Welcome back to At Sixes and Sevens, I am Tommy and I'm Rio. Today we're diving into
the tragic story of Judith Barsi, a talented child actress whose life was marked by both
brilliance and unimaginable pain. Now this story is a heartfelt one for sure, so if you've
got your tissues I'd recommend getting some. We might show a clip or two of her acting
career but we'll get into the deep dives and everything a bit later. But just as a
slight introduction to her life, Judith herself was born on June 6th, 1978 in Los Angeles,
California to Hungarian immigrant parents. Now her father Joseph Barsi and mother Maria
hoped to create a better life in America. Judith was their only child and from a very
young age she displayed an extraordinary talent for acting, singing and even performing.
Judith began landing roles in commercials showcasing her charm and unique voice. Yeah
because at the end of the day who didn't want to be Alphaba? I'm definitely an Alphaba.
Are you a Galinda or are you an Alphaba? That is the question right now. I'm not gonna lie,
I don't know what the difference between them is apart from Alphaba I know has scabies and
Galinda I don't know. If you watch Wicked? No. Oh okay that's probably why then. Yeah.
We'll have to get into that a bit later. I do want to watch it but I want to watch the
movies when the second one comes out. Oh that's true yeah makes sense but either way. As Judith
kind of well the thing is we're gonna get into how she became famous which kind of links
into it. She wasn't in Wicked unfortunately. As Judith became a household name in the late
1980s the pressure just began to mount. She appeared on popular shows like Elf and Family
Ties which you know anybody watching or anybody listening know of those shows then shout out
to you, your old, often playing roles that highlighted her bright and bubbly personality.
I think you don't realise that the 80s weren't that long ago like people. 40 years. Yeah
that's not old. Like I'd say old is like people that are 80 or 90 you know people that were
raised in the 80s are like. Well they're older than we are. Yeah yeah that's what I mean
like. But while her star was rising the darkness at home grew. You know the pressure of her
budding career compounded her father's issues leading to complex often suffocating family
dynamic. She was expected to perform not just for an audience but also to win her father's
approval. You know. Which I don't think is like a nice household feeling to have if you
can't win your father's approval. That was her dad's kind of trophy. She was a trophy
child basically. Making him the money so he can pay for everything else. Yeah so you know
if she'd done something wrong he would lash out at her. Which is horrible. No. I believe
he was very, very good morning. He was very abusive. Yes. Always like the end wasn't he
is what I've kind of read up on. Physically abusive and that's how it ended tragically.
It's gotta be like torturing isn't it. It's mentally like messed up in your head. But
let's focus on the good stuff for now. And then we'll go into the the grungier stuff.
Her kind of most famous role and most significant role was an Anne Marie. I don't think I've
ever watched this. Anne Marie? You mean as Anne Marie? Oh as. Well yeah. In a film called
All Dogs Go to Heaven. Which sounds like a fairy. Yeah I've never watched it and I don't
want to because I'd probably cry my eyes out. I believe we'll show a clip soon. But it's
a film released in 1989 that became a beloved classic. In this film she plays a young girl
who befriends Charlie, a dog trying to earn his place in heaven. Which if you just even
read that tagline you're like oh gosh okay this is this is gonna mess with me. Especially
if it's in the 80s as well. Like Disney kind of style. Who knows. I'm not sure who it was
made by actually. But her portrayal herself added warmth and depth to her character making
Anne Marie unforgettable. It's a tough watch. Especially if you love dogs. You know if you
watched Marley and Me and you cried then this is like a hundred times sadder kind of thing.
But yeah Anne Marie she's an orphan. It's sad and Charlie's like her best friend. Judith
recorded her lines for All Dogs Go to Heaven in early 1988 during a time of great joy mixed
with you know underlying turmoil. Her performances were a mix of innocence and emotional depth
capturing the essence of a child who understands loss yet still holds hope. Which for that
age, well around that time anyway, to understand the complexities of the emotional depth of
like you know going through all of the stages of you know denial, grief whatever it might
be. That is an incredible like it's not even talent it's more just tragedy. Because it's
not a thing that we should be like oh wow that's incredible she was talented. It's
a thing that we have to look up of. It is so sad that a child has to understand those
things at that age because of what she's been through. You know no child should be able
to understand those feelings or go through whatever she was going through without acting.
Because she was doing it like without acting at that point.
Yeah she might have just even been just being herself in that moment but you don't really
know and you can't really tell. But we'll talk about her upbringing I think because
it's good to know the backstories and like how she grew up. And we'll kind of we'll start
with her father. So Joseph Barcy. He had a troubled background to start with. So he fled
Hungary during the oh what was it the 1956 revolution I think?
Yeah.
Yeah it was. Seeking safety and a better life for his family of course which in that time
why wouldn't you?
Understandable.
But yeah I'd do that. However adapting to a life in America proved difficult for him
as well. Leading to feelings of inadequacy I'd say and frustration.
You know even though it's the great American life, the new beginning you know freedom and
all that. It is so so fucking hard to start a life in America and you know for these people
that have done it, huge kudos to them because they've started from nothing and you know
they've made a new life for themselves. But especially back then you know going over to
America you know they would have nothing. You know fleeing from Hungary during the revolution.
They'd leave with nothing and just start from you know zero. So it must have been hard you
know he was probably stressed as shit. You know trying to provide-
Work in like 50 hour weeks just so he can get a paycheck at that point. Yeah.
No.
But you know once again that does not advocate for what he'd done and what kind of person
he became.
Not at all.
Yeah you know these feelings he's spiralled into severe issues with alcoholism and violence.
You know this background likely influenced his inability to cope with the pressure of
parenting ultimately turning him into an abuser. You know the abusive father and husband he
was.
Classic alcoholism, violence you know all that stuff.
Yeah.
You know it shouldn't be classic. It should be eradicated at that point but unfortunately
it still happens and especially back in that time there's a lot of pressure, there's a
lot of stress and it just kind of hits you at that point.
It's that typical you know white vest wearing beer belly stellar drinking you know man.
I mean some people would class that as a Chad but that's where the kind of the toxic male
cliques and everything comes in but we're not going to talk about that. I think we should
go talk about her mother though. Her mother was a beautiful woman and the relationship
between Judith's parents was kind of destined but also doomed from the start. So Maria was
a devoted mother and tried to protect Judith from Joseph's aggression but she kind of found
herself in a precarious situation. You know she often felt torn between wanting to keep
her daughter safe.
Yeah of course.
Or trying to maintain her marriage and making sure that he's not going to do something that
will probably affect the family in the future.
Because when you know when he's probably lashing out on Judith you know Maria's trying to stop
him but then it gets to a certain point where he takes the anger onto Maria so she needs
to find that boundary where you know neither of them get abused or try to calm down but
you can't win with them.
Although you really can't which is a shame.
You know reports indicate that Maria initially believed that love could overcome Joseph's
darker tendencies. We know that never happens but as the years went by it became painfully
clear that the violence and control only escalated. It got worse. You know leaving both Judith
and Maria in a constant state of fear. You know whenever he'd come home they'd be terrified
that he's going to lash out if he had a bad day or whenever they would come home they'd
be terrified that he's going to lash out because he had a bad day.
Living in a constant state of like paranoia.
It's like walking on eggshells constantly.
Yeah exactly. Well yeah it's worse than eggshells at that point. Like treading on full on spikes.
And you can't get around it. It's just some days have worse days than others but most
of the time it's a worse day. So it's yeah it's honestly so strange. And God forbid anybody
going through that struggle. Like we're here with you. We support you.
You're scared of every single thing you do. You know one stupid thing like you do something
by accident. You know we'll knock over a glass. You know it won't even smash you'll just knock
over a glass and it'll make a noise. And here comes the alcoholic father marching into the
room being like what the fuck did you do? You're like oh I'm sorry. You know you're
petrified and then he lifts his hand and then whacks you you know because of something stupid
like knocking over a glass. And every single small thing you do if you sneeze for example
you're scared that they're not going to like that and then they're going to hit you. Yeah
it's horrible because the amount of people that go through that you know it's terrible.
Kind of yeah it well this links into it. So Judas success kind of like came at a massively
steep price. So out of the front and out of kind of her exterior she was celebrated and
in public. You know all of the attention she was getting all the fame all of the fortune
she was getting. She obviously was celebrated and loved within the public. But then when
she had turned to home and went to her mum and dad she kind of out isolated which I believe
you know you could understand. Her father's kind of abusive behaviour often meant that
she couldn't invite friends over. She couldn't do anything else. She couldn't go outside.
She can you know it was very strict and there wasn't a lot that she could do. Which left
her alone with all of her thoughts and even worse her fears. It's like being a circus
animal at that point. Like all she done was work right. Go do acting be on screen make
money for dad and when you get home you're just by yourself. You're locked in a dark
lonely room as a child. Keep in mind she was a child.
He doesn't get paid. She doesn't get anything.
Like literally she was 10 years old when she died. And you know you're going home to hoping
to spend time with family and loved ones to just being all by yourself and not having
anyone to turn to. Like imagine being a young girl literally yearning for companionship
but being trapped in a house filled with tension. You know that isolation, um compounded pressure
she felt to succeed as she believed you know achievements could show. She felt like it
could mend her destroyed family life. You know she felt like her doing all of that could
somehow make her dad accept and love her and show the love that she needs and deserves.
So she worked harder and harder.
But trying to mend a broken relationship and a broken kind of marriage on like kind of
just pinning it on a 10 year old child is the worst thing you could ever imagine because
it's they can't fix anything. They're not going to do anything. If anything you have
to look after them. So why are you pinning it on a child who's you know going to get
success and is they going to be famous and all? No it's not giving you hope. At that
point you might as well finish the job and you know just divorce or something at least
something like that to make it better for the child.
Yeah and it was like so hard to do that back then and you know for everyone listening you've
probably realized that myself and Tommy are very like down toned today. Like we sound
very off and we generally do not know what half the time what we're going to say is because
this this this Barcy case does not set well with me. You know any any sort of case doesn't
set well with me but this one especially because of the type of case as you know half the time
I'm going to be lost for words and what to say and half the time I'm going to go quiet
because I know that if I speak I will feel physically sick or cry.
Yeah it is an emotionally tolling story and I've read up on it and I've watched some YouTube
videos as well and it's even for me like I'm speechless at like the events that occurred
what happened you know even you can't even fit into a short amount of time because of
how in depth everything is and there's so many kind of branches that kind of lead off
into so many different questions so many different answers which aren't revealed to the public
and it's like it's interesting from a psychological point of view it's like what was going through
their mind blah blah blah all the major questions where everybody you know but actually going
through that is the worst pain fear imaginable.
Because most of the cases that we talk about is you know somebody getting murdered in a
random act of violence or somebody going missing and does not know what happened but here we
know exactly what happened and we know the most horrible fact is that her own father
you know the person that is meant to be there and protect her from everything literally
that her own father could do that to someone someone so innocent and supposed to cherish
yeah oh anyway let's let's let's continue.
I think we should go back to all dogs go to heaven because there is an important.
It is her final her final thing is what we're going to talk about most is and but we're
actually well I'm going to focus on Burt Reynolds so Burt Reynolds was the dog but you know
he he voiced Charlie and he had a special bond with Judith during the production because
obviously you have to be in a booth with her you have to you know the conversations back
and forth and get to know you have to make a you know grow some sort of bond when you're
acting you know if you're going to especially if you're going to be sad on screen about
someone passing you have to kind of have that emotional bond with them and yeah you can't
be kind of emotionally numb but he often described her as a bright light with a remarkable talent
which you know their relationship themselves went beyond co-stars it was like a mental
role offering encouragement and kind of guidance into the industry and advice kind of like
a fatherly figure but only in the kind of advice and the mental role basically.
Yeah like he he could probably tell that you know something was was wrong but he couldn't
just tell what so he kind of took her under his wing you know especially Burt Reynolds
being an experienced actor at that point he you know seeing young talent he wanted to
protect her and make sure that she gets the right care like mentoring.
Not manipulated or ruined yeah no because you know what Hollywood can do to people.
Absolutely yes but after Judith's tragic death on the 25th of July 1988 Reynolds was heartbroken
he had finished recording his lines but was unaware that this talented young girl who
he cherished would no longer be there to share in the film's success with him.
The only person who would benefit from that success is the dad and the mum well mostly
the dad probably but you know she didn't get to see how amazing obviously the film turned
out to be she didn't even get to watch the movie I believe.
No no she didn't get to yeah.
The Greb Carpenter release you know the what's it called the opening night.
The premiere yeah the premiere yeah didn't get to turn up to any of that.
Reynolds had to return to the studio to complete his work whilst learning about Judith's passing
so he had to well understand and learn the news that his co-star Judith kind of passed
away and it was a massively emotionally like kind of challenging experience.
Imagine going back to the studio knowing that the line you are about to record is saying
goodbye to her well her saying goodbye to you because in a movie you know Anne Marie
Judith says goodbye to Charlie Burt Reynolds because Charlie is about to pass away and
you know Charlie is about to go to heaven but now it's turned into Burt Reynolds saying
goodbye to Judith for the final time.
Yeah because he didn't know what that would be his last and it's yeah I think in that
point he struggled to deliver his lines just because the massive amount of weight of lost
that was heavy on his heart.
Yeah apparently like it took numerous takes I think it was like in the 50s for him to
get it right you know listening back to the clip which we're about to play in a second
you can hear the pain in his voice and you know knowing that he was recording without
Judith by his side you know that emotional way adds a haunting layer to the film and
he you know once it's released.
I think let's just take a moment to listen to a clip from well listen to this clip where
you know Judith's voice it just brings Anne Marie to life.
Charlie. Yeah it's me how you feeling kid? Okay how are you? Well I come to say goodbye.
Where are you going? Ah it's not a little trip. Listen squeaker I want you to do something
for me all right? Uh huh. I want you to take care of Itchy you know just while I'm gone.
We got a home now and he doesn't have anybody. Don't worry Charlie I will. Great. Well goodbye
little buddy. Oh Charlie I'll miss you. Yeah I'll miss you too squeaker. Now you go to
sleep huh? Charlie will I ever see you again? Sure sure you will kid. You know goodbyes
aren't forever. Then goodbye Charlie. I love you. Yeah I love you too. Um.
Oh squeaker I'm sorry I'm so very sorry. Charlie come home.
Oh fuck it out that's um. That really does hit like I physically got goosebumps then.
Yeah I got teary eyed every time I listened to it. Um. It's just fact. Give a moment for
Rio to just get his tears back in his eyes. It's the fact that at the end when you hear
him say oh squeaker I'm so sorry. You know that was unscripted that was him genuinely
saying that he's sorry for what happened to Judith. I think it was more the um when he
said I love you like you could tell that he was just like uh shit like that punch of emotion
like that raw power. Like hearing her voice like it's both beautiful and heartbreaking
at the same time knowing that is the last sentence that she recorded. You know it's
a poignant kind of reminder of the talent she possessed and the joy she brought to those
around her. Um. All whilst facing her own internal struggles at home. You know as a
child she'd always do her darnest best to record the best she can. I don't know how
many times I said best there but fuck. No it is. We know well I know what you mean as
well because hearing that in such a different light and obviously understanding the story
of what happens it really does kind of make you understand that she was so talented and
she possessed like so much talent within her that people don't actually realise how much
of a star she actually was. Yeah. The kind of the impact itself of her death. Um I think
it sent massive shockwaves through the entertainment industry. Um her town, her community, kind
of everything around it. Um like kind of many colleagues and friends expressed all their
sorrow sharing the stories of her laughter, all of her kindness, kind of like I said going
back to it that light that she brought into Bert's life, into their lives, into everybody
else's lives as well. Yeah especially like in the movie industry you know and whether
it's animated or not um she she was probably the talk. Everybody was talking about oh have
you heard about this new uprising star Judith Barsi. Barsi she's in this you know movie
coming out and then all of a sudden she's no longer. Like everybody must have been talking
about her in Hollywood and so everybody must have been affected by this at the time in
Hollywood and everyone would have been heartbroken and it's probably still affecting people to
this day. But the tragedy also prompted conversations about the responsibilities of parents and
guardians in the entertainment industry. You know Judith's case highlighted the need for
vigilance when it comes to the welfare of child actors because they're often you know
kind of forgotten about and you know you trust the parents. Um but in that kind of industry
you kind of need to keep an eye on the parents even more because they'll get you know money
hungry or fame hungry and they'll forget. You don't want to let everything get to their
head do you? Yeah they'll forget about basic parenting. Yeah they'll forget at that point
that they are parents and that that is their daughter. They more of it see it as like a
money machine. Yeah exactly they just see it as like oh well they're making me money
so they can do what they want and then it's it starts to go into neglect. Yeah. Which
obviously you don't want as a child for sure. Her kind of Judith herself, the tragic story
of what happened of course, has been used to raise awareness about child abuse and the
importance of kind of intervention which I think is a great thing. I mean obviously it's
terrible obviously what happened and you know we never wish upon anybody's worst enemy.
But it's good that change has taken place. Exactly yeah it's been used to kind of raise
that awareness and be like this is what can happen, this is what we need to kind of sort
of get this out. And from that various organisations dedicated to child advocacy reference her
story just to educate the public about recognising you know what the signs of abuse might be,
the necessity of protective measures and kind of what you can do to spot it, what you can
do to help it, what it can do to kind of like avoid or stop it as well. It is it's essential
to remember that the effects of such tragedies can last for generations. Judith's story serves
as a painful reminder of the vital need to ensure that children are safe, you know that
they are supported and that they are heard. Because a lot of the times we kind of turn
a blind eye when it comes to kids. We look at you know them with their parents and be
like oh cool the parents are there that's fine. But you need to look at the deeper kind
of side of it as okay the parents are there but are they being a good parent? You know
if a child all of a sudden flinches because I you know lift something up like it's been
happening on TikTok. Oh I've heard about that one as well. Yeah that whole case is messed
up. Yeah it's literally cases upon cases to this day where a parent does something simple
like lifts something up and the child flinches with their entire body. Now fair enough flinching
is a great reflex and it's a reflex that you need. However a child should not be flinching
like that. Should be not subjected to anything like that at all. Absolutely and you know
if you noticed something, if you are out there and you notice something simple like a child
flinching or a child acting weird on the emotional side. You know like not crying when it's supposed
to cry because children are supposed to cry when they hurt themselves. But if a child
isn't crying and is kind of you know acting tough. Nonchalant and tough yeah. Check on
the kid. You know don't interrogate the child you know whatever. Just you know do what you're
supposed to do. But if you feel like something is wrong then report it. There's nothing wrong
with reporting. The authorities know about her son. Yeah. CSPS. Child Protective Services.
Childline. Yeah. Report it to them. And if they find something well done. If they don't
you tried. You know it's. You never get into trouble for reporting something that you think
is odd or off. You're better safe than sorry. It's also, but then again it is the factor
of the fear isn't it. What will happen if they find out and everything obviously goes
on behind the curtains. What will happen when I get home or if they know it's you know there's
who can you confide within to actually tell this story which is the scariest part of it.
Yeah. But after Judith's tragic death Maria her mother was left to pick up the pieces
of kind of what would be now her shattered life. The loss of her only child was obviously
an excruciating pain that would haunt her for years to come. You know Maria initially
faced immense public scrutiny and personal guilt as you would because you know she's
she's thinking how did I not see this how I could have prevented that. How could I have
I prevented it. You know the feeling of guilt that she shouldn't be feeling. The burden
of this loss was compounded by the grief that engulfed her. Not only is she grieving the
loss of a child she's also facing media and getting abused by media at that point. You
know asking about tens of thousands of questions and also the fact that she's got 10 million
ways going through her head waves going through her head of how could she have predicted her
daughter from her father's abuse.
Yeah I think in the aftermath of what happened Maria sort of like sought out for counselling
just to help her cope in any way with this overwhelming grief this overwhelming sadness
that she was feeling and she struggled to kind of find her place in that world that
was you know completely devoid of joy. You know you would be after losing your daughter.
Yeah she probably felt empty inside at the same time she was feeling those thousands
of different emotions and I just I can't even begin to imagine begin to imagine what she's
feeling.
Unfortunately.
But there were reports that she moved away from LA you know seeking solace and quieter
surroundings many believed she needed to escape the memories of the life she had built there
you know including her aspirations for Judith. She probably went around Los Angeles every
day and everything she's seen just reminded her of her daughter so I do not blame her
for having to leave.
So not only did she have to relocate once from I believe it was it Hungary as well did
she also come from Hungary?
I believe so yeah.
She had to move again because of another timeline event which massively changed her life but
it kind of it what we don't kind of see about is a legacy or Judith's legacy in particular
because it compels us to kind of advocate for vulnerable children. Her life and death
kind of are just to create safe environments ensuring that obviously no child has to suffer
in silence or fear from whatever it may be. Be it's obviously other people other children
parents, family could be anybody like that.
You know and as we said earlier it is crucial that we listen to children and take their
experiences seriously because even though we think all their kids they don't know what
they're talking about they absolutely do and you know Judith's story whilst tragic that
can inspire change and encourage conversations around child welfare welfare and protection.
You know it's hopefully it sparks that little piece of our brains to listen to children
and actually take them seriously. You know one tragic loss it takes you know a horrible
incident like this for people to actually start listening.
It does which it shouldn't happen we should listen as soon as possible but if it takes
you know that realization and that understanding to go oh shit something's up then you know
eventually it will kick in but then we just we can inspire change like we said and encourage
those harder to have conversations. But going back to Maria which is her mother she began
kind of participating in support groups for parents who had lost their children so like
a grieving counseling kind of AA support group but without the AA. Connecting with others
who understood her pain and obviously the sacrifice they have to make. These communities
provided with a sense of belonging during just such a hard-hitting time.
Yeah and I feel like that's the best thing to do during that kind of time is to turn
to people that have experienced the same things as you because you know you all might have
a piece of advice but when you put it all together you actually learn to kind of cope
and you help each other cope. So I get it but over the years she gradually opened up
about her experiences you know emphasizing the need for awareness about child abuse.
Her voice became a part of the conversation surrounding children's safety and entertainment
industry which is...
Which is a massive kind of accomplishment wouldn't you say?
Yeah absolutely it's an incredible thing that she's done but once again why did it have
to take for such a tragic loss before something good is done?
Why couldn't have something been sorted as soon as possible?
Exactly.
It shouldn't evolved into you know a death which is honestly a massive shame for the
industry let alone Maria.
Yes.
Well speaking of Maria I think let's update the listeners on where she is and today...
Maybe let's not dox her but let's just give her a life update.
No no no no we're not going to dox her.
Let's not say where she is.
She lives right back in here.
So for those wondering where she lives it's 1839 C... street.
The FBI has your location.
Her IP address is...
Yeah.
I wonder her IP address she just gave up.
I don't even know IP addresses are you know usually the same for most people anyway but
today Maria lives a much quieter life thankfully.
Whilst her pain obviously never truly goes away I think she's channeled her grief into
advocacy work.
Kind of only speaking events focused on child welfare which again is a massive accomplishment
and obviously a personal and it's a massive thing to do.
Going through all of that pain and then being an advocate for you know all of these events.
It's not like she's went through the pain and then just forgot about it she's owned
it she's using it to her and everybody else's... what's it called advantage that's it.
And although she is not in the public eye as much as before her story serves as a reminder
of the importance of vigilance and compassion in protecting children.
Yeah and that again we cannot... what?
Be grateful enough for?
Yeah.
You don't understand how much actually goes through to protect the younger generation
until you witness it firsthand.
Obviously working maybe in education or something you don't know it's knowing what the procedures
are and how things are kept in place which that was all started or at least given how
brought to life.
Yeah brought to life exactly.
Why what happened here today.
Yeah well what we're talking about anyway.
On the other hand you know let's get into the darker side.
The father.
Yep.
Exactly.
Josef.
Not really it was Joseph.
It was Yusuf.
Yusuf.
Oh okay.
Yusuf.
I thought it was Joseph.
Joseph is the English word however.
Oh so Yusuf.
So you know Yusuf the accent on the word is that u.
Yusuf.
Okay right.
Anyway her father Yusuf faced a different reality after the tragic incident and following
Judith's death.
Yeah let me guess this he was arrested and charged with murder.
But the legal aftermath was complex so we're not going to go into that.
Yeah.
Surprise surprise you got arrested.
I'm glad actually.
I'm glad yeah.
I'm so happy.
So even though he didn't last long in prison and you shall soon find out why.
Yeah he he was charged with you know Judith's murder rightfully.
But in the years following the tragedy Yusuf struggled with his demons.
He faced a long history of alcoholism and mental health issues which contributed to
his abusive behavior.
You know this pattern of self-destruction led him to a downward spiral.
And led him to jail.
Whoopee.
I'm glad he's behind bars.
Or is he?
He died behind bars.
Yeah yeah he died behind bars.
He's probably still in the prison as a ghost.
Oh that would be a good episode of that 60s and 70s.
Visiting his ghost in jail.
Just to find out like what drove him to do that.
What fucked up mind made him do such a horrible thing.
And then he'd probably haunt us and kill us.
Yeah lovely.
In 1989 though let's go back in time.
Just a year after the death of Judith Yusuf took his own life.
But this is going back to it and obviously why he didn't survive long behind bars was
because he took his own life.
This end and this death left many questions unanswered.
And a community grappling with the horror of kind of what had transpired.
So he couldn't really tell them because he went to his grave with all of his knowledge
and everything that he did.
And you know most of the time that is a good thing.
You know sometimes ignorance is beautiful, not knowing what really goes on in the minds
of killers and people like that.
You know a soulless soulless person.
Sometimes not knowing why they'd done something is good.
But then again you know deep down everybody wants to answer.
Everybody wants to know why.
Like why?
Just crushing grief, had no remedy kind of thing.
Shout out to anyone who knows what that means.
We'll never find out why he'd done it.
But at least we know that he's not living a happy life that he did not deserve.
He was miserable.
Yeah and his death meant that many of the underlying issues that contributed to Judith's
tragic situation were never fully addressed.
There was a profound lack of understanding of the complexities of mental health and abuse
in families during that time.
You know people didn't know why things were happening.
We don't have a great understanding nowadays but never mind back then.
Back then it was even less.
Mental health wasn't a big thing back then that people looked upon.
You know you'd get thrown in the loony bin for signs of any sort of mental health issues.
Maybe not even issues, differences.
Yeah complexities.
Yeah people wouldn't study mental health but instead they'd just kind of ignore it and
you know not try and understand it.
It really is a massive kind of shame itself.
And this whole story, this whole past of the Barcy family reminds us that pain, I like
saying this kind of phrase, it reverberates through families and communities.
Like it bounces off everyone's minds and it's always lingering.
So both obviously Maria and Youssef faced consequences.
One through loss and grief and then obviously the other through tragedy and despair.
Yeah and it's so unfair that Maria had to go through something like that just because
Youssef was a dick.
I don't know what to call him.
Well I do but I cannot say that.
Yeah I don't know what to call him with it being too non-PG.
We need to keep it somewhat PG.
Yeah fuck that.
Yeah you f***.
He's just a f***ing c***.
That's the word I was going to use.
He was a see you next Tuesday.
I seen a TikTok yesterday and it was a kid give her dad a card.
Oh no her uncle a card.
I don't know.
Her uncle or dad.
And it was like a nice drawn card and it said C-U-N-T right?
It said c*** on it.
And they're like wait what?
And she's like yeah it says see you next time.
It's for see you next time.
And there are the families pissing themselves laughing and this little kid's like what?
Like I don't know what it means.
It's so sweet because the kid's trying to be cute.
The innocence of the child calling them the worst swear word possible.
I love you you're a c***.
You're a c*** how you doing?
Anyways their story serves as a chilling reminder of the importance of recognising signs of
distress and the need for intervention and family dynamics.
Which is a massive thing nowadays.
It's a massive stigma which is obviously is needed.
People should never feel like they can't intervene.
You know maybe don't intervene personally.
Don't walk up to someone and be like oh you're being a bad parent.
Intervene in different ways.
Intervene in a legal way.
Why are you being a bad parent?
Ask the questions.
Yeah report them.
Or speak to loved ones.
If you know the family and you know for example the grandmother is a great person be like
by the way I've seen this and this happened.
Do you know what's happening kind of thing?
Like bring it up to concerned family members.
Because they might have a bit more knowledge and depth into why it's happening but yeah.
And they've got the privilege of being part of that family.
Exactly.
So they can, they're the one who has to intervene if anything.
So you've helped and done a great thing.
But always reported to authorities as well.
Oh yeah massively.
That is the top thing you should do.
But yeah as a broader impact I think Judith's case has sparked discussions and well a lot
of discussions really about mental health awareness and the importance of supportive
systems for families dealing with trauma.
Which I believe is the greatest thing that anybody can do because quite obviously recently
and throughout obviously Covid which you know we're not hoping happens again and we're not
going to talk about.
Mental health has became this massive stigma and it is a problem which needs to be kind
of obtained and resolved because it's not going to get kind of resolved for a while
now but we're trying our best.
Mental health isn't getting better.
You know people aren't getting better.
The only thing we can do is raise more awareness and find ways to help people.
Exactly.
People should never ever ever ever be ashamed of mental health issues, their mental health
struggles or any sort of mental health they're going through.
And I know it's not comfortable to talk about and I know a lot of it is you don't want to
talk about it but at least try and get the help that's available and I know there's
literally only a fraction of the help that people need available.
However you know by raising awareness you know nowadays is the best way for mental health
is to make people aware that mental health exists.
If you or a loved one per se or even a friend is ever in need there are so many charities,
there are so many online obviously chat forums, there's a lot of things out there to help.
You've got the St Marithans, Mental Health Foundations, the NHS, you've got Mind, there's
so many things online and so many people you can talk to.
And if you're not comfortable with talking to someone face to face or you know not comfortable
with people knowing who you are or you feel scared about seeing a therapist, there are
hundreds upon hundreds of licensed therapists online that you can talk to through video
call, phone call or just online chat.
Next message.
Yeah.
Don't ever be afraid.
So many websites that offer the help that you may need.
Yeah.
And Maria's advocacy has highlighted the need for open conversations about child protection
and the resources available for families in crisis.
At Sixes and Sevens the podcast is sponsored by Mental Health.
Absolutely.
Yeah, we really are at this point because we both go through it and we understand the
struggles and complexities but...
And everybody listening goes through it because there's not a single person on earth that
doesn't go through mental health.
And if you see you do, don't, you're lying.
Oh you do.
You do.
More than you think.
One day you wake up happy, one day you wake up sad.
It's all mental health.
But overall, Judith Barcy's legacy is one that underscores the importance of love, protection
and vigilance especially in the lives of children.
You know, both her mother and father's stories are part of a larger narrative that reminds
us to foster safe and nurturing environments for the youngest among us.
Thank you for joining us as well as we reflect on the tragic yet convenient story of Judith
Barcy and the amount of lives affected by her loss.
Until next time, let's continue to raise awareness, advocate for change and strive to protect
children in all parts of our communities.
Healthy children but also yourself, look after yourself.
Go buy that chocolate bar.
Go have that bath.
Go get up and do the laundry.
You know?
We love you, we appreciate you and we hope that you are okay.
But most important of all, love yourself.