though, but okay.

Kind of sounds awful.

Well, I don't know. That just sounds like not like them running around having fun making mud pies.

Well, to be fair, this wasn't a scenario where we see in like reality TV shows today with like the mother who's forcing these things on their daughter so they can live vi curiously through their daughter. It was like out of love and compassion.

So it was like a hobby they shared together. Potentially.

Yeah, they both enjoyed it. They both loved it, and it wasn't like a pushy thing. You know. She wanted the best for her daughter, so she guided her in a loving and caring and motherly way.

Okay, okay, yeah, so it.

Wasn't in any sort of negative context as far as I could find anyways.

Okay, yeah, because they literally just like went to the pageant. No, well definitely not say moms, but they're not all like that. But just like the ones you see on TV's that's.

What I mean. Yeah, it's not that stereotypical reality TV show things. It's not that. Okay, No, and even if that's what it's like in the real world, I don't know that's what we just see on TV could be painted that way.

Who's Oh my gosh, those shows they do they do things for a reason, right, to get those viewers.

That's true. But I'm just trying to give them the benefit of the doubt. But no, yeah, you're right anyways, even though those around them would like scoff them off and say, like the odds of success are literally one in ten thousand. Yeah, they pursued, they pushed forward, and they still went for it, which I do like that. I do too, And I do want to talk about this for a brief second. Why is it always that those who are closest to you knock your.

Dream Oh my god.

Like you shouldn't do this because it's the odds of success are one in ten thousands, so don't waste your.

Fucking It's not even always the people that are closest to you though. It can be anyone though, too, that doesn't even know you.

That's true. But also I find the most support generally comes from people you don't know very well.

Yeah. Usually they don't well yeah, everyone just seems like who knows you? Potentially is I don't know, but they question your they know your history, I suppose right, so they're like, oh, they can't do that kind of thing, or or they remember how you were and you possibly can't change, right, A person cannot possibly change.

People can change.

But they very much so can and they should.

So anyways, I hate when people say you can't do this. It's it almost makes me want to do it, just to tell them like, fuck you, I did it.

Well, just like a super side story because when I said strangers do that too, Because remember when I had phoned a certain person about tiny home living. Oh yeah, ask some questions and they are basically like you watch too much HGTV.

Yeah, shout out to that cunt.

Yeah, And it was just like, wow, how can you just be like so rude and smash on someone's dreams. So yeah, it's unbelievable. Let's just like not be like that, No kidding.

Anyways, moving on from that. Luckily, though, Judith's luck, or perhaps destiny, was on her side. As it often happens in Los Angeles, someone just so happened to be filming a TV commercial at the San Fernando Valley skating rink where Judith just so happened to be ice skating that day.

Oh wow.

So the film crew was doing their thing, you know, they're setting up, getting shots and all this, and they just so happened to spot the small, cute Judith gliding effortly across the ice, and they quickly jumped in and offered her to be a part of the commercial.

Seriously, just like that, Okay, that seems a little bit lucky.

Right, It's like picture perfect. It's like, that's like what you see in movies.

Hollywood's like totally, that's exactly the right time.

So that's exactly how her spark of her career ignited. That's how she got going in the in the film industry, was from this skating incident into a TV commercial.

And was she just there skating for fun, like it was just a fun thing, I believe sh yeah, yeah, wow, Okay.

So from there, of course, her career, like I said, it sparked and it grew. She quickly signed her first contract at an acting agency, the Harry Gold and Associates talent Agency. She starred in a total of over seventy commercials in her career. Casting directors couldn't get enough of this cute little girl. She was adorable, a brilliant actor, took direction very easily, she was easy to work with, and they were most of all enchanted by her small size. She was just so cute and adorable, t very.

Petite and sorry you said, sixty commercials.

Over seventy commercials, oh oh yeah, oh yeah, right on. Good for her. So, being so petite and small, she was able to fill roles of much younger kids. So Ruth Hansen, who is Judith's agent, explained that this meant the director didn't need to work with children who were easily distracted, or were younger or didn't understand what was being asked of them. So at the age of ten, Judith was able to easily pass for being like seven

Okay, that actually makes sense.

So the directors ate this up now. Ruth, who was Judith's agent, also described Judith as I quote, happy, bubbly little girl.

Oh my gosh, sounds just Adorable's heck, I want to look up a picture of her.

Actually, she's absolutely adorable. And if, like I say, if you watch her acting or if you hear her voice acting like it's it's a part of my childhood. Like I can hear that voice at any time if I want, and it's just it's so adorable. Yeah, it melts my fucking heart. I should note, though, that Judith only stood three foot eight inches tall, so being very petite now

Okay, thank you for that, beuse. I was like, I have no idea if that's remotely normal.

So she was almost an entire foot shorter than the average girl.

Coach.

Now, Judith was definitely small, small enough in fact, that she was actually receiving hormone injections in her personal life to help her grow and develop properly. So just a little side note to show exactly, you know how small she was for her age.

Oh okay, like that was like a normal thing there, trying.

To yeah, okay, yeah, it was just kind of like she needs some hormones like help get her body developing normally as a normal ten year old.

Medication of sorts, exactly. Now.

Judith's first a big role was in Fatal Vision. It was a nineteen eighty four TV mini series, and this role may very well have been a very haunting foreshadowing of what was to come for Judith. You see, Judith played a daughter in the show who was murdered by her father. Oh gosh, a fate that would become all too real in Judith's future.

Shit, And I actually think I figured something from the intro, but I'm keeping I'll keep it to myself.

Let's hear your theory, let's hear it. I won't I won't say a word. I'll just you say your theory well, and then I'll just can I don't know, you're.

Just talking about the mom so much. So like when I had to reask about how many commercials she was in is because my mind was somewhere else about Holy shit, like two innocent victims? Is the mom the other victim? That's my thought.

Now well, like I said, I'm not gonna respond to that. I'm gonna just keep reading.

Okay, we'll overhead.

Well, after this role, she began booking more and more gigs where she would be most notably paid part as like I said, Lamb before time, all dogs go to Heaven and Jaws the Revenge. Now. Wow, all this was going on, Judith was making a very good living, especially for the likes of a little girl. Well I could imagine she was earning an estimated one hundred thousand US dollars per year, which is equivalent to approximately two hundred and thirty thousand dollars today. Wow, which is much more

That's incredible.

That's absolutely incredible, especially for someone in their single digit agent.

Well, absolutely, like that could just set you up for your whole life.

Really, oh one hundred percent. So this helped their family buy a nice, modest, three bedroom house at twenty two one hundred Michael Street in the Canogna, Canaga Canaga Park neighborhood at the western edge of the San Fernando Valley in the western hills of Los Angeles.

So wow, that's a mulful.

It is well done, thank you. Beautiful neighborhood, beautiful home, but like not too like show body, Just a nice modest home and a nice gorgeous neighborhood, right Okay. So I do also want to mention this, Things are not always as they appear. I already said that, but I want to just highlight that because on the outside, her life just seemed to picture perfect. She was making great income, she's providing for her own family, great career ahead of her,

I'm getting uncomfortable now.

While her career in future were getting brighter and brighter, her home life was getting darker and darker. Behind the closed doors, both Judith and her mother Maria suffered at the hands of Judath's father, Joseph. Now, Joseph was struggling himself. He was having trouble finding a job, and when he did find a job, he was having trouble keeping that job. In his frustrations, he turned to alcohol and would become

Oh no, no, no, yes, yes no. Don't like this, Well, of course you don't like it.

This is a true crime podcast, I know, but.

This is shitty. I just hate this already.

Where it's going, it's not fun.

I want okay, I'm just gonna say something really quick. I wonder if like him not having you may even get to this, but him not having any success and his ten year old daughter having all the success pissed him off.

That is a very large theory. And if I'm going to be honest, I had that information in the back of my head. I wasn't sure where I was going to fit it in here. So since you brought it up, let's talk about it.

Now, because I could have that would not go over well for the person you just described exactly.

So he was having very much so difficulties finding a job holding a job. However, his daughter was having very much so extreme success, like one in ten thousand success, but he couldn't even find anything. So now not only is his daughter successful and he's not, but his daughter is supporting him. He's not supporting his daughter, he's not supporting his wife. Everything is being supported off their daughter's income.

So, which isn't that like every parent's dream?

I mean, hell yeah, But I think there's a certain amount of dignity that goes with oh yeah, especially in that day and age. You know, we're talking like the mid eighties right now, So there's that you know, working class, that blue collar the man provides sort of thing.

Yeah.

So if you are supposed to be the man of the house and you're supposed to be the one providing and you can't, but yet a little girl is doing it for you.

Yeah, Like if she was an adult, it probably wouldn't have been quite as.

It probably would have been bad too.

But I thought to the extent of it being a ten year old though, in my opinion.

No, you're right, but I would assume that it would still affect him. Maybe not as bad, but I would assume it would. But all around, I'm sure he felt emasculated, guaranteed.

Yeah, which is not correct in my opinion.

No, No, he shouldn't feel that way, but I can understand that the whole societal pressures at that time could make someone feel that way.

Yeah, you know, totally.

Doesn't mean that you should feel that way, but I could see that pressure being that way, you know what I mean?

Right, Yeah, yeah, And I mean some people could feel that pressure more than others. Some in that same situation would have been just like hell yeah.

I would have been like hell yeah, you go, little girl.

Yeah, what could I do? Let's make more money, Let's just help the situation get even bigger.

Yeah. I would be like, I'm gonna become an acting agent or something like that, and I'm going to work for you and like let's do this.

Yeah, like just awesome. I feel like that's such a dream.

But you need someone on your makeup team. I'm your man.

I'm now make partisans exactly.

So yeah, that's that's very much a very large theory behind his motive with this. So one of Joseph's friends named Peter Kivlan recalled that Joseph told him hundreds of times, and let me repeat that, hundreds of times that he wanted to kill his wife.

Holy shit.

Peter would later say, and I quote, I'd try to calm him down. I'd tell him, if you kill her, what's going to happen to your little one? Now. However, this didn't comfort Joseph or stop his evil words that he was saying.

Yeah, because he didn't give a shit about her either.

Joseph would simply reply, I quote, I got to kill her.

Too, jeezuz okay, that is too many times to not do anything. Yep, gosh, oh okay.

And that there's so many things or there's so many patterns throughout true crime, and this is one of the biggest ones is people don't speak up.

Well, they don't believe that the persons actually going to go through with it. But I mean, like, gosh, maybe the fiftieth fucking time that they said that, maybe surt believing, not hundreds or even the freaking tenth time, even the fifth time, for God's sakes.

Yeah, So I mean, we really need to be aware of other people and what they're discussing. Sure, maybe they are joking, but.

Maybe there's some maybe they're not.

Maybe they're not, maybe there is a sliver of truth rooted in it. Maybe they're going through some sort of mental health thing that you don't know about, and this is speaking from that. We got to try and listen to people and take those words to heart, because clearly these are words being spoken truthfully quite more often than we realize at times.

Yeah, for sure.

So Joseph's threats varied, but they were always malicious. They included killing Judith and letting Maria live so she could live with the loss of her daughter. Wow, killing them both by cutting their throats. Wow, okay, and burning down the house.

Right on.

Yeah, that's great, very fatherly type words of encouragement.

Yeah, that is the last thing that should be coming out of a father's.

Mouth any one's for that matter, anytimes.

But yeah, like this is his wife and daughter. Are you fucking kidding me?

Yeah, it's disgusting.

I have to take my jacket off. I'm getting hot now.

Getting pissed off at Joseph.

It's too much.

Ready for a row rolling up your sleeves, gonna bust some fucking knuckles on something.

Yeah, I hope he gets what's coming to him already. I feel this way.

Well. Joseph also apparently had a bit of a passive aggressive side to him as well. Allegedly he hit a letter from Maria, a letter that she had received from family back in Ukraine. Now, the letter was informing her that a relative of hers had passed away, and he hid this letter from her to prevent her from leaving the country and not coming back to him.

Oh wow, so he has some oh what self esteem issues?

We've got some serious issues all around. Yeah, and like you said, self estee, which would probably boil right back down to his daughter providing for him and him not being able to have a job.

Yeah, but I mean, gosh, she has like why does he just assume she's gonna leave him? Like she has a relative that she missed the opportunity to go and say go bye to or put to rest or whatever.

Why the fuck wouldn't she leave him?

Yeah? I mean she should, but it's just like that's taking quite an opportunity away from a person in my opinion.

Yeah, Well, he's clearly a very malicious, controlling monster, honestly monster.

They didn't just leave him.

Yeah, well we'll get into that, okay. Now, this actually wasn't the first instant Joseph actually had with these issues, though. Before he moved to the US from Hungary, he had moved to France where he had another marriage. Now together, in that marriage, he had two kids with this woman, and Joseph began a very similar abuse of alcohol and spier spiral lying out of control. Eventually, though, this woman did leave Joseph with her two kids and they moved

Oh, it's shit. I wasn't expecting that.

Yeah, But in all honesty, it was probably more of a second chance for their children than it was more a second chance for him. You know, that's fair, an opportunity for them to have a father. Yeah, that's that's my assumption, And I don't know, I can't speak firsthand on that, but that's what I would assume it is. More so either way, though, it didn't last long. He quite literally took this second chance and threw it in

Those bitches are heavy.

Those bitches are head.

They're really heavy, Yes they are. I just lifted one the other day. I was like, holy shit, why are we gonna.

Have this, because it's amazing.

It's a murder weapon and a half.

Well, yeah, they definitely are. After that, though, it was no more chances. Divorce was immediately filed and the two went their own ways.

Good. Okay, she dodged a serious bullet, Yes, she did.

So. In December of nineteen eighty six. So we're back to the relationship with Maria and Joseph here now again. So Maria was feeling the same as Joseph's previous previous wife. She was trapped and she was afraid. She fin decided she needs some help and she turned to the police. She reported in the threats of him wanting to kill her and their daughter, the physical and mental abuse and violence. She reported it all to the authorities. Now quickly an

Oh jeez.

So Maria decided she wasn't going to press any charges and the case was dropped.

Wow, Okay, that's devastating.

That's absolutely devastating, seriously unfortunate because she's not the only one. People go through that on a day to day basis, Like how it's his word against mine, it's her word against mine, it's their word, Like who's to say, right, Yeah, And it's so unfortunate. So after the incident with the police, though Joseph reportedly did stop drinking, it seems he may have been trying to clean himself up. Maybe he had been trying to do better, who knows. However, though his

So really, even with him not being drunk or whatever, he still doesn't complain asshole.

Right without the influence, he was still a violent monster towards his family.

Awesome.

Yep, maybe it's just now that's just who he'd become. It was just this is what he does, and he's just kind of stuck in this rut and he just I don't know, but it's what he's used to. Not an excuse, but maybe that's kind of where his mind led.

Well, it almost seems like he might have needed help.

Oh, I definitely he needed a lot of help, that's for sure. So Judith was of course terrified of her father, and rightfully so. She would openly tell her friends about the things she endured at home. One event, for example, she would tell a friend that her father threw pots and pans at her when he was upset, which resulted in her getting a bloody nose. Judith also told friends that she was afraid to go home, saying, quote, my daddy is drunk every day and I know he wants to kill my mother.

Oh my gosh.

That's coming from a little girl.

Ah Okay, yeah, that's so sad.

And the worst part is they do go home. They go home every night.

Well they have to. Where else are they going to go?

Right.

Oh, but that home she could afford it on her own.

Well, that home she did afford on her own. That was her home.

Yeah. Fuck.

Now another time, Judith was getting ready to leave the US and flat to Bahamas to film the Jaws the Revenge movie. Now, when this was happening, Joseph actually threatened her with a knife that he held up to her neck, saying, quote, if you decide not to come back, I will cut your throat. Wow, holy shit, that's what he said to his ten year old. She's probably a little bit younger at that time. But yeah, who's.

Literally going away to make money for him to even live?

Yeah, exist, and he.

Says regardless if she's making money or not, Like what the fuck? No kidding, why even have kids? Like, oh my goodness, oh my goodness.

Now, once the filming of Jaws was finished, Judith and Maria stopped by Maria's brother's house, Joseph Weldon. So just see know Joseph and Joseph.

So yeah, that's confusing.

I just that's his name. I'm gonna from here and out refer to it as Maria's brother.

She probably just loved being away on skits or what does not skits. What it's called like filming. I can't think of the right word, but like the little girl loved on set, yes, away on the set. Wow, that was a lot. She probably just loved that.

I'm pretty sure I can hear people listening, like months from now, it's on set.

I know, people yell at us and I'm well, they say it's in I'm sure it's in kindness, in kindness, probably in kindness.

Yeah. So anyways, they stopped by Maria's brother's house in New York. They stayed there for a total of two months, hiding out from Joseph.

My goodness.

And this was after the filming of the movie. Right, Okay, presumably they're saying, you know, they're still on set, right, But Joseph figured it out and he tracked them down and he knew where they were. He called them, and he was talking on the phone to his daughter, and Maria's brother recalled hearing the voice on the other end of the phone saying, quote, remember what I said before you left? Wow, And that moment, Judith dropped the phone

Did they have to though, weren't they at a safe place that they could have just stayed? Oh? That it's so difficult.

I realized we're going to get into a little bit more reasons of why here. Shortly so, her home life and living with a literal monster because that's what he is, was beginning to take a toll on her. Judith reportedly began gaining weight, and she also developed compulsive behaviors. One such behavior was a mental disorder called trichotillomania. I nailed that.

Holy yeah.

I was like, I'm going to fuck this up, and I nailed it. Okay, sorry self? High five, also known as hair pulling disorder or compulsive hair pulling.

Oh.

Judith was so anxious that she ended up plucking out all of her eyelashes and also pulled out all of her cat's whiskers.

Wow. Okay, that's like really really upsetting.

It is.

Wow.

Shortly before an audition on May of nineteen eighty eight, Judith became hysterical and she couldn't perform. Now. Seeing this little girl in such a state seriously alarmed her agent, Ruth Hansen, who reported quote, she was crying hysterically. She couldn't talk. After this Maria brought Judith to a child psychiatrist. There, the identified severe physical and emotional abuse and quickly reported the findings to the Los Angeles County Department of Children

My gosh, this is hurting my heart so much. I mean, she felt like she probably needed to do that as being the mom, right, but she would just literally ask for help.

Yeah, And learning all this, like learning that this case was dropped and that Maria was saying, these things are going to happen and in the past, I mean, they haven't happened yet, so they need to happen. So learning all these things, Maria's friends urged her to follow through with the plant, saying, get the divorce, leave Joseph, forget the house, just take yourself, take Judith, get to safety. And Maria did want to do these things, but she hesitated.

Wow and gasoline holy.

Shit, which Joseph had ignited shortly before dying by suicide in the garage.

Oh my gosh, okay, wow, that just yeah, that gets okay shit. Yeah, that is unbelievable.

M hm.

And it honestly made me even more mad that he was in the garage for some reason, dead as well. I don't know why, but it did.

Well. It gets a little bit worse here, awesome. Through forensics, authorities believe the night Judith and Maria lost their lives. Was actually two days prior to the fire wow, they believe.

What a complete piece of shit monster.

Hearing the gunshot, Maria panicked and ran towards her daughter's room, yeah, praying the noise wasn't what she thought it was. Unfortunately it was, and when she came running down the hallway, she found Joseph standing in Judith's bedroom doorway. He raised the gun towards her and shot her as well. The next morning, Judith's agent called the house in a panic, as Judith was missing from an important audition and meeting

Them, just like rotting away. Yeap, Wow, this guy's a piece of work. Yeah, it is almost unbelievable. It's like, you don't even know what to say.

It's disgusting.

It's so I just can't even grasp what's happened here.

Well, finally, after two days, Joseph would take cans of gasoline and pour it throughout the house and on top of the bodies of Judith and Maria. Then he lit the house ablaze. I do want to point this out. With the fumes and gasoline contained inside the house, when Joseph lit the fire, there would no doubtedly in my mind, be an explosion, and that explosion would have been what the neighborhood. Some people say it could have been the gunshot.

It's interesting I guess that they didn't hear the gunshots. Say, but we've covered a lot of cases for in like exactly, they can literally go undetected.

Yeah, and I believe that in this explosion, in this exact moment, I think that's what sealed Joseph's fate and said it in Stone. So I don't know if he planned on escaping. In fact, I doubt he did plan on escaping. But if he did, the explosion, though I'm sure wasn't very extremely severe, I'm sure it probably would have caused him some sort of injury, burns, whatever, blew and back, broke some bones. I don't know. He had to ignite it somehow. Most likely he's doing it in

Face thinking that he's going to get hurt.

Yes, whether he intended to escape or not, I don't know. I doubt it, but at least I think he did get injured from this explosion. Whatever the case. Though, after the explosion, it was then that Joseph went to the garage took out a thirty two caliber pistol and turned it to himself and pulled the trigger, and from there the house burnt down around him, with his wife and

She was literally passed away before those even went out.

She had passed away, but.

She didn't even get to see the success of them.

She did not even get to see the movies.

Wow, that's even worse.

Now. In a cruel twist of fate, in All Dogs Go to Heaven, Judith performed her final lines ever where her dog Charlie passed away, and the lines go a little bit something.

Like this, Charlie, will I ever see you again?

Sure? Sure you will again? You know? Goodbye Zone forever?

Then goodbye Charlie. I love you.

Yeah. Now, Since the movie was released after the passing of Judith, in a chronological order, Anne Marie technically passed away before Charlie ever could. In the movies, Charlie was voiced by none other than the legendary Burt Reynolds, who passed away in September of twenty eighteen. The two actors had a great relationship behind the scenes, with Bert supporting and praising Judith and being a great mentor for her

You just more and more damage here? Eh, I'm like drawing old Musha together.

You good.

I don't know. Gosh, there's probing on a dry eye listening to this. Huh brutal.

So Don Bluth, the director of both The Land Before Time and All Dogs Go to Heaven, praise Judith for being quote absolutely astonishing, and he stated he intended to feature her exclusively in his future productions. The closing credit songs Love Survives in All Dogs Go to Heaven was dedicated in Judith's memory. Finally, Judith and her mother were buried together at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hill

Yeah. Wow, they were both in just such a terrible situation, like, yeah, it was just a lose lose really, regardless of what they did, it probably would have ended this way most.

Likely, yeah, which is so unfortunate. And I know this is the case of Judith Barzi, but I also do want to highlight her mother as well. Oh absolutely, I can't imagine the hell she went through as well, trying to protect her daughter and herself and trying to do the right thing but inevitably still succumbing to this monster.

Well yeah, she would have known what happened before she got shot and killed yep, which is pretty devastating that that was her last known thought on earth.

Really, So I don't know if everyone knew of this case and knew who Judith was, But yeah, I don't know if you'll be able to watch Land Before Oh.

Thanks God Heaven the same, No one will. That is such a loss.

It is and those two movies honestly hold a very very special place in my heart, and so does Judith if I'm being honest. She did amazing in those films and amazing with all her acting. The world lost a lot when she passed the way I can.

Say that well, yeah, because it's honestly just like incredible to think what how far she would have gone, you know.

Oh her future was so bright, she was just getting started. Yeah, so all right, you're good.

Yeah you did it again, Ben, But.

I did what again?

I don't know, just fucked everyone.

Up, fucked everyone.

I know. You warned me so that I was like, you might cry in this and I was like, no, no, I'm not going to. There's no way, like nope, But yeah I lost that bed.

Yeah you did.

Yeah.

Well I hope you guys joined enjoyed this episode. If you haven't seen those movies, I do recommend you go see them. They are absolutely incredible films. Yes they're cartoons, Yes they're animated films, but there's a lot behind them. Highly highly recommended. They're absolutely incredible. We appreciate you guys being here. If you guys want to go give us some support over on things like Facebook, Instagram, our website, Patreon.

Yeah, put all the blame on me, yep.

So we are putting out that Q and A episode next Tuesday for you though.

In place of it's gonna be fun. It's an awesome way just to dive in deeper and get to know us a bit better.

Yeah. Nice, relaxed too, kind of chill, like I said, rather than us just kind of hey, we're on vacation. We'll come back in a week or two. We're still doing something for you guys. Yeah, and engaging. We're actually going to be having some fun with it.

So yeah, and honestly, as emotional and terrible as that was, well done, you did really.

Good, so thank you appreciate it.

So until next time, stay wicked.